Wi-Fi Direct

Wi-Fi Direct is a <a href="/facts/Wi-Fi/u94quCsx">Wi-Fi</a> standard for wireless connections that allows two devices to establish a direct Wi-Fi connection without an intermediary <a href="/facts/Wireless_access_point/701JjIzt">wireless access point</a>, <a href="/facts/Router_(computing)/Nh5cIyVf">router</a>, or <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a> connection. Wi-Fi Direct is single-hop communication, rather than <a href="/facts/Multi-hop_routing/UbbjE9ku">multi-hop</a> communication like <a href="/facts/Wireless_ad_hoc_network/Gwb3FlAD">wireless ad hoc networks</a>. The Wi-Fi Direct standard was specified in 2009.
It is useful for things such as file transfer, casting and projecting with <a href="/facts/Miracast/y9w3C5Pe">Miracast</a>, wireless <a href="/facts/Printing/ta4QpeDE">printing</a>, and to communicate with one or more devices simultaneously at typical Wi-Fi speeds (<a href="/facts/IEEE_802.11/ryEGu6Vq">IEEE 802.11</a>) without requiring a hotspot or an Internet connection. It is therefore similar to <a href="/facts/Bluetooth/sWAjpMrj">Bluetooth</a> technology but offers a longer range. Only one of the Wi-Fi devices needs to be compliant with Wi-Fi Direct to establish a peer-to-peer connection.
Wi-Fi Direct negotiates the link with a Wi-Fi Protected Setup system that assigns each device a limited wireless access point. The "pairing" of Wi-Fi Direct devices can be set up to require the proximity of a <a href="/facts/Near_field_communication/awqd3Ea8">near field communication</a>, a <a href="/facts/Bluetooth/sWAjpMrj">Bluetooth</a> signal, or a button press on one or all the devices. Simultaneous connections also allow one device connected via an infrastructure <a href="/facts/Local_area_network/edUDxJ6J">local area network</a> to the <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a> to share the Internet connection to devices it is connected through Wi-Fi Direct.

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Wi-Fi Direct