David Flynn16 October 2009, 1:15 PM
A new WI-Fi spec due in 2010 will allow devices such as cameras, laptops and photo frames to create instant peer-to-peer wireless connections.
It took six long years for the The Wi-Fi Alliance industry group to deliver 802.11n, but they’re hoping the next stage in wireless evolution will be completed within six months.
That project is Wi-Fi Direct, which will permit devices with inbuilt wireless chips to communicate directly with each other using an improved ‘ad hoc’ or on-demand protocol.
The revised spec is almost complete, says the Wi-Fi Alliance, with the first compatible devices expected to hit the market mid-2010. It’s not yet known if existing 802.11-based products will be able to gain Wi-Fi Direct features through a firmware upgrade.
However, only one of the products will need to sport Wi-Fi Direct technology in order for the two-way connection to work.
Wi-Fi Direct is intended to provide ‘walk up’ connections between consumer devices without the need for a pre-established wireless network. For example, snaps on a digital camera could be downloaded directly onto a laptop, displayed on a wireless photo frame (or even a TV set fitted with a tiny Wi-Fi chip) or beamed to a wireless printer.
The protocol will be geared for easier ‘discoverability’ of compatible devices and fast creations of ad hoc networks.
Some industry pundits suggest that Wi-Fi Direct could also encroach on Bluetooth’s role as a peer-to-peer protocol for connecting gadgets.
The Wi-Fi Direct spec will support the same high-speed data transfer rates as conventional Wi-Fi, with a connection radius of around 100 metres, but is unlikely to come close to Bluetooth’s low power consumption, let alone the reduced appetite of the new ‘Bluetooth Low Energy’ spec.
In addition, the forthcoming Bluetooth 3.0 spec embraces Wi-Fi by allowing devices to use an existing 802.11 network to send large files which require plenty of bandwidth, while retaining an active Bluetooth link for more conventional low-bandwidth purposes.
Intel has already done some pioneering work in this area with the introduction of ‘
My WiFi’ personal area networking in the Centrino 2 platform to give laptops a direct connection to Wi-Fi printers, smartphones, projectors and even other notebooks. My WiFi supports a simultaneous link to up to eight devices within a within a three metre radius.