Google has rolled out a new app namely the WifiNanScan App for developers to improve Wi-Fi Aware tech on smartphones and compatible products. The application is available to download via Google Play Store and the software giant says that developers and researchers can use this tool to upgrade applications like find my phone or services that allow users to share files wirelessly. The Wi-Fi Aware tech or Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) lets WiFi-enabled products to discover and communicate directly with nearby devices, applications or information, without relying on cellular data or an internet connection. The technology was developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit trade organisation that includes Google as a contributor.
In its Android developer’s forum, Google says that Wi-Fi Aware capabilities enable devices running Android 8.0 and above to discover and connect directly to each other without any other type of connectivity between them – like an internet connection. The software giant adds that the advantages of apps or devices supporting Wi-Fi Aware include “higher throughput rates across longer distances than Bluetooth connections.” The Wi-Fi Alliance also notes that the technology can “securely send” a document to a printer without first logging onto the network. The organisation claims that users can view a restaurant menu or make a reservation while walking by without an internet connection through an app with Wi-Fi Aware API. Similarly, Google’s new WifiNanScan app measures the distance between two smartphones using the Wi-Fi Aware protocol. It will let developers and researchers improve the tech that lets devices communicate with each other wirelessly and without any connectivity.
As spotted by 9to5Google, the WifiNanScan app compliments the WifiRttScan App released two years ago to use Wi-Fi Round Trip Time for indoor positioning as an alternative to GPS. The publication adds that the company is improving Wi-Fi Aware tech on the upcoming Android 12.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here
Comments
0 comment