In late 2010, I blogged about Wi-Fi Direct’s arrival. Though ad hoc wireless networking has been allowed under 802.11 operations since the standard was a baby, it wasn’t exactly easy to execute. Now, Wi-Fi Direct puts a friendly face on device-to-device wireless communications, and some predict that it will seriously horn in on Bluetooth’s place in the grand scheme of personal connectivity. Wi-Fi Direct has higher speeds and longer ranges than Bluetooth, so it’s easy to see why Wi-Fi Direct may be appealing at first blush. But it isn’t the right fit in all cases, and promoting Wi-Fi Direct as the deserving executioner of Bluetooth is a bad move.
Network Computing