if you do a AT+CIFSR you get two ip addresses the first is the modules ap address the second the dhcp address from your router , question is the first ip address identical on all modules ,maybe they can network that way. " silicon chip" magazine had an article on using these modules as ap's and assigning addresses to other devices using that ap , but I can find no mention of assigning the ap address anywhere . maybe you do need a router , most routers allow permanent address assignments/reservations (usually nested about ten levels deep in some arcane menu structure) .