What is Wi Fi Direct on TV

You can connect your smartphone to your TV in various ways, using cables or over the air. One popular and simple wireless option is the Wi-Fi Direct option. In this article you will learn what it is, how it works, and how to use Wi-Fi Direct on TV. This feature is supported by most modern home electronics companies.

What is Wi-Fi Direct

Wi - Fi Direct is one of the means for wireless data transfer. With its help, a TV without a router can serve as a signal relay point. By connecting a mobile phone or laptop to it, you can display the image directly on the screen. Two or more devices are connected into one network without additional connecting devices.

A Wi-Fi module is available in all modern devices. Wi-Fi Direct technology is almost identical to it. Using this means of communication allows you to transmit information at a frequency of 2.4 GHz over a distance of about 200 meters. More expensive modules operate in the 5 GHz band.

Set up a broadcast receiver and peer-to-peer manager

To use Wi-Fi P2P, you need to listen for broadcast intents that tell your application when certain events have occurred. In your application, instantiate an and set it to listen for the following:

Indicates whether Wi-Fi P2P is enabled Indicates that the available peer list has changed. Indicates the state of Wi-Fi P2P connectivity has changed. Starting with Android 10, this is not sticky. If your app has relied on receiving these broadcasts at registration because they had been sticky, use the appropriate method at initialization to obtain the information instead. Indicates this device's configuration details have changed. Starting with Android 10, this is not sticky. If your app has relied on receiving these broadcasts at registration because they had been sticky, use the appropriate method at initialization to obtain the information instead.

At the end of the method, get an instance of the , and call its method. This method returns a object, which you'll use later to connect your app to the Wi-Fi P2P framework.

Now create a new class that you'll use to listen for changes to the System's Wi-Fi P2P state. In the method, add a condition to handle each P2P state change listed above.

Finally, add code to register the intent filter and broadcast receiver when your main activity is active, and unregister them when the activity is paused. The best place to do this is the and methods.

Pros and cons of technology

Like all communication methods, Wi-Fi Direct on a TV has its advantages and disadvantages. Compared to other solutions, it has undeniable advantages.

Easy connection. There is no need to purchase a router. A network will be created between two devices, you connect to it and use it.
High data transfer speed. Most modern devices are equipped by manufacturers with the appropriate protocol.
Wi-Fi Direct is supported by most modern devices. Therefore, there will be no connection problems with your TV, tablet or smartphone.
Universality of technology. It is supported by all operating systems from Windows 10 to Android and iOS.

On a note!
If, for example, an LG or Samsung TV does not have this function, you can purchase a universal adapter for any TV model. It will work as a built-in module. Let us also list the disadvantages of the technology.

Low level of security. A user with any mobile device can connect to your connection.
Small connection area. Wi-Fi Direct works within one room. TVs and mobile devices do not have such powerful antennas for transmitting and receiving signals as routers.
Battery drains quickly. Due to the high data transfer speed on a smartphone, energy is wasted quickly.

Using a mobile application

One of the most common methods of connecting a phone to a TV via wifi is through apps. Especially many applications for connecting a smartphone to a TV have been developed for mobile devices with the Android operating system.

Moreover, developers are constantly working in this direction, and new programs are constantly appearing.

An example of such a program is iMediaShare . On expensive models of modern smartphones, one of these applications is usually built into the software.

Smart View
application has been developed for Samsung TVs , which also allows you to use your smartphone as a TV remote control.
The app will end of support on October 5, 2022. The company may offer a replacement by then. One of the universal applications is called " Cast to TV ". The program was developed by InShot Inc. A special feature of this application is the rewind function.

Users report occasional freezing of the video image while watching. This may be due to the presence of advertising in the free version. There is a paid version without ads, which, according to reviews, works more stable.

Both devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi point. If the TV does not support the connection, you should buy a set-top box.
Now there are many inexpensive models on sale that cost no more than 1-2 thousand rubles. Some set-top box manufacturers offer their own software for connecting mobile devices to a TV set. An example of such a device is MiBox.

How to connect a smartphone to TV via wi-fi direct

To enable Wi-Fi Direct, you need to know if your TV model has this function . The connection procedure for all models will look the same, be it a Samsung or Sony TV.

Turn on the function on TV

Go to the “Settings” menu. On the remote, this is the “home” or “function” button.
Find “Network” and go to this item.
Click on the “Wi-fi direct” button. Wi-Fi must be active.
If the name of your device is not named, enter it in the appropriate line.

After this, the monitor of your mobile device will be displayed on the TV screen.

Enable the function on your smartphone

Go to the “Settings” menu.
Select "Network and Internet".
Activate the Wi-fi function.
Find your TV receiver in the list of found devices and connect to it.
Wait for connection.

Most mobile devices already have the appropriate settings, and you don’t need to install anything additional to connect your TV to your smartphone.

Watching YouTube videos

YouTube is one of the most popular video hosting sites, which can be considered as a full-fledged social network. To watch a video running on a smartphone on a TV screen, you need to do the following:

open the YouTube application on your TV;
go to “Settings” and YouTube select Manual connection;
A code will appear on the screen that must be entered into the window on your mobile device.

After this, the YouTube video from the smartphone will be broadcast to the TV screen. Of course, after launching the YouTube application on the TV, you can control viewing using the TV remote control, but searching for and launching videos on a smartphone is much more convenient.

Special Wi-Fi Direct applications for Android

Although Wi-Fi wireless technology is built into operating systems, there are applications designed to make setting up this feature easier. You can also use them.

Cast to TV. This application was developed for Android and has a clear interface that will not be difficult to understand even for beginners. The main advantages of Cast to TV are video transfer from a smartphone to a TV receiver, independent search for suitable devices, built-in file identification. One of the advantages of the application is the ability to remotely control the TV receiver. From your mobile device you can adjust the volume, rewind the video or pause playback.
Cast Web Browser. Using this application, you can transfer videos, pictures, photos, movies and music to your television. The advantages of Cast Web Browser include a well-thought-out interface and easy-to-use controls. There is a function to turn off the mobile device during the broadcast. This is provided so that the battery charge does not drop too much. Using the application, you can go online, search for the files you need, such as movies, and then transfer them to your TV screen.

A little history

The standard we are considering was developed by WECA several years ago. This company is actively involved in all kinds of technologies related to Wi-Fi.

After developing a full-fledged standard that allows the Internet to be transmitted over the air, creating technology for transferring data between devices was a logical step.

To do this, it was necessary to come up with something that would allow the use of Wi-Fi without routers and routers.

Therefore, they came up with a chip that is placed inside a smartphone, tablet or other device. It is, in fact, a mini-router.

In general, WECA is an alliance of the largest Wi-Fi equipment manufacturers.

Initially it included the following organizations:

3Com;
Cisco, which was then called Aironet;
Intersil (aka Harris Semiconductor);
Agere (aka Lucent);
Nokia;
Symbol Technologies.

Most of them still belong to the alliance. They support all developments, including the development of Direct.

They will likely continue to develop this technology to increase connection speeds and meet user needs.

Features of using the function on iPhone

Let's consider connecting the Wi-Fi Direct function on the iPhone.

First, you need to make sure that the latest version of the operating system is installed on your smartphone. If there was an update, you need to install it and then restart your mobile device.
Also on the TV you need to check the OS update, as well as the Wi-Fi Direct connection.
First, the feature is enabled on the device you want to connect to. Once in the “Menu”, go to the “Settings” section. Find "Wi-Fi Connection" and activate it.
Then Wi-Fi on the phone turns on. Among the available networks, you should find the one that the TV creates (the TV name will be displayed).
You can connect to the device by entering the Wi-Fi password indicated on the TV screen.
If the connection does not occur, it means that a mistake was made somewhere. Check all the points carefully, especially that the password is entered correctly and whether there is an update. You can turn off and restart your iPhone.

Miracast does not work and there is no “Connect to a wireless display” option

In older versions of Windows 10, when the system “understood” that Miracast was not supported, it displayed the message “The PC or mobile device does not support Miracast, so wireless projection from it is not possible.”

In new versions, there is simply no “Connect to a wireless display” item in the “Project” menu, which is opened by the Win + P key combination.

Most likely, there is no Miracast support at the Wi-Fi adapter level. For example, I have no way to connect to a wireless display through the Wi-Fi module built into my laptop. The laptop, however, is not new. Somewhere around 2012-13. And after connecting the TP-Link TL-WN725N V2 Wi-Fi adapter, everything works.

For this function to work, you need support on the side of the Wi-Fi adapter and graphics adapter (video card). Both at the hardware and driver level. This is easy to check.

Launch a command prompt and run the netsh wlan show driver command.

The results will contain the line “Wireless display supported:” With the factory (old) Wi-Fi module on the laptop, I have the following result:

As you can see, there is no support. The graphics driver supports it, but Wi-Fi does not.

And here is the result of testing with another Wi-Fi adapter:

And with this configuration everything works great.

What can be done:

Update the Wi-Fi adapter driver. It's unlikely, but it might work. Here are the instructions: updating (installing) the Wi-Fi driver in Windows 10.
If, according to the test results, the problem is only in Wi-Fi, then you can replace the Wi-Fi adapter itself. But I noticed that the specifications simply do not indicate whether there is support for a wireless display or not. On the TP-Link TL-WN725N second hardware version (V2) everything works. But I'm sure there are a large number of other adapters that support Miracast. Need to find.
You may find it easier to connect your TV via an HDMI cable.

Let's consider another problem.

Failed to connect to wireless display

The computer finds the TV, we select it, it takes a long time to connect and the error “Failed to connect” appears. Or the computer does not see the TV and it does not appear in the list of available devices.

I also got this error several times. It's difficult to say what this is connected with. Be sure to try connecting again.

Restart your computer and turn off the TV's power for a couple of minutes.
This may be due to a bad signal. If possible, reduce the distance between the computer and the TV. Check if Miracast (or something like that) is active on your TV.
Update the Wi-Fi adapter driver. I provided a link to the instructions above.
If possible, try connecting to another TV that can also work as a wireless display.

Disabling the discrete video card in Device Manager helped. I don’t know to what extent this is the right decision, because we are essentially disabling the high-performance video adapter. But it seems to be working. You can try it. We go to the device manager and disable the discrete video card, leaving the integrated one to work.

Don't forget to turn it back on later. When you stop using the wireless display, or it turns out that this solution did not help in your case.

Update: disable antivirus and firewall

There have already been several comments that Miracast in Windows 10 started working after disabling the antivirus or firewall.

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Sergey

Miscellaneous tips for Windows

Key Features

It's worth taking a closer look at WiFi Direct. What is this? This is a new standard for information transfer that allows several gadgets to connect to each other without using a router or other network device. It is not necessary for a person to participate in this process, since the devices can automatically detect each other. So far this is not even a standard, but a certification. Currently, two devices can only connect wirelessly using a router as an intermediate link. However, a router is no longer required if you use WiFi Direct. What it is and how this method works is discussed here.

This method allows you to connect several gadgets at the same time. In addition to devices such as standard laptops, smartphones and phones, you can connect digital photo frames, scanners, printers, video recorders, etc. to the network, and the main condition here is the presence of an appropriate chip.

Features of wireless technology

This set of protocols is developed, certified and supported by the Wi-Fi Alliance.
After enabling this function on devices, they automatically detect each other.
To create a Direct network, you do not need a router. A router can be useful if you want to access the World Wide Web.
You can create a gadget connection “1 - 1” or “1 - many”. Paired devices include smartphones, laptops, computers, printers, keyboards, VCRs, routers, scanners, cameras, digital frames and other equipment.

Supported by Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and Android platforms.
Devices with a platform lower than Android 4.0 do not contain this function.
Only those devices that have a special chip will be able to join this function. Most equipment manufactured no earlier than 2022 contain this chip. Developers of global tech brands have announced that in 2022, all smartphones will be able to connect wirelessly and support DLNA.
The devices communicate with each other using a peer-to-peer “Ad-hoc” wireless connection.
After the first successful attempt to connect devices over the Direct network, this process can be repeated wherever and whenever convenient.

To prevent unauthorized intrusion into your network, the technology includes a Wi-Fi Protected Setup application.