Wi-Fi Direct connects anything, anywhere, anytime

Like it or not Wi-Fi Direct is coming

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In the past, users have depended on Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet. Now Wi-Fi's use is much more pervasive. Wi-Fi Alliance Executive Director Edgar Figueroa believes that we are on the verge of a new kind of Wi-Fi. It's dubbed, "Wi-Fi Direct" and it could be a very big deal.

Just announced to the public, Wi-Fi Direct enables users to connect to anything at any time and in any place. It enables devices to work together in a peer-to-peer fashion while offering enhanced security, better performance and greatly improved ease of use. This last item, ease of use, is key.

Edgar Figueroa believes that ease of use has become increasingly important to users. He points out that complexity has been the bane of networks whether they are wired or wireless. "People don't like the complexity of networks and they certainly don't like wires," he says.

Wi-Fi Direct attempts to untangle the complexities of Wireless LAN networking. It is expected to allow electronics, handsets and notebooks to wirelessly connect to one another. It will do this without using an Access Point or requiring an Internet connection. Again, ease of use is the key.

Recently the Wi-Fi Alliance conducted a survey among 1,002 users aged 18 and above in the United States. The survey found that nearly three quarters of the respondents were interested in Wi-Fi-enabled speakers used to play music throughout a home or an office. The same number also said they would like to use Wi-Fi to watch movies or television on any screen in the house. Nearly the same number of surveyed people wanted to use Wi-Fi to synchronize their portable audio player to a music library and do so without use of cables or a docking station.

I can relate. I recently went on vacation. As we drove I took along my diminutive Sirius Stiletto 2 Satellite Radio--a device that looks more or less like an oversized iPod. While in my car, this little radio has a plethora of wires that look like weeds growing from the tiny device. These wires spread themselves out across the dashboard and one extends all the way out towards my car's roof.

Imagine what Wi-Fi Direct could offer my travel scenario. Or think of being able to download and share images from your digital camera without having to first connect it to your computer. Or how about a box that, with a push of a button, can play music or display high def video seamlessly anywhere in your home or office?

This may sound like a dream, but Edgar Figueroa expects it to be a reality with devices appearing as early as mid-year. He reports that the Wi-Fi Direct specification, completed in December 2009, allows vendors to rapidly implement Wi-Fi Direct in their devices.

Edgar Figueroa points out that Wi-Fi Direct builds on everything that has been accomplished in Wi-Fi to date. "It brings the flexibility and value of peer-to-peer, ad hoc networking to the Wi-Fi standard. You don't have to deal with anything," He observes. "Just plug it in, push the button and enjoy music, share photos, or watch HDTV all wirelessly."

Now perhaps the Wi-Fi Alliance will work with vendors and find a way to universally charge our device batteries wirelessly so that we can throw all our cables away. I wouldn't be surprised if they are working on just that.