What is WiFi Direct?
When someone mentions Wi-Fi most people will immediately think of surfing the internet, but there's more to it than just that. Wi-Fi Direct is a certificate of the Wi-Fi Alliance, which includes over 600 members such as Apple, LG, Intel, Microsoft and Dell. A host of devices these days are Wi-Fi Direct compatible - most notably Tablets, Laptops, Digital Cameras. The Samsung Galaxy S (launched in 2010) was one of the first smartphones to include this feature, and as of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, all Android smartphones have this feature included natively.
Wi-Fi Direct can be seen as a sort of second generation Wi-Fi, as it allows compatible devices which do not have their own internet connection, to establish a mutual connection with ones that do (Hotspots, modems or routers). Thanks to Wi-Fi Direct, you can build up a wireless network between multiple devices. In addition, you can use Wi-Fi Direct in combination with Miracast to screencast onto another device with a display. The newest generation of Wi-Fi Direct is also NFC compatible.
How to set up Wi-Fi Direct?
Every Android smartphone that uses Android 4.0 and above has Wi-Fi Direct functionality (bar some very rare exceptions). While the systems' user interfaces might vary, setting this functionality up is relatively simple and unified across all devices. Wi-Fi Direct does not natively support file transfers at the moment, so you will need to install a third party app. We recommend "Send Anywhere".
To turn on Wi-Fi Direct, go into Settings -> Connections -> Wi-Fi then tap on the Wi-Fi Direct tab at the top. Your smartphone will start scanning for devices that you can connect to.
Unlike with Bluetooth, there is no button or anything that you need to tap to turn Wi-Fi Direct on. Wi-Fi Direct is enabled the moment you have a stable internet connection. This doesn't mean that Wi-Fi Direct is on all the time. Your smartphone only starts scanning for nearby devices to connect to when you tap on the Wi-Fi Direct tab.
Why would you use Wi-Fi Direct?
As mentioned above, Wi-Fi direct allows devices without their own internet connection to connect to one which does. In the case of Android Smartphones and devices, you can connect them and quickly transfer files without the hassle of cables. So, is Wi-Fi Direct just a glorified version of Bluetooth? Well, yes and no. The advantage of using Wi-Fi Direct over Bluetooth, is that the Wi-Fi range and transfer speeds are significantly higher than those of Bluetooth. So in short - use Wi-Fi Direct if you want a better way to send files from one device to another.
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