WiFi Aware (NAN) & Proximity Technology Evaluator
Compare WiFi Aware (Neighbor Awareness Networking) against BLE Beacons, WiFi Direct, and Captive Portal Location Services.
Technical Specifications: WiFi Aware (NAN / IEEE 802.11ai)
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The Wi-Fi Alliance recently launched a certification programme for a new technology and standard called Wi-Fi Aware. But what does this mean?
What is Wi-Fi Aware?
Wi-Fi Aware is an always-on technology that enables devices to discover other nearby devices, applications and information. We think this short video from the WiFi Alliance explains it really well.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/xwSYPqqhTsQ
What makes WiFi Aware different from other technology available?
Wi-Fi Aware is based on the Wi-Fi Alliance Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) Technical Specification. It enables devices to discover nearby information and services and initiate interactions with people and services without a connection to a wireless access point.
When a device discovers an interesting service, the device then initiates a high-performance Wi-Fi connection. Meaning devices employing Wi-Fi Aware will be able to exchange information about nearby services or apps in a more energy and data efficient way.
What's more, many existing technologies only conduct one-way communication, which precludes information exchange during discovery. Wi-Fi Aware can support a two-way conversation with other enabled devices and allows for a bi-directional exchange of small pieces of information, for example, location data, sensor readings, and services in proximity.
How will it be used?
So far, common examples cited could be friend-finder, social gaming applications, targeted ads or coupons, or as a product locator inside a marketplace. Proximity has become a critical element of today's mobile connected experiences, and proximity-based applications stand to significantly benefit from the new capabilities of Wi-Fi Aware. Wi-Fi Aware will bring higher contextual awareness enabling more immediate, personalised applications that continuously scan surroundings, anticipate actions and notify users of services or selected preferences. Wi-Fi Aware will make the user's environment much more dynamic and interactive which is surely what most people want.
Source: Wi-Fi Aware: Better Proximity Technology for Personalised Experiences WiFi Alliance July 2015
