Wireless networking is everywhere, in our homes and in our towns and cities. You can go to Starbucks or McDonalds and use your laptop, mobile phone or iPod Touch to surf the net and even download music all for free thanks to Wi-Fi. All you needed was a hotspot, a place where Wi-Fi is available for you. However things are about to change with a new technology called Wi-Fi Direct.
The Wi-Fi Alliance, made up of companies like Intel, Microsoft and Apple, have announced that they will soon finish work on the new Wi-Fi Direct standard. Using this new technology Wi-Fi devices will be able to connect directly to each other (without a hotspot, router or Wi-Fi access point).
In many ways this new Wi-Fi technology is similar to Bluetooth but with the range and speed of Wi-Fi. Like Bluetooth, devices will be able to discover one another and advertise available services. But unlike Bluetooth, devices can connect from across a home or office and conduct bandwidth-hungry tasks with ease. If the Wi-Fi guys get the power consumption right on this new technology then it could be the death knell for Bluetooth.
Also known as “Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer”, this new approach can be implemented in any Wi-Fi device, from mobile phones, cameras, printers, and notebook computers, to human interface devices such as keyboards and headphones. The new standard also has built-in backward compatibility and devices that have been certified to the new specification will also be able to create connections with existing Wi-Fi equipment.
“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.
Worries?
If this new technology is to replace Bluetooth, then it must make sure it doesn't repeat the mistakes of Bluetooth. When the first Bluetooth enabled mobile phones were launched there were lots of horror stories of people’s address books and photos being visible on other Bluetooth phones. This could be worse with Wi-Fi Direct since the other device could be as much as 300m away! But I am sure they have thought of that… Aren’t you?
The Wi-Fi Alliance plans begin certifying devices for the Wi-Fi Direct in 2010.
One thought on “Wi-Fi Direct To Kill Off Bluetooth?”
Starbucks and Mcdonalds aren’t free anymore. You need to pay a fee to get access now.