A plurality of WiFi-enabled devices that are physically proximate to one another form an ad hoc mesh network, which is associated with an overlay network, such as a content delivery network. A typical WiFi device is a WiFi router that comprises addressable data storage, together with control software operative to configure the device seamlessly into the WiFi mesh network formed by the device and one or more physically-proximate devices. The addressable data storage across multiple such devices comprises a distributed or “mesh-assisted” cache that is managed by the overly network. The WiFi mesh network thus provides bandwidth that is leveraged by the overlay network to provide distribution of content, e.g., content that has been off-loaded for delivery (by content providers) to the CDN. Other devices that may be leveraged include set-top boxes and IPTV devices.