Date: 26/10/2010

Wi-Fi in enhanced to connect two gadgets just like Bluetooth-way

The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced that it has begun certifying products capable of making device-to-device connections, designating those products Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct. The Wi-Fi Alliance says Wi-Fi has made an important leap in connecting devices anywhere, anytime - with or without a traditional network available.

This particular feature enable Wi-Fi devices to directly connecting devices for applications such as content sharing, synching, printing, and gaming anywhere with ease, just like popular Bluetooth.

Some market trends and analysis shared by the Wi-Fi Alliance in its latest release are:

1. With 82 million Wi-Fi-enabled portable consumer electronics and 216 million Wi-Fi enabled handsets set to ship this year, and growing at annual rates of 26 percent through 2014, consumers will be able to use Wi-Fi Direct to connect a huge range of digital devices.

2 . Apps are at the forefront. New applications for portable devices emerge every day, offering compelling new ways to use connected devices. Adoption of apps on portable devices is growing at a 50 percent annual rate.

3. Technology is social. In the United States, 64 percent of young people report that Wi-Fi connectivity helps them maintain relationships with their friends. Moreover, young Americans also report they often gather around devices for entertainment, with about 90 percent of people reporting they have gathered around a portable device to look at pictures, videos, or video games.4

"We designed Wi-Fi Direct to unleash a wide variety of applications which require device connections, but do not need the internet or even a traditional network," said Edgar Figueroa, CEO of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "Wi-Fi Direct empowers users to connect devices - when, where and how they want to, and our certification program delivers products that work well together, regardless of the brand."

Wi-Fi Direct devices include a push-button set up mechanism, employ the latest WPA2 security protections, and bring typical Wi-Fi throughput and range. Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices can support Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n technology as well as older forms of Wi-Fi.

"Wi-Fi Direct is a game-changing advance for Wi-Fi technology," said Victoria Fodale, Senior Analyst at ABI Research. "As people continue to increase the number of devices and the amount of content they carry, Wi-Fi Direct extends an already-compelling technology into an even more useful, convenient solution for all the things people want to do with their devices."

The first products to be designated Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct, and which form the test suite for the certification program are:

Atheros XSPAN Dual-band 802.11n PCIe Mini Card (AR928x)
Broadcom BCM43224 Dual-Band 802.11n 2x2 MIMO PCIe Half Mini Card
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200
Ralink MIMObility 802.11n 2x2 PCIe Half Mini Card
Realtek RTL8192CE-VA4 HM92C00 PCIe mini card

In addition, the Cisco 2106 Wireless LAN Controller and Cisco Aironet 1240 Series Access Points are used in the certification test suite.