Filed under: Wireless, Odds and ends, Apple
Wi-Fi Direct to bring secure peer-to-peer networking in 2010
If there's one thing that I've wanted to be able to do for years, it's to set up a direct Wi-Fi connection to another device without having to actually be near a Wi-Fi base station, or going to the trouble of getting an ad-hoc network set up on both devices. This type of peer-to-peer networking is nothing new; back in the Newton MessagePad days we could beam address cards and data between devices through an IrDA connection.Now the Wi-Fi Alliance has announced that this will be possible next year through the use of Wi-Fi Direct. Wi-Fi Direct will come built into many new devices and can be implemented in existing devices through software updates. Wi-Fi Direct competes directly with Bluetooth, and will provide much faster data transfer speeds (using more power, unfortunately). According to the Wi-Fi Alliance,
"The specification, previously code-named 'Wi-Fi peer-to-peer,' can be implemented in any Wi-Fi device, from mobile phones, cameras, printers, and notebook computers, to human interface devices such as keyboards and headphones. Significantly, devices that have been certified to the new specification will also be able to create connections with hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED legacy devices already in use. Devices will be able to make a one-to-one connection, or a group of several devices can connect simultaneously."I can imagine that at some point in 2010, we'll be able to sync our iPhones using Wi-Fi Direct, directly send address book information to other iPhone-toting people, and enjoy high-speed multi-player gaming fun. Apple is a sponsor corporation for the Wi-Fi Alliance, so adoption of Wi-Fi Direct on Macs, iPhones, and future Apple equipment will hopefully be swift and widespread.
[via MacRumors]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jason said 11:49PM on 10-14-2009
I don't mean to be smarmy, but if it's out and the market adopts it next year, we'll see it at Apple later than that.
Then again, Apple was the first huge player to debut Rendezvouz/Bonjour, and that was fantastically done...
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Marc said 1:49AM on 10-15-2009
Huh?
Apple invented Zero Configuration Networking (Rendezvous/Bonjour). Also, they've been one of the companies at the forefront of adopting new technology: ditching the floppy in the original iMac and going all wireless in the Air.
Jason said 2:49AM on 10-15-2009
Right. I uhhhh, said that....
Stephen Irwin said 12:18AM on 10-15-2009
Hot damn! This looks promising.
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iBearTouch said 1:12AM on 10-15-2009
Great now I can shoot wi-fi radio signals at people and give my sworn enemies Alzheimer's. Promising is one word for it, I prefer to use the word evil!
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jb510 said 2:54AM on 10-15-2009
>I can imagine that at some point in 2010, we'll be able to sync our
>iPhones using Wi-Fi Direct,
...um seeing how we STILL with iTunes 9 can NOT sync our iPhone with our own computers on the same wireless network (let alone directly to the cloud) I'm not going to hold my breath for the ability to beam anything between to phones.
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Information Central said 7:36AM on 10-15-2009
Maybe it's time Apple stop trying to use a jukebox app to manage an entire handheld computer, and write a proper device-management app.
Oh, and hire someone who understands WTF "sync" means and can bring some common sense to the execrable UI that iTunes presents.
The lack of wireless syncing is the least of iTunes's problems. Apps can't even sync data with a WIRED connection; let's get that fixed, first.
Mike said 4:47AM on 10-15-2009
Secure? How long until it's hacked?
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Ned Scott said 7:42AM on 10-15-2009
I'm not sure I understand here. Long before bluetooth got opened up in 3.0, there were iPhone games/apps that connected two iPhones directly without a base station. Is no one paying attention to what actually goes on anymore?
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Chris S. said 9:28AM on 10-15-2009
(taken almost verbatim from my comment on another blog)
Let’s see: a short-distance radio technology that adhoc connects devices for file sharing, printing, networking and remote control. Man if only there was a way to make it spectrum-hopping to avoid crowding and interference and not consume a lot of power, we’d have the best solution EVER.
Oh wait, Bluetooth accomplished that years ago.
How about you just start enabling all the Bluetooth profiles like everybody’s been asking, Apple? We know how you like to champion new technology, but seriously: pull your head out of your ass. You already have the best tech out there built into every iPhone. It's disgusting to think that this might be the reason why all my European friends laugh at me when they try to Bluetooth me a sound file with their EIGHT YEAR OLD Nokia and I go "uhhh...I can't do that with my $500 phone.."
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Uhh said 10:30AM on 10-22-2009
Stop buying Apple.
Brand said 11:15AM on 10-15-2009
"Apple is a sponsor corporation for the Wi-Fi Alliance, so adoption of Wi-Fi Direct on Macs, iPhones, and future Apple equipment will hopefully be swift and widespread."
Apple was part of the driving force behind Blu-ray and they have yet to include it with any of their computer or even make it a CTO option. Just because they are part of the Wi-Fi Alliance doesn't really mean anything.
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Steve said 11:36AM on 10-15-2009
Wow, just think, in a year our iPhones could be capable of doing something the Zune has been doing since its launch. Namely, wifi syncing and "squirting".
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Matthew O-G said 10:46PM on 10-17-2009
"And enjoy high-speed multi-player gaming fun." Can't you already do multiplayer gaming on the PSP over their ad-hoc Wi-Fi.
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Mahendra Mewada said 12:07AM on 10-23-2009
With this new Wi-Fi Direct technology, Can we access both AP’s and Wi-Fi direct protocol clients at the same time, i.e. if 802.11 client is connected to AP broadcast SSID, parrallaly can that cleint be able to access WiFi direct client?
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