Bluetooth is the most used method to communicate the most used peripherals with wireless connection of all with our PC, however, there is an alternative called Wi-Fi Direct. How are they different and why has their adoption in the sector not been so accepted? Is it better than the standard that is being used today, and if so, which ones? Will Bluetooth disappear? Well, let’s try to solve all these questions.
For many people, not having a clutter of cables on their desk is very important and they are willing to have to rely on batteries or rechargeable batteries for this. All this thanks to the Bluetooth interface that has been used in its different versions for two decades now. Thus, it is used in keyboards, control knobs, mice, headphones and a long etcetera. However, there is a much better standard, which is Wi-Fi Direct. Which unfortunately is hardly used. What are the reasons for this?
Why is Wi-Fi Direct used less than Bluetooth?
All the Wi-Fi devices in your house connect to each other through the router, this means that all communication is not direct between devices. The idea of Wi-Fi Direct, on the other hand, is to provide a point-to-point connection between two elements using said standard.. Which makes it ideal for connecting peripherals to a PC directly without having an element in the middle. Its advantages over Bluetooth are clear, it can transmit a greater amount of information, has a greater range and supports encrypted connections.
So why is Bluetooth used more? Well, because of the fact that having more bandwidth in the Wi-Fi Direct means higher energy consumption, is that the batteries of accessories and laptops last much less. Which is paradoxical, especially if we talk about wireless headphones and the enormous latency that Bluetooth has when it comes to playing the music that comes from the playback device. So much so that to avoid a lag between the action of the game and what is heard, consoles do not usually support Bluetooth audio.
If we talk about other types of wireless accessories, the advantages of Wi-Fi Direct are diluted, very little bandwidth is needed to use a keyboard, a mouse and even a control knob on a console. Therefore, there are hardly any applications that take advantage of the advantages of this protocol. In addition, you will not be interacting with your PC at a great distance, but you will be close, just like with your music player.
Only wireless printers use it
The only commercial products that make use of Wi-Fi Direct are printers, which are connected to the current and we may have them far from the PC at home or in the office. So they are not limited in these two aspects. Especially with the first, not in vain, the consumption problem is the biggest mistake of this standard and the reason why its adoption has been limited in the different peripherals.
And it is that sometimes the fastest is not the best, since it can go against other requirements that are much more important. In the case of a wireless device, it is the hours of use without having to depend on a charging cable and that they do not affect the life of the laptop’s battery. Let’s not forget that they are the most used computers and multiple Wi-Fi Direct devices could throw off hours of use per charge. Moreover, when we print we are sending data in a timely manner, on the other hand, a mouse or a keyboard are continuously sending data.
However, and to finish, it is ideal for occasional file sharing between two devices. Since there is much more bandwidth than with Bluetooth, they can be sent with secure encryption and the router is not found in the middle.
