Stephen Withers
Thursday, 15 October 2009 06:17
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A revamped specification from the Wi-Fi Alliance promises to simplify the connection of devices to wireless networks without requiring a router or access point.
The Wi-Fi Alliance's forthcoming Wi-Fi Direct specification appears to build on the existing provision for Wi-Fi devices to form ad hoc networks without the assistance of a router.
One common application of this capability is to connect a computer and a printer, where both have Wi-Fi interfaces and there is no wireless router or access point in use.
The intention is that Wi-Fi Direct (previously code-named Wi-Fi peer-to-peer) will be used to connect a wide range of devices including computers, mobile phones, cameras, printers, keyboards and headphones.
Users can expect similar speeds and ranges to those achieved with infrastructure connections (those achieved via an access point or wireless router).
The specification will allow for one-to-one or n-way connections, and devices will advertise the services they can provide.
According to Wi-Fi Alliance officials, Wi-Fi Direct devices will be able to connect to existing Wi-Fi Certified devices.
"Wi-Fi Direct represents a leap forward for our industry. Wi-Fi users worldwide will benefit from a single-technology solution to transfer content and share applications quickly and easily among devices, even when a Wi-Fi access point isn't available," said Wi-Fi Alliance executive director Edgar Figueroa.
"The impact is that Wi-Fi will become even more pervasive and useful for consumers and across the enterprise," he added.
The Wi-Fi Alliance's current standards do not specify the use of WPA or WPA2 in ad hoc mode, though some vendors' implementations do provide some support for WPA2. Wi-Fi Direct will include WPA2, along with management features for the benefit of enterprise environments.
Product certification is expected to begin in mid 2010.
Who are the early supporters of the specification? See
page 2.
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