What does wifi direct provide? Using Wi-Fi Direct on Android. A dialog box appears when you try to connect your device to your TV

Most likely, you use Wi-Fi every day at home or in a cafe; many people use this technology, or Bluetooth (sometimes just a necessary type of connection for a couple of devices). What if we take the best from them and combine them? It turns out that this is implemented in Wi-Fi Direct. This article will tell you what Wi-fi Direct is and how this technology works.

From Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi Direct

Most likely, everyone already knows what Wi-Fi is, if not the technical aspects, then at a subconscious level for sure. This wireless communication technology has a wide range of applications, but the most used is Internet access.

Everyday use of Wi-Fi involves connecting to a router to access the Internet. A router is a physical device that creates an access point, the existence of which can be verified on your smartphone or computer in the list of available connections. When connecting to the network, you need to enter a password and everything is ready, access to the network is obtained.

From the history of Wi-Fi Direct

Wireless data transfer of nearby devices, without the use of third-party equipment, is not new for a long time. One of the first and most widespread solutions was the introduction of Bluetooth, which appeared in 1998. Bluetooth is a wireless communication standard for connecting peripheral devices to a computer (wireless mice and keyboards) or telephone (headsets). Such devices do not require fast data transfer. Bluetooth is not a high-speed communication technology by today's standards, and there are also connection problems. Read what Bluetooth is and how it works.

The difference between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is that this connection has high speed and easier setup. It is because of these qualities of Wi-Fi that Wi-Fi Direct is a technology for fast and wireless communication and file transfer between different devices.

The first major company to use Wi-Fi Direct was Intel. They introduced the new standard in 2008 in the Centrino 2 platform. Two years later, in October 2010, major market players in the networking industry: Marvell, Atheros, Broadcom, Ralink and Realtek, began releasing their products. It is quite possible that your computer also has a Wi-Fi adapter from one of these manufacturers.

Google's Android OS product received direct support for Wi-Fi Direct from version 4.0, and Xbox one in 2013. The Windows family has supported the standard since Windows 8 on PC.

Wi-Fi Direct, how does it work?

The main idea when developing Wi-Fi Direct was ease of setup, the ability to support it with all types of devices at a data transfer speed equal to the usual Wi-Fi.

It works quite simply: one device is detected by another, in exactly the same way as it detected a wireless network, it connects and the devices are connected. There is no need to adjust visibility, use long numbers or put up with problems f. Another advantage is that only one of the connected devices needs to support Wi-Fi Direct.

When two devices are connected using Wi-Fi Direct, one of them creates an access point, like a router, and the other device connects to it. The capabilities depend on the connected device: you can print to a wireless printer, the photo frame can receive and use photos, send files from your computer to your phone, or play music and movies on your TV. Often an Android device is used to distribute mobile Internet to other devices, but it won’t be possible to connect to a Wi-Fi network at the same time, because the device is already used as an access point. A positive feature of Wi-Fi Direct is that there are no passwords; the connection is encrypted by WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup).

Now you know what Wi-Fi Direct is, and thanks to its easy installation, long range and high data transfer speeds, Wi-Fi Direct has an advantage over Bluetooth in wireless data transfer. Perhaps in the future Wi-Fi Direct will be able to replace Bluetooth, because it simultaneously eliminates both the unnecessary standard and the hardware inside the device. This technology is newer, and replacing one standard with another can take quite a long time.

You know what Wi-Fi technology is and use it every day. You know what Bluetooth is and use it quite often. The strengths of these two technologies can be reduced and this is called Wi-Fi Direct.

You can use Wi-Fi Direct on a TV only if it is a smart TV and it even has Wi-Fi, this does not mean that you can enable Wi-Fi Direct - this function may simply be missing. So the Samsung ue55ju6600uxua TV has it, but the Philips 40PFS5709 does not, although both have Wifi.

You can connect on a Samsung, Sony, HP computer or laptop with Microsoft windows 10, windows 7 or windows 8.1 installed if they support Intel WiDi, via Windows Media or a virtual Wi-Fi Direct adapter from Microsoft.

WiFi is fast. Therefore, WiFi Direct technology was adopted to quickly transfer data between two devices, and it is even much easier to enable, configure and use and can be used for a wireless connection.

The first company to introduce support for WiFi Direct was Intel: they introduced the first standard, the Centrino 2 platform, in 2008.

Then, two years later, several major players in the networking industry followed suit, such as Marvell, Atheros, Broadcom, Realtek Ralind. It is possible that your laptop's Wi-Fi is from one of these manufacturers.

Google also added support for WiFi Direct on Android 4.0. Blackberry OS received an update to version 10.2, and the first to support WiFi Direct Xbox was the Xbox One, launched in 2013.

Note: Some people make the mistake of WiFi Direct wireless connections by confusing it with Ad-Hoc.

This connection connects two computers using WiFi, but its speed is limited to 11 Mbit.

How Wi-Fi Direct works

The most important principles behind the WiFi Direct standard are very simple. The operating mode is as follows: the device detects another, as if opening a wireless network. Then enter the password or press the button and you're done, the equipment is connected.

There is no need to set visibility, just enter a numeric key, just like Bluetooth technology.

Additionally, only one of the two connected devices must support Wi-Fi Direct.

To connect two devices via Wi-Fi Direct, one must create an access point, like a router, and the other device connects to that access point. This process happens automatically, there is no need to do anything manually.

You can print wirelessly and send photos from your phone to your computer, or play music on your TV from your tablet or smartphone.

In this case, you can forget about passwords. WiFi Direct technology uses Protected Setup (WPS), which is an easy way to connect two devices using secure wifi.

As with modern routers, simply enter the number displayed on the screen or press the connect button.

With its simplified configuration and faster speeds, WiFi Direct is a much better option than Bluetooth when it comes to transferring files between two or more devices.

Benefiting from ease of installation and scope of application, SEA is a useful standard for connecting peripheral devices.

Some analysts are even predicting the end of the Bluetooth era, although the technology is new enough that it could still be years away. If you have any questions, please use the comments section below. Good luck.

Wi-Fi Direct technology - what is it? This is a cutting-edge set of software protocols that allows you to transfer files without an Internet connection. Devices that support this certificate can connect to each other and send data over a distance of up to 200 meters. The transmission speed reaches high levels - up to 250 megabits per second. It is also worth noting that this network has high channel security. Wi-Fi Direct technology is very similar to the well-known Bluetooth standard, only it surpasses it in many ways.

This data transfer method greatly simplifies the work of users

Progress does not stand still, and today you have the opportunity to perform unimaginable operations that you could only dream of before: print files directly from your phone, watch videos from your tablet on the TV screen, send photos from your smartphone to your laptop, openly use data on your computer via TV. And all this without wires, waiting time and multi-step setup.

Features of wireless technology

1. This set of protocols is developed, certified and supported by the Wi-Fi Alliance.
2. After enabling this function on devices, they automatically detect each other.
3. To create a Direct network, you do not need a router. A router can be useful if you want to access the World Wide Web.
4. You can create a connection of gadgets “1 - 1” or “1 - many”. Paired devices include smartphones, laptops, computers, printers, keyboards, VCRs, routers, scanners, cameras, digital frames and other equipment.

Wi-Fi Direct, also called Peer-to-Peer, is a protocol stack of the upper seventh layer of the OSI model. In other words, a set of rules governing interaction with low-level program services with an interface facing the user. These standards are designed to direct connection of devices to each other, bypassing routing equipment, and allowing the establishment of complex decentralized structures.

Features of the technology and how it works

This technology uses familiar modules operating at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies within the framework of the common 802.11 a/b/g/n specifications. In essence, this is a refinement of the SoftAP mode. A software access point is created and, using the same WPS, others are connected to it.

The new standard supports the same speed as the regular one, that is, up to 250 MB/sec. Although at a lower speed, the throughput is more than sufficient for the most demanding content. The performance of the created P2P space depends on what equipment is used: 802.11 a, b or n and on the profile of its electromagnetic environment (other sources creating interference).

The range of Wi-Fi Direct is the same as that of a regular one - no more than 250 meters.

The number of participants in a group united by the new protocol cannot be as large as in a star topology. Multiple connections is provided only for some devices with this function, for example, smartphones. There are also those that can use only one channel.

Each gadget with this system automatically detects potential “interlocutors”. It sends information with a list of its own services and receives similar signals from neighboring ones, analyzing their content. To establish a connection between devices, just select the one you need from the list and press the button. All equipment connected using the P2P principle is ranked according to computing power. Control is often given to those that have greater productivity (laptops, mobile phones, game consoles). They have expanded administrative powers compared to digital cameras, printers, photo frames and other similar digital assistants. However, absolutely anything that works with P2P can initiate the creation of an appropriate environment. Moreover, devices with conventional modules can be added here.

Digital assistants, which are native to this new technology, can simultaneously reside both in their community and in the central infrastructure formed by the router. Multi-vectoring is optional and, for example, typical of laptops and smartphones.

Also, any member of Wi-Fi Direct is able to access the Internet by connecting to the host, while remaining in a secure domain common to all. Secure Domain is a zone protected by the WPA2 certification program that uses the router's access point to access the Internet and is managed separately from the rest of the intranet.

Another participant cannot see the list of its contacts without the permission of someone else's operating system. The amount of information that is publicly available depends on the application that users are running. This is how LAN games initially request permission to identify themselves and are given the right to search for similar inclusions. The same can be said for photo and image services.

Advantages and disadvantages

Direct “communication” of all “smart” devices provides serious time savings. Obviously, sending something for printing directly from a tablet using Wi-Fi Direct technology is much easier than “throwing” it onto a Windows 7/8/10 computer and then sending it to a USB printer. Showing a photo or video from your phone using a large TV screen is more convenient if you send it directly to its destination. Various photo frames and projectors are becoming more interactive, the online component for games is diversifying, and access to the Internet is becoming more flexible.

To the disadvantages the following can be attributed:

• air pollution. There are a lot of multidirectional “negotiations” in the “point-to-point” style, and the periphery is added to them, which creates a mess on the radio;
• dubious security in places saturated with digital technology (offices, shopping centers, train stations and airports). The multiplicity of signals creates a complex topology in which each participant has dozens of connection options and the ability to use neighbors as proxies;
• Energy consumption. The signal power places great demands on the power supply. Autonomy is reduced;
• Availability special chip, allowing you to initiate the subsystem.

Ordered signal streams

Exists two main sets rules for local circulation of large volumes of data. These are DLNA and Miracast. However, the latter is the most appropriate in this case. For each of them, leading manufacturers have developed a lot of programs.

DLNA supports multimedia traffic: video, photo, music. To operate in wireless mode, a central switch with an access point is required. The server is a transmitting device on which a special program creates a server. The client simply displays the image on the screen. So software installed on a computer with DLNA uses a central switch to use the large TV screen.

Miracast can operate in point-to-point mode and, in addition to providing transport for typical audio and video files, can stream desktop images. The developers have provided functionality that ensures smooth playback of the video stream and the absence of desynchronization. Establishing contact and starting the exchange of signals occurs in a couple of touches. The video signal is transmitted using the H.264 codec in Full HD. The sound is processed in AC3 format in 5.1 format. A separate advantage is that the standard is supported by all smartphones equipped with an operating system starting with Android 4.2.

How to enable Wi-Fi Direct

You can make sure that the function is present by going to wireless network settings on an Android phone. Usually the corresponding sub-item is displayed there. It is in the detailed menu of this subsection that you can find all possible connections, select the one you need and connect. Now file sharing directly will become active in Explorer.

WiFi Direct in Windows 10 is included in the network connection properties. We look for a device that supports this technology and connect to it.

While an expected step to simplify user operations with a variety of electronic devices, the technology remains crude. It certainly works, you can use it, and, in itself, it does not cause any complaints. But the lack of software and the small number of equipment with a specialized chip certainly delay its widespread distribution. Let's hope that the time when order will finally be restored in this area is not far off.

What is WiFi Direct, why is it needed on the phone? You've probably transferred files via Bluetooth more than once and sometimes you had to wait a very long time for one large file to be transferred. WiFi Direct is an excellent opportunity to transfer large files at high speed from one phone to another phone, tablet or other device that supports Wi-Fi Direct technology.

How to transfer files via WiFi Direct? Since in our time, technologies are improving every day, we can watch high-quality films on our phone, and the phone is also capable of shooting equally high-quality video, which can take up more than one GB of memory. Now imagine, if we want to transmit or receive good quality video, even the fastest Bluetooth will take quite a bit of time. That’s why, to transfer large files, it’s better for us to use wifi direct, with which we can transfer files from one phone to another phone or device that supports this function ten times faster. Now I think you are beginning to understand what wifi direct is on a phone and why it is needed.

How to transfer files via Wi-Fi? Nothing complicated: you need to turn on wifi on the sending phone, and turn on wifi and wifi direct on the receiving phone or other device. Next, select the desired file, picture, music or video on your phone and select wifi direct in the transfer functions, and confirm reception on the receiving device. after which you will see for yourself how quickly you can transfer via wi-fi compared to Bluetooth or infrared. You probably already understand basically what Wi-Fi Direct is and why it is needed; this function helps to transfer files at high speed to another device.

Here's how you can enable wifi direct on android, perhaps on some devices the activation method may be slightly different, but I think if you think about it a little, it won’t be too difficult to find. And so, to find where wifi direct is turned on on Android, open “Settings” then “All settings” then “More” and check the box next to “WiFi Direct” and that’s it, the Wi-Fi direct function is enabled. Now you can send and receive files at high speed, but before that, do not forget to turn on Wi-Fi on the sending device.

• I hope the information about Wi-Fi Direct on your phone was useful.
• If you have any other useful information, please share it below in the reviews.
• Perhaps the information you left will be the most useful.
• Thank you for your responsiveness and useful information about Wi-Fi Direct.

Each method of transferring files between devices has its drawbacks: it is impossible to transfer large amounts of data via Bluetooth, a USB cable is not at hand when you need it, Wi-Fi speed may be too slow, and mobile Internet traffic is limited. But we found the optimal solution - using Wi-Fi without an Internet connection.

Wi-Fi Direct function

If you need to transfer files from one smartphone to another, you can use the built-in Wi-Fi Direct function. Let's see how it works using two Android phones as an example.

Open your smartphone's settings. Go to the Wi-Fi (WLAN) section. It is not necessary to connect to the Internet. Go to the Wi-Fi Direct tab - it may be hidden in the additional menu.

When transferring files between phones from different manufacturers, connection interruptions and other errors may occur, so sometimes you have to use third-party software.

If you want to transfer files between phones, computers and tablets, use special applications for transferring data via Wi-Fi. Lifehacker talked about one of these programs. available on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iOS. But this is not the only option.

SHAREit

To transfer files, you need to install SHAREit on both devices. The application is available for free on all platforms.

After installation, launch the program. On the sending device, click the Send button and select the file or application. On the receiving device, click "Receive". A radar will appear in the center of the screen, displaying the icon assigned to another device on the network. Click on it to establish a connection and start transferring the file.

When moving data from the phone memory to a computer, you need to select the “Connect to PC” mode. Otherwise there are no changes. A search screen will appear where you need to select the icon of the receiving device.

Filedrop works in a similar way. The application must be installed on all devices that will participate in file sharing.

To establish a connection, launch the program. Usually pairing is set up automatically, but sometimes you have to enter a four-digit code. On your phone you can see it by clicking on the button in the upper right corner. On - by right-clicking on the program window.

If you're transferring data from your phone, tap the box icon. A simple manager will open in which you can select a file to send. When moving data from your computer, you can simply drag it into the program window.

File transfer is also available through the Filedrop website. When you open it in a browser, the main page displays devices running the application connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

But here you may encounter failures: some devices are not detected or do not accept files. No such problems were found when working with applications.

Instashare

The Instashare program at one time solved the problem with transferring files on Apple devices. However, after the massive adoption of AirDrop, it no longer made sense for Instashare to exist solely within the Apple environment. Therefore, the developers made the application cross-platform.

Instashare works the same way as SHAREit and Filedrop. The only difference: you have to pay for the program on a PC. Apps for iOS and Android can be downloaded for free.

To move data between iPhone and Android smartphones, they all also use Wi-Fi Direct.