Wi-Fi Direct Connects Devices Without a Hotspot

Wi-Fi has made an important leap in connecting devices anywhere, anytime - with or without a traditional network available. The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced that it has begun certifying products capable of making device-to-device connections, designating those products Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct.

With portable content like photos, videos and music taking center stage in the digital consumer experience, Wi-Fi Direct devices meet an important consumer need: directly connecting devices for applications such as content sharing, synching, printing, and gaming anywhere with ease. Current trends demonstrating how people use digital devices highlight the need for this compelling solution:


"We designed Wi-Fi Direct to unleash a wide variety of applications which require device connections, but do not need the internet or even a traditional network," said Edgar Figueroa, CEO of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "Wi-Fi Direct empowers users to connect devices - when, where and how they want to, and our certification program delivers products that work well together, regardless of the brand."

Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices can connect with older Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices, enabling a vast range of devices already in use to connect with products implementing Wi-Fi Direct from the certification program's inception. Wi-Fi Direct devices include a push-button set up mechanism, employ the latest WPA2TM security protections, and bring typical Wi-Fi throughput and range. Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices can support Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n technology as well as older forms of Wi-Fi.

The first products to be designated Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct, and which form the test suite for the certification program are:
● Atheros XSPAN® Dual-band 802.11n PCIe Mini Card (AR928x)
● Broadcom BCM43224 Dual-Band 802.11n 2x2 MIMO PCIe Half Mini Card
● Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200
● Ralink MIMObility 802.11n 2x2 PCIe Half Mini Card
● Realtek RTL8192CE-VA4 HM92C00 PCIe mini card

[via iSpazio]