Wi-Fi Direct: what is it on a phone. Help Guide

Probably every smartphone user has at least once encountered a situation where they need to quickly transfer files from one smartphone to another. If you have high-speed Internet access, you can synchronize devices; if you have a laptop and a USB cable, you can upload files through it. What to do if there is neither one nor the other? The obvious answer is to use Bluetooth. But such a connection does not always provide a sufficiently high speed. What if you need to transfer many files at once?

In this case, you should pay attention to Wi-Fi Direct technology, which is available in many modern smartphones and provides a connection at a speed of about 50 Mb/s.
With this connection, two smartphones create a kind of local network using the same Wi-Fi transmitters, only in this case a router is not required.
The advantage is the high speed characteristic of high-speed wireless Internet access, but the disadvantage is not very good support from the software, as well as the lack of information about the procedure for creating such a connection.
Let's try to figure out how to transfer several hefty files - 25-40MB each in fifteen seconds. To do this, let’s take the SONY Xperia ZL and Meizu MX2 smartphones to show that the technology is universal. I will illustrate the procedure using the SONY Xperia ZL as an example.

Procedure:

1. Download any program from the Play Market that supports Wi-Fi Direct, I chose the simplest option - File Commander. Let me remind you that most Xperia smartphones have this program installed initially, so it’s enough to update it to the latest version, because... Early versions may not have Wi-Fi Direct support. The program must be installed on the smartphone from which files will be sent.

2. Go to the Settings menu - Wi-Fi.

3. Turn on the switch in the very top line, then carefully look to see if the smartphone has automatically connected to any network (status “Connected”), if connected, long press on the name of the network and in the menu uncheck “Connect automatically” (after transfer files, you can install it again). After that, turn off Wi-Fi and turn it on again using the switch on the top line. We carry out the procedure on both smartphones.

As practice has shown, Wi-Fi Direct often cannot work on smartphones simultaneously with an Internet connection via Wi-Fi.

4. Click on the button with three dots in the lower right corner. Select Wi-Fi Direct. We carry out the procedure on both smartphones.

5. Click the search button in the lower left corner. We do it on both smartphones.

6. After the devices “detect” each other, click on the name of the device on any of the smartphones.

The "Connected" status should appear.

7. Go to File Commander or any similar file manager with technology support, select the files that need to be sent and long press on any of the selected files to enter the menu. Select "Send via Wi-Fi Direct".

8. Select a device from the list and click on the icon. If the list is empty, try clicking the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner.

The file transfer will now begin. Please note that, unlike Bluetooth, file transfer is carried out in a single package and without additional requests. In the status line of the receiving device, only a modest notification appears indicating the degree of completion of the operation. Received files are saved in the internal memory of the device in the "Download" folder.
I was unable to transfer folders this way, but I was able to transfer 10-15 files at a time, each about 30MB in size, without any problems. Transferring one such file takes only a couple of seconds.

In the near future, Wi-Fi Direct, first known as Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer, will become one of the main methods of wireless data transfer between devices. You can learn about what Wi-Fi Direct is and how this technology works from this material.

Wi-Fi Direct: Wi-Fi minus router

Wi-Fi Direct is a new standard for wireless data transfer that allows devices to connect directly to each other without an additional intermediate link in the form of a router.

Now, when connecting a printer to a computer or a phone to a laptop wirelessly, it is usually impossible to do this directly. This requires another connecting element in the form of a router.

Wi-Fi Direct is designed to remove this limitation and make it possible to connect devices directly.

Wi-Fi Direct: Au revoir Bluetooth

Whether Wi-Fi Direct will be able to completely displace Bluetooth is difficult to say with 100% certainty now, but all the prerequisites for this exist. The new Wi-Fi derivative is doing much better than Bluetooth in terms of transmission speed and coverage range, as well as data security and ease of connection.

Getting rid of the unnecessary wireless interface in mobile devices will benefit both manufacturers and users: devices will become a little more compact, lighter, cheaper, and easier to manufacture, and instead of two interfaces, users will only have to worry about switching one.

The new technology can be built into almost any device, including those that traditionally work via Bluetooth (wireless keyboards, mice, headsets). To increase autonomy, new energy saving modes were developed specifically for Wi-Fi Direct.

Specifications remain unchanged

At the hardware level, Wi-Fi Direct chips will differ little from conventional Wi-Fi modules. It follows that the technical characteristics of Wi-Fi Direct will be almost the same as those of modern Wi-Fi networks. The new devices will even be backwards compatible with most existing Wi-Fi devices (regardless of the specific 802.11 a/b/g/n version).

Most Wi-Fi Direct chips should operate at 2.4 GHz and therefore will work seamlessly with earlier versions of the 802.11 standard (up to version n, with the exception of 802.11a), and in some cases will be compatible with 802.11n.

Some Wi-Fi Direct modules will operate at a frequency of 5 GHz and, therefore, will be able to connect to 802.11a and n networks. As can be assumed from the information currently available, most chips will support both frequency ranges (2.4 and 5 GHz).

Certified Wi-Fi Direct devices will be able to support the same data transfer speed as conventional Wi-Fi chips, that is, about 250 Mb/s. Apparently, we are talking about chips created on the basis of 802.11n, and as soon as the first Wi-Fi Direct devices based on 802.11ac appear, the speed will increase several times.

The maximum speed will depend on the transmission medium, the number of connected devices and their specific characteristics.

Under ideal conditions, as with regular Wi-Fi, the new devices will be able to connect to each other over a distance of up to 200 meters.

Wi-Fi Direct is not necessarily a one-to-one connection

The fact that Wi-Fi Direct will most often be used to connect two devices does not mean that the capabilities of the standard will be limited to this. As part of the new technology, it will be possible to create entire groups of interconnected devices (Wi-Fi Direct Group).

Most often, such group configurations will apparently be used for multiplayer games. Players in this case will not need Internet access, mobile or any other coverage. Literally in the desert, they will be able to create a small wireless network if their devices are within range of each other.

However, not all network participants must support Wi-Fi Direct. One Wi-Fi Direct chip is enough, which will take on the role of traffic coordinator between devices with regular Wi-Fi modules on board.

It should be noted that in some cases, creating groups will not be possible, since some devices are initially created only for one-to-one connections. This does not contradict the specifications of the standard, in which the ability to connect to multiple devices at once is optional.

Exactly how many devices can be grouped or connected to one device depends on the specific conditions. Typically, this number will be slightly lower than with a regular access point

It is worth adding that despite the relationship between Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct, these are still slightly different technologies, which is once again confirmed by the following fact. Certified devices (from the context it seems like most) will be able to connect to either Wi-Fi Direct groups or regular Wi-Fi access points, and only a few will be able to do both at the same time. For example, a laptop can be connected to the Internet via a router and at the same time be part of a Wi-Fi Direct group to distribute this Internet to other group members.

Connecting is as easy as saying yes

The procedure for connecting Wi-Fi Direct devices will be based on Wi-Fi Protected Setup and, as a rule, will involve pressing a single button.

If two users want to connect their devices to transfer files, then one of them will only need to send an invitation by selecting another device from the list of detected ones, and the second will need to confirm the connection.

How detection occurs

Wi-Fi Direct includes two useful features: Wi-Fi Direct Device Discovery and Service Discovery. Thus, devices will be able not only to find each other without additional actions on the part of the user, but also to immediately learn about the capabilities (services) provided.

For example, if a user has discovered several available devices and wants to send a photo, then Service Discovery will weed out all unnecessary devices (for example, audio systems) and leave only compatible peripherals (photo frames, TVs, other smartphones, etc.).

All this happens before connection, so the user does not have to go through several devices in turn in search of suitable capabilities.

Protocols such as UPnP and Bonjour also provided similar mechanisms for detecting other devices, but were incompatible with each other and remained little widespread. At the same time, Wi-Fi Direct should become a new unified standard for searching, connecting and transmitting information.

Who is the boss in the group?

If there will be several devices in a Wi-Fi Direct group, then the decision about who to assign the role of coordinator depends on several factors. For example, on the autonomy of the devices (preference will be given to a laptop running on the network rather than a smartphone), on the number of connections that the device can handle, on the number of services provided, on computing power.

In principle, any certified device can become the main one in the group, however, more powerful and advanced ones (laptops, smartphones, handheld consoles) will always take priority over peripherals such as printers, digital cameras, etc.

Access level

The amount of information available for viewing on another Wi-Fi Direct device will directly depend on its purpose.

If we consider the connection of two phones, then, in principle, a situation is possible when a specific program will provide access to all or most of the information, but as a rule, it will take on only a certain, small range of tasks. For example, multiplayer games will only be able to connect several players together; programs for transferring videos or photos will only provide access to these multimedia files, but will hide the file system on the device.

Wi-Fi Direct in business

Wi-Fi Direct is primarily aimed at everyday users, but given the fact that devices that can benefit from the new technology are widely used in offices, the standard will eventually gain popularity in the workplace. For example, to transfer videos, images, presentations from your phone to a projector or to print files on a printer.

Safety

To ensure security, all data sent via Wi-Fi Direct will be encrypted using WPA2 - a reliable method that has proven itself in classic Wi-Fi.

At the same time, all devices that support dual connections (to regular Wi-Fi devices and Wi-Fi Direct groups) will work with data separately, providing additional security.

In the event that several devices from a Wi-Fi Direct group access the Internet through an intermediary connected to an unsecured or weaker-encrypted access point, data exchange between Wi-Fi Direct devices will still occur using WPA2, despite the fact that this information reached the transfer station in a less secure way.

Will Wi-Fi Direct replace regular Wi-Fi?

Although Wi-Fi Direct will be able to replace access points in some cases, it will not completely replace regular Wi-Fi, since these technologies were created for two different tasks.

Classic Wi-Fi is primarily intended for Internet access and communication between stationary devices, while Wi-Fi Direct will be used primarily for combining two or more devices in any random location where there are no external connection points.

In many cases, access points are also needed for the reason that, as a rule, they support additional capabilities: connecting to the Network via an Ethernet port, the presence of hardware firewalls, advanced network management capabilities, etc.

Prevalence

The first Wi-Fi Direct devices appeared back in 2010, but we can really talk about the expansion of the new technology only after the release of Android 4.0.

Basically, the OS alone is not enough. Android 4.0 can even be installed on some older devices, but Wi-Fi Direct support will not magically appear on them. On the other hand, there are also opposite examples.

With the help of special modifications by the phone developer, Wi-Fi Direct can be implemented on Android 2.3. However, this situation does not occur often, and given the age of the OS, you should not expect a large number of Gingerbread smartphones with Wi-Fi Direct.

Since specialized Wi-Fi Direct peripherals do not yet exist, this technology is now mainly used to transfer files between Android smartphones. To do this, you need to activate Wi-Fi Direct in the phone settings, select a file or any other data and use the Share or Send function, where in addition to the usual transfer methods, Wi-Fi Direct will also be present.

There are still very few programs for working with Wi-Fi Direct on Google Play, or rather, only one, and it appeared literally the day before this material was written. The utility is called WiFi Shoot! and is designed to transfer photos and videos between devices. It is not yet possible to send other types of files using it.

A peculiar version of Wi-Fi Direct has been used in Apple devices for some time. AirDrop technology, although not compatible with Wi-Fi Direct, was introduced by Apple as its analogue simultaneously with the release of OS X Lion on July 1, 2011.

AirDrop is designed for direct file transfer over Wi-Fi, without prior setup and connection to a classic wireless Wi-Fi network. The technology is supported on most of the company's computers and laptops released since 2008.

One of the first non-IT companies wanting to use Wi-Fi Direct in the near future is General Motors. Developing the idea of ​​smart cars, the company plans to integrate Wi-Fi Direct device detectors into cars, and in case of dangerous approach, send a warning signal (for example, to a cyclist in the next lane) or automatically reduce speed. However, the specific ways the program behaves still remain open.

In-Stat estimates that Wi-Fi Direct expansion will end in 2014, when virtually all computers and portable devices will support the new technology.

Just a couple of years ago, in order to connect a TV or any other gadget to a computer, you needed to find a suitable cable and make a bunch of settings. Today things are different. It is enough to have a modern device that supports the Wi-Fi Direct function and make a few settings. Therefore, let’s consider the current topic of how to enable Wi-Fi Direct on Windows 10 and connect various devices to the system.

What is Wi-Fi Direct?

Wi-Fi Direct is a modern wireless network standard that allows you to transfer information between several devices that support this technology. In this case, to pair devices you only need a router, or rather an access point. No adapters or cables are needed. The devices find each other themselves.

Today, this function is supported by almost all PCs, laptops, smartphones, tablets and even cameras, printers and other devices.

However, you should immediately note several features in the operation of this function:

• The data transfer speed with a direct connection can reach 200-250 Mbit/s, and the range will reach 50-100 meters.
• To work with the Wi-Fi Direct function, the gadget must have a chip. This chip comes in several types: operating in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. There are also devices, but they are not budget ones, that support operation in both bands.
• When creating a connection for several devices via Wi-Fi Direct in the office, you need to understand that when connecting a third-party device, the security of data transfer is not guaranteed. Therefore, it is recommended to use this function at home and only with password-protected Wi-Fi.

Therefore, if your device has this function and you want to connect another gadget to it, you should make a few simple settings, which we will now describe.

How to set up Wi-Fi Direct on your phone?

In order to use the Direct function on your phone, you should do the following:

• Turn on Wi-Fi in the device settings.
• Once you activate Wi-Fi, the Direct function will appear in the menu. Tweak on it to open it.

• We start searching for devices.

• As soon as the new gadget is found, you should select it and confirm the connection.
• To transfer materials to a second device, you should find the file and select “Send via...” and specify Wi-Fi Direct.

In this way, you can connect multiple devices that support the Wi-Fi Direct function. However, it is important to remember that due to different Android firmware versions, the step-by-step steps may differ from those presented.

How to connect a PC to a TV via Wi-Fi Direct?

The method of connecting a computer to a TV, or vice versa, will differ from that presented above.

• Using the instructions that come with your LG or Samsung TV, we connect the device to the same router as the PC.
• Now we set up a DLNA server on a laptop or desktop PC. To do this, in Explorer, select “Network” from the menu on the left. A notification appears stating that "Network discovery and file sharing are disabled." Right-click on this message and select “Enable network discovery and file sharing.”

• A message will appear. You need to choose to create a private network.

• After this, a list of all devices connected to this network will appear in Explorer.

• Once DLNA is activated, you need to go to your TV's menu to view the contents of connected devices. For example, on LG TVs you need to select the “SmartShare” section. It will display the contents of folders that are allowed to be viewed in Windows 10.
• Next, to start a movie on an LG TV, you need to right-click on it and select “Play on...” and select the device model that will be displayed in the list.

This is a standard Direct configuration instruction. The instructions for each TV model have a section dedicated to Direct. You can use the advice of the TV developers.

For information on how to connect Android to an LG TV, watch the video:

How to use Wi-Fi Direct on Android is a very common question. The fact is that new technologies are constantly appearing in the world to simplify people's lives. One of them is Wi-Fi Direct. Since this is a relatively new technology, few people know how to use it and what it is for.

What is Wi-Fi Direct

This is a new wireless communication standard that allows you to transfer information between several devices that support this technology. It is worth noting that you do not need an access point (router) to connect and transfer data. In other words, you can connect two or more devices directly. For example, you can connect two Android phones via Wi-Fi if they support this technology.

It is worth noting that this function is supported by almost every modern tablet and smartphone running Android OS. Of course, if we are talking about a budget gadget, then such functions may not be available.

And you don’t need to configure anything.

Devices detect each other automatically. In addition to the gadgets we are familiar with, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and so on, using Wi-Fi Direct you can also connect printers, scanners, Smart TVs, digital photo frames, DVD players, etc.

The main thing is that the device is equipped with this function.

Now you know what Wi-Fi Direct is on an Android phone. Now we can move on to the question of how this standard works.

How the technology works

It is immediately worth noting that the data transfer speed with a direct connection can reach 200-250 Mbits. In this case, the range of action with line of sight is 200 meters and about 50-100 meters in buildings. The level of security of such a communication channel also deserves special attention.

To work with this standard, the device must be equipped with the appropriate chip. They come in several types:

• Operates in the 2.4 GHz band.
• In the 5 GHz band.
• Operating in both ranges.

Wi-Fi Direct on Android has some very useful features. For example, Device Discovery, as well as Service Discovery. They allow smartphones and tablets (and other devices) to find each other and create a network among themselves. In this case, everything happens without your participation.

Moreover, these functions allow you to get information about the capabilities of each gadget on the network. For example, when you want to transfer a video from a tablet to another device, only those that can receive and play this file will be displayed in the list of connected devices.

The developers claim that this standard creates a fairly secure communication channel. However, in fact this is not the case. As long as we are talking about home use, there is no threat to personal data. But the situation is different if you use such a feature in the office. Here many users can join the network. Any Wi-Fi Direct for Windows can act as a proxy, and such a computer will receive all information about any device on the network.

Setting up Wi-Fi Direct on Android devices

To set up Wi-Fi Direct on Android, go to your Wi-Fi network settings and turn on the adapter.

You will automatically be redirected to a page to search for devices that also support this feature. It is worth noting that it should also be enabled on other gadgets.

Once your smartphone finds the connection you want, simply select it and confirm the connection. Next, the devices will be combined into one network (like Bluetooth). Now you can transfer files or stream audio and video to other devices. You don't need to configure anything else.

How to Transfer Files from an Android Tablet Using Wi-Fi Direct

To begin, enable this function on the sending and receiving devices and connect them as described above. Then open the file manager on the sending device and find the file you want.

Hold your finger on it until a menu appears. Select "Send via". Next, select the appropriate option (in our case, Wi-Fi Direct).

As you can see, everything is very simple and clear. Absolutely anyone can handle this. Moreover, as mentioned above, every modern Android tablet supports Wi-Fi Direct technology.

There is a Wi-Fi Direct application for Android - installing such a program will make using the new communication standard on your phone or tablet easier and more convenient.

In addition to simple data transfer, users can connect devices such as printers, TVs, audio systems, and so on through this standard. It is important that these devices are equipped with the appropriate chip.

Disadvantages of Wi-Fi Direct

Like any other technology, this wireless communication standard has its drawbacks:

• Ether clogging. The fact is that when organizing a regular network, all gadgets are connected to one access point. But with Wi-Fi Direct, many separate connections are created. Moreover, the participants can be both people (users of tablets, smartphones, laptops, etc.) and gadgets - printers, scanners, TVs, etc. As a result, in one multi-story building there can be several dozen or even hundreds of networks. Because of this, a real mess is created on the air. At the same time, the networks cannot be controlled. This, in turn, affects the data transfer speed.
• As mentioned above, weak level of protection, when it comes to connections in office and public buildings.
• Energy intensity. On the one hand, this feature is very useful and allows you to transfer large files at high speed. This naturally reduces the time required to transfer information. But such speed requires significant energy expenditure.

And considering how much this will affect the autonomy of the gadget, you should understand that you should not get carried away with this function. Smartphones and tablets already run out of battery quickly enough. It is worth noting that Bluetooth consumes much less electricity.

• Long range. This would seem to be an advantage. On the one hand, this is true. But on the other hand, attackers can take advantage of this. In addition, given that in this way we litter the airwaves, such a range becomes more of a negative than a positive quality.
• And finally, it’s worth remembering that to use this function the corresponding chip is required. Of course, modern phones are equipped with both adapters (Wi-Fi and Wi-Di). But there are still quite a lot of devices that do not support this technology.

So now you know how to connect Android to Android via Wi-Fi directly. Despite the existing shortcomings, this connection is still widespread. And although it will not replace Bluetooth, its useful features simplify some tasks.

Wi-Fi Direct on Android: Video

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 PCs.

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 with easy installation, long range and high data transfer speeds, Wi-Fi Direct has an edge 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.