WiFi Direct has become one of the most popular means of wireless communication. Technology is at the heart of many electronic devices: from smartphones to game consoles, including laptops and connected objects. WiFi Direct, what is it and how does it work?
Almost all recent devices are compatible with WiFi Direct, a technology created by the Wi-Fi Alliance consortium. It allows two devices to establish a pair-to-pair WiFi connection without going through a router. Google has integrated software support for WiFi Direct into the Android system from version 4.0 released in 2011.
At the time, some manufacturers like Samsung already offered this functionality via their overlay and thanks to integrated circuits designed for WiFi Direct. This was already the case with the Galaxy S2 running Android 2.3.
Wi-Fi Direct: what is it?
Wi-Fi is one of the most popular means of wireless communication, especially for sharing an Internet connection. Unlike traditional Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, initially called Wi-Fi P2P, is a Wi-Fi standard that allows compatible devices to easily connect to each other without the need for an access point.
In other words, no WiFi router is needed. The functions of Wi-Fi Direct are numerous. Like Bluetooth, it is most often used to transfer files between two devices, but at much higher speeds. It is also at the heart of Miracast, another technology created by the Wi-Fi Alliance consortium that allows the sharing of video / audio signals between two devices, including a smartphone to a TV.
How WiFi Direct works
Wi-Fi Direct uses a number of standards to perform its functions. They are essentially the same as for traditional Wi-Fi technology. To connect two devices via WiFi Direct, one of them creates an access point similar to that of a router. The other device searches for it and connects to it.
The available functions vary according to the type of device: thanks to WiFi Direct, you can print on a wireless printer, send photos to a digital photo frame, send files from one smartphone to another, read music or movies on a TV from a smartphone, etc.
How to transfer files between two Android devices via WiFi Direct
Nothing's easier. Wi-FI Direct can be found in the Wi-Fi settings, in slightly different locations depending on the model. It must be activated on both devices which should automatically detect themselves after a scan. From one of the smartphones, establish a connection by pressing the name of the second. The latter will be asked to confirm the link.
From there, you can transfer files of any size between the two devices at an amazing speed. To do this, select a file, tap the share icon, and choose Wi-Fi Direct from the list of sharing options. Then select the device to which the file should be sent and you're done.
Finally, it should be noted that sometimes sharing does not work between two smartphones of different brands. In this case, you can resort to a third party application to jump this barrier. Xender, SuperBeam or even SHAREit play this role very well.
