Major Wi-Fi update in the works

Wi-Fi for connecting to a hotspot at home or a cafe so you can jump on the web? Fantastic.

Wi-Fi for connecting to another computer so you can swap files back and forth? A bit of a disaster.

Ad hoc wireless networking has been part of Wi-Fi since its inception, but complicated setup and configuration have made it all but an afterthought for most modern-day users.

But now that the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard has finally been completed, the consortium behind the wireless platform, the Wi-Fi Alliance, is looking for bigger fish to fry. Up next: An update called Wi-Fi Direct which will dramatically overhaul ad hoc networking, letting anyone turn just about any wireless-ready gadget into its own Wi-Fi access point, no router needed.

What exactly is Wi-Fi Direct? Previously known as Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, the standard is meant to let devices connect directly to one another without an intermediary. Your wireless printer, camera, or cell phone could beam files directly to and from a computer without having to go through a router first. For a static home environment, where the router serves as the gateway to the Internet, this may not seem like such a big deal, but the ramifications are actually staggering for the industry at large -- provided it works as easily as promised.

Consider the possibilities. Want to print off a photo on your cell phone on the printer at your girlfriend's loft? No need to join her Wi-Fi network, transfer the photo to her computer, then print it manually. With Wi-Fi Direct, in theory, the print job could be initiated directly from the phone.

Ditto simple file exchanges -- Wi-Fi Direct would simplify laptop to laptop transfers when you're at a conference, phone to phone connections when you're sitting on the subway. Wi-Fi Direct will also let multiple devices connect simultaneously.

It's unclear whether Wi-Fi Direct will let devices share an Internet connection with other devices -- for example, sharing your smart phone's cellular data service with your laptop -- but it certainly seems like a possibility given how the specification is being presented so far. One interesting spin that's on tap: Using Wi-Fi Direct as a replacement for Bluetooth to connect to keyboards, mice, and other peripherals, eliminating the range constraint that Bluetooth suffers from.

At present, the standard is due out in mid-2010. Stay tuned for more news as it develops.