DLNA Devices Stream Directly, No Network Needed

Even the most convenient technologies have their limitations and, apparently, one of the ones DLNA had to wrestle with has been overcome.

The Digital Living Network Alliance announced that it had added Wi-Fi Direct to its interoperability guidelines.

The name of the certification should be enough to suggest what it does.

Simply put, WiFi Direct is a label strapped onto products that can directly stream data, wirelessly, to one another without intermediaries.

In other words, they don't need to be plugged or otherwise linked to a network of any sort.

AirPlay and Bluetooth already carry out this sort of function, but it never hurts to have options and WiFi does have a fairly high data throughput potential of its own.

“Worldwide demand for interoperable, security-protected Wi-Fi products has grown exponentially in recent years, and the device-to-device usages enabled by Wi-Fi Direct are fundamental to digital home usages for Wi-Fi,” said Edgar Figueroa, CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance.

“Wi-Fi continues to evolve and to enhance the connected consumer experience. The incorporation of Wi-Fi Direct into the DLNA Interoperability Guidelines will aid the proliferation of Wi-Fi Direct in today's connected home.”

There is another detail that deserves mention, and it isn't a drawback or anything of that sort.

DLNA streaming with WiFi Direct will have a sort of backwards compatibility with gadgets that feature older DLNA standards.

More precisely, when trying to directly stream between two electronics, it is enough if even just one of them supports the latest specification.

The reason is how older WiFi treat WiFi Direct as a regular wireless network, which already works seamlessly for DLNA streaming.

“Wi-Fi Direct meets an important need for today's consumers to enjoy seamless product interoperability,” said Nidhish Parikh, chairman and president of DLNA.

"DLNA has supported Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices since 2005 and the inclusion of Wi-Fi Direct in our Interoperability Guidelines is a logical extension of our relationship with the Wi-Fi Alliance.”