What is the relationship between Wi-Fi Aware and Wi-Fi Direct?

What is the relationship between Wi-Fi Aware and Wi-Fi Direct?

Wi-Fi Aware is a similar peer-to-peer connectivity technology to Wi-Fi Direct. However, while Wi-Fi Direct requires a centralized coordinator, called a Group Owner, Wi-Fi Aware creates decentralized, dynamic peer-to-peer connections. Many applications, such as Miracast and direct printer connections, work well with Wi-Fi Direct. Wi-Fi Aware is positioned to provide peer-to-peer connectivity in highly mobile environments, where devices join or leave in a less deterministic manner. Whether it's professionals at a crowded conference to find each other or strangers on a subway momentarily joining a multi-player game, Wi-Fi Aware connections seamlessly adapt to changing environment and usage conditions. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

What operating systems support Wi-Fi Aware?

Native support is available in the Android™ O (and later) operating system.

What are the latest features that are available in Wi-Fi Aware as of today?

Wi-Fi Aware incorporates enhanced power savings, service discovery, Bluetooth Low Energy triggered initialization, device ranging, as well as native and IP-based data transfer. ​

Why use Wi-Fi Aware over other connectivity technologies?

Wi-Fi Aware has a longer range than other commonly used technologies. Proximity-based applications are more useful when the connection allows for a longer range. Additionally, once connected, devices can leverage the high-performance, fast speeds, and a high level of security that Wi-Fi delivers. The latest enhancements to Wi-Fi Aware also offer discovery by Bluetooth LE, which will trigger a formal Wi-Fi Aware session by first waking the Wi-Fi radio.

What is the range in which Wi-Fi Aware operates?

Wi-Fi Aware operates at typical Wi-Fi range.

What is Wi-Fi Aware?

Wi-Fi Aware incorporates capabilities enhancing peer-to-peer communications by enabling devices to exchange information and services without the need for network infrastructure or sophisticated setup processes. Within Wi-Fi Aware networks, connections are contextually formed, creating a simple data exchange mechanism based on shared user preferences.​

How do users experience Wi-Fi Aware?

Wi-Fi Aware mobile device experiences are application-driven; and users can control privacy settings and opt-in to desired notifications. Users can configure an application to offer and/or seek services on nearby devices.  

Will Wi-Fi Aware drain the battery on my mobile device?

Wi-Fi Aware was designed to be power efficient by establishing independent networked “clusters” synchronized to a common “heartbeat” to exchange small messages about services available nearby. Continuous discovery occurs in the background without putting undue burden on the battery of a mobile device.

On what frequency bands does Wi-Fi Aware operate?

Wi-Fi Aware operates in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Discovery occurs in the 2.4 GHz band, channel 6 (discovery in 5 GHz is optional).

Can my device be updated to support Wi-Fi Aware?

Many devices can receive updates to support Wi-Fi Aware. Whether a device can receive software updates to add the new functionality or not depends upon vendor implementation. Native support for Wi-Fi Aware is available in the Android O (and later) operating system.