What is WiFi Direct and how does it work?
Direct Wi-Fi allows two devices to establish a direct, peer-to-peer (P2P) Wi-Fi connection without the need for a wireless router. Direct WiFi is similar to Bluetooth, But there are fundamental differences.
So Direct WiFi is an official standard offered through the WiFi Alliance. The World Industry Union is responsible for certifying the WiFi Kit; This means that you can be sure that any gadget with WiFi Direct can work with all devices equipped with this feature without the need for special hardware.
The idea of WiFi Direct is that simple tasks require simple connections. Suppose you want to send and print an image from a laptop or smartphone to a wireless printer, or share images with someone you are in the same room with, or even send your desired video from a mobile phone to a TV; None of this requires an active Internet connection or, in general, an Internet connection; But to do that, your device needs to be connected to a printer or to someone else’s hardware or TV. With the help of WiFi Direct, all these things are easily possible.
Devices can receive information through an access point
Direct WiFi enables devices to go through this process and connect directly to each other. Most people, when they think of connecting a device to a device (D2D), the first thing that comes to mind is Bluetooth. Wi-Fi Direct offers a Bluetooth-like connection in which you first need to introduce devices that have Wi-Fi Direct to make a connection, But WiFi Direct is much more powerful than Bluetooth and can manage and send more data at higher speeds and over longer distances. If WiFi Direct is set up correctly, it can transfer data 10 times faster than Bluetooth on Android devices. These advantages make Direct Wi-Fi a better option for business applications that need to share data between devices.
How WiFi Direct works?
Devices are paired in a variety of ways to use Wi-Fi Direct; These include physical buttons (pressing a button on the first gadget and then pressing the same button on the second gadget), PIN code, QR code, or even NFC. Direct WiFi does not require a central network or wireless router to share information between devices; Rather, when establishing a connection, one device acts as an access point (AP) or hotspot, and other devices connect to the main device using the WPS and WPA / WPA2 protocols. Wi-Fi uses WPS and WPA / WPA2 protocols to establish secure connections, prevent unauthorized communications, and keep connections private. Once connected, even if not connected to the network, data can share immediately between surrounding devices.
Because devices with direct Wi-Fi can connect without the need for an access point, there is no need to use a router. Devices involved in direct Wi-Fi connectivity, if necessary, create their own ad-hoc network, allowing you to view available devices and choose which one to connect to.
WiFi Direct potentially includes two useful options:
- Finding Devices (Wi-Fi Direct Discovery Device)
- Finding Services (Service Discovery)
Devices do not know by default what devices are around them; But if the developers enabled this, your device knows what kind of devices are nearby and what each one does. For example, if you want to display an image or movie, you will only see devices that can display images, or if you want to print an image, you will only see printers or devices that are connected to printers. Discovering the devices that work for you can happen before a connection is made so that you do not waste time trying to connect to the wrong device.
Companies and support for WiFi Direct
The first major company to support Wi-Fi Direct was Intel, which introduced a new standard for the Centrino 2 platform in 2008. Two years later, other big players in the networking industry followed Intel; Marvel, Ralink, Broadcom, RailTech, and Atros launched the first products with Direct Wi-Fi in 2010. Your computer’s Wi-Fi card is probably made by one of these big manufacturers, and most likely your modern computer or laptop supports Wi-Fi Direct. Microsoft has supported this standard since Windows 8, and all versions of Windows 10 are equipped with Direct Wi-Fi. The first Xbox to support Direct WiFi was the Xbox One, released in 2013.
In the world of mobile phones, Google has provided support for WiFi Direct in Android 2.3. Apple iPhones have supported Direct WiFi since iOS 7 with various titles such as AirDrop or AirPlay. There are many other devices such as headphones and wireless printers that support this feature. Most smart TVs use Direct WiFi in a different way with a feature called Miracast, which is the wireless standard based on Direct WiFi.
Uses of Direct WiFi
The most common uses of Direct WiFi include the following options.
- Quick file sharing
Direct is a great way to quickly share large files. This feature is fast, cost-effective, and secure when it is not possible to set up a wired connection or internet access.
- Printing with wireless printers
Direct can control a large amount of wireless information, so using it for fast and hassle-free printing is a good option.
- Play and share the screen
From running mobile games on a large screen to sharing photos on TV, Direct Wi-Fi can use for a variety of screen-sharing activities.
- group game
If everyone has the same game on their phones without Wi-Fi. They can play with each other by connecting directly to Wi-Fi.
- Fast sync
Some devices use Wi-Fi Direct to sync information and update media. This feature can make the process much faster; especially if you have to add a lot of new media (such as updating an old playlist) to your device at the same time.
Direct WiFi security
Direct WiFi has minimal security benefits compared to other communication options; But instead, the security risks are less. Using Wi-Fi Direct can be dangerous when using a device connected to another network at the same time. There is a risk if you use a direct connection to the device while connected to another network. If you use older protocols such as WPS, it will be easier for hackers to break into your information. You should always make sure that your direct connection is secure. Anyone can take advantage of your information by receiving it via WiFi Direct.
Conclusion
In general, it is recommended to use newer direct WiFi connections that have more security features; But it is better to never use them in public places. Hackers are always looking for new ways to steal information. Recently, a new bug in Linux devices allowed hackers to access mobile devices via WiFi directly if Wi-Fi capabilities were enabled.