Bluetooth-rivalling Wi-Fi Direct announced

Will connect up Wi-Fi devices directly

14 October 2009 17:18 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Your Wi-Fi-enabled gadgetry is about to get a whole lot more connected thanks to a new specification just announced by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

We say new, technically it was previously known as Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, however, it is now due with the shiny new moniker of "Wi-Fi Direct", in a device near you in mid-2010.

"Devices will soon be able to connect in a new way that makes it more simple and convenient than ever to do things like print, share and display", says the Alliance.

"The Wi-Fi Alliance is nearing completion of a new specification to enable Wi-Fi devices to connect to one another without joining a traditional home, office, or hotspot network".

Wi-Fi Direct, which will directly rival Bluetooth, as well as to a lesser extent MiFi solutions, can be implemented in any Wi-Fi device, from mobile phones, cameras, printers, and notebook computers, as well as the likes of keyboards and headphones.

Devices will be able to make a WPA-secure, one-to-one connection, or a group of several devices connect simultaneously - including older Wi-Fi certified gadgets.

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