When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn What Does Wi-Fi Direct Mean?
Wi-Fi Direct is a Wi-Fi communication standard that facilitates device connections without requiring a wireless access point (WAP). The devices are connected using Wi-Fi, thus achieving Wi-Fi level connection and transfer speeds for every action, including file transfer and Internet connectivity.
Wi-Fi Direct is a vendor-neutral standard meaning devices are able to connect through it even if they are from separate manufacturers. This is a widely available feature in mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets used for sharing media.
Wi-Fi Direct was originally known as Wi-Fi P2P.
Techopedia Explains Wi-Fi Direct
To use Wi-Fi Direct, a software access point is embedded in the device, allows other devices to connect using a form of Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) or pin-based setup.
A device can be a Wi-Fi Direct host or client, depending on the role of the device. Smartphones can serve as both host and client, allowing such devices to detect and connect with each other to share files and even Internet connections through tethering.
The basic function of Wi-Fi Direct is to enable the connection between devices and facilitate data transfer through the use of built-in wireless modules without the aid of a dedicated access point. For some devices, the function may be to receive images, such as a digital picture frame, or share or send pictures in the same manner as a digital camera.
Wi-Fi Direct uses the Wi-Fi standard, so not all connected devices need to be Wi-Fi Direct certified – only the host. However, these non-certified devices must be able to share via some type of facility, like a Web browser, or they may be limited to simple connections.
