The Wi-Fi Alliance has added new services to its Wi-Fi Direct standard for peer-to-peer connectivity between Wi-Fi devices. The new services will make it easier to print documents from smartphones and tablets.
“This is sort of one-touch printing, without downloading drivers, even from a smartphone or a tablet,” said Kelly Davis Felner, VP of marketing for the Wi-Fi Alliance. She added that Wi-Fi Direct devices are able to connect and share content without an Internet connection.
The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced Wi-Fi Direct several years ago, and is now certifying devices for new services. Those new services include:
● Wi-Fi Direct Send — One or more devices quickly and easily can now send and receive content with minimal user interaction.
● Wi-Fi Direct Printing — With a single command, users can print documents directly from a smartphone, tablet or PC.
● Wi-Fi Direct for DLNA — Devices supporting DLNA interoperability guidelines discover each other before connecting to stream content.
● Wi-Fi Miracast — Devices can implement the updated device and service discovery mechanisms of Wi-Fi Direct to enable screen mirroring and display in one step.
“Easy-to-use peer-to-peer connectivity and a common approach for developers are key features to propel further innovation leveraging Wi-Fi in the mobile, smart home, and consumer electronics segments,” said Philip Solis, research director at ABI Research. ABI estimates that 2 billion Wi-Fi Direct devices have been shipped to date, and that 81% of all Wi-Fi devices will be Wi-Fi Direct-enabled by 2018.
Davis Felner said that devices that support the new services will hit the market in the very near future. She said that an underlying application development platform will be universal across devices.
Printing from mobile devices is expected to be one of the most important uses for Wi-Fi Direct. Davis Felner said that the Wi-Fi Alliance’s suite of certification products includes both a printer and a tablet. “There is a Google Nexus 10 in there and a Seiko Epson print reference design in there as well,” she said, adding that still cameras and gaming devices will follow. But she said that Wi-Fi printing is the current “sweet spot” for Wi-Fi Direct.
