What’s WiFi Direct in Windows 10? How to Use? | Complete Guide

Brief: This is an in-depth guide on Wifi Direct Windows 10 feature, so sit back, relax, and read the guide to get what you want.

Almost every single one of us loves to share Files, Docs, Videos, etc and it feels like our day to day task. But, we do it in a very positive and a happy mood, never feels like a burden and always excites us, I’m a RIght?

Thankfully, people also share text-based content, here’s the proof…

The above data proves that I do have a hope that this useful guide on “Wifi Direct in Windows 10” is going to be shared by awesome people, thanks to you in advance 😁

Now, let’s come to the topic and let me break down what’s there for you in this tutorial, so you don’t bounce back 🙂

Here’s a list of things that you will learn from this post

• What is Wifi Direct Windows 10 Feature?
• What is the Use of Wifi Direct & How does it Work
• How to figure out if a device supports Wifi Direct
• How to Enable/Turn On Wifi Direct on Windows 10
• How to Setup Wifi Direct
• How to Transfer Files from Android to Windows using Wifi Direct
• Alternatives to wifi direct
• And a lot more!

Umm !! Interested in reading further ?? I’m sure you are. Do you know, I’m good in mind reading 😛

Just note, I have explained all this technical stuff in a very easy to understand tone, so I hope, you won’t feel Ah! This is so boring!

Also, I have included some interesting facts and data (just to keep you engaged 😛)

Here’s one interesting fact that will blow up your mind…

People in the US, search for “wifi direct” more than its actual term i.e “wi-fi direct”

By observing the above data, I understood one thing i.e even a simple (-) can make a huge difference 🙂

Coming to the topic, here’s a table of content for easier navigation.

What is WiFi Direct Windows 10 Feature?

Basically, Wifi Direct has the same “find and send” functionality.

Just like Bluetooth, it allows us to connect devices through “WiFi” without making use of a wireless router.

And what’s great about WIfi Direct is, it doesn’t matter whether it is a smartphone, a tablet or a printer, with the use of Wi-Fi Direct these can all be networked together to perform tasks very quickly.

Yes, I said quickly because it’s speed is super high compared to the speed of Bluetooth. So it does make sense to use this new technology, right?

Will you use it? Let me know in the comments…

One of the best advantages of WiFi direct is that it doesn’t need any internet connection and works irrespective of the device manufacturer.

Also, It helps in establishing a P2P i.e peer-to-peer connection with the minimal setup.

Nowadays, Wifi Direct has become a standard feature in today’s smartphones and many other devices including portable media players.

So, it is super easy to find printers, scanners and other devices using “Wi-Fi Direct”. Also, Wifi-Direct has a simple functionality to quickly find compatible devices and it’s connected to them automatically.

Summing it up, here’s a quick synopsis of wifi direct for better understanding.

Synopsis: What is Wifi Direct and its Features?

• The functionality is similar to Bluetooth
• Works Much Faster than Bluetooth
• No internet connection required
• Compatible with major devices
• Establishes P2P connection
• And a lot more!

Now let me quickly share some of the uses of wifi direct.

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Uses of WiFi Direct

The primary goal behind the Wi-Fi Direct idea is quite simple and straight-forward i.e to render the most hassle-free connection to devices like smartphones, tablets, printers, etc. 

More importantly, bypassing the need for an internet connection, especially to do simple and day to day tasks like sharing pictures, videos, etc from the phone to your smart TV or with other family members.

Additionally, Wi-Fi Direct provides a “reliable connection” between peripherals like keyboards, mice, speakers, printers, remote control, headsets,  and many other display devices.

Now, let us move ahead and know how wifi direct actually works?

Don’t worry, I’ll explain all the things in an understandable way, so let’s dive in…

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How Wi-Fi Direct Actually Works?

Let’s keep it super simple and understand the functionality of wifi-direct.

“Wi-Fi Direct device” itself works as an access point (similar to a thing called: Router) where other Wi-Fi enabled devices can connect to it easily.

WPS i.e Wi-Fi Protected Setup is used to establish a secure connection between two devices where WPA2 encryption is used.

In Wifi Direct, the devices don’t require any access point; instead, the Wi-Fi Direct devices will negotiate a path when they connect for the first time, to check which device can be an access point and then, they connect automatically.

This may seem similar to ad-hoc connection, but wait, it’s not exactly.

Wi-Fi Direct is different in terms of having two very useful functions;

• Wi-Fi Direct Discovery
• And the Service Discovery.

Using these functions, a Wi-Fi Direct device can easily know the types of devices that are available nearby and also it detects what they intend to offer.

Let’s say you want to print out an image. 

In this scenario, discovery and service mode will only show you the devices that can perform the print task for you.

Hope you understood, if not, let it go. We only want to use the benefits it offers 😉

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How to Figure out if a device supports Wifi Direct?

Now you know that this Wifi Direct is useful for you, but how do you know that your device supports Wifi Direct or not?

So let me share How to figure out if your device is Wifi Direct Compatible.

I’ll show you How to find the Wifi Direct feature in two common devices most of us have, one is Windows 10 and the other is our Smartphone.

Check if your Windows 10 PC is Wifi Direct Compatible?

1. Head over to the Windows 10 Search, and type “cmd”
2. Out of the options displayed right-click on Command Prompt and select run as administrator.
3. In the cmd, type this command: “ipconfig/all” and hit enter
4. If Wi-Fi Direct is offered, you ought to see an entry labeled “Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter”
5. Congrats, your Windows 10 has a Wifi-Direct feature…

Note: If you don’t have Wifi Direct Feature, don’t worry. I have shown some methods by which you can share files and transfer data.

Check if your Android Device Supports Wi-Fi Direct?

Currently, I’m using a popular smartphone brand i.e Xiaomi as this is the most popular brand in India.

So here’s the Home screen of my android…

Anyways, here’s the simple procedure to check if an android device supports Wifi-Direct:

1. Simply go to the settings and choose the “Wi-Fi” option.
2. First, Turn on the Wifi and then ignore all the options such as Wi-Fi assistant, Saved networks, etc and find “Additional Settings”
3. Here also you’ll find many options such as Wi-Fi frequency band, Install certificates, etc, and somewhere you’ll find Wi-Fi Direct. Yeah! You found it 🙂

So this is how you can find out whether your device has this Wifi direct feature or not. Here’s a snapshot for a better understanding.

Other than these two devices, Game Consoles like Xbox One, NVIDIA support Wi-Fi Direct.

Some renowned TV brands such as Sony, LG, etc also support Wi-Fi Direct feature. 

Oh Wow! Kevin, I do have this feature, now tell me How to Setup and use this to share the files. Ok then, let me show you how…

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How to Transfer Files From Android to Windows Using Wi-Fi Direct

You thought it’s going to be quick and easy, right?

But sadly, we need to do a couple of more things to actually transfer the files.

We have to install and use a third-party application called bheem, just kidding, it’s “Feem”

The Good news is Feem is totally free to use application, although it has various premium options.

Wi-Fi Direct in Feem is totally free. You can pay to have iOS assistance, limitless file transfers, and get rid of advertisements.

(I won’t recommend you to pay for the pro version)

Make sure you install this application on both i.e your android as well as your Windows 10 Pc.

Using Feem to send files and information from Android to PC or laptop is easy. Just follow these steps:

1. Set Android as a mobile hotspot in Settings > Network & Internet > Hotspot & tethering. 
2. Now in the Wifi Option, Connect your Windows computer to this network.
3. Introduce Feem on Android and on Windows too. You’ll notice that both devices are provided with weird names by the app and you’ll also get a password. (Keep a note of the password)
4. Now simply send out your file from Android to Windows using Wi-Fi Direct, pick the destination gadget, and tap Send File. That’s it.

Oh, was that difficult, If yes then thank me because I just saved you. Watch this 5 years old tutorial that shows you how to connect android and pc using feem.

I hope that you have successfully understood the wifi direct concept and now you can transfer data easily using this feature.

No Wifi Direct? Feeling unlucky? Let me help 😎

No need to worry as there are some alternatives to wifi direct that you can use to share files and transfer data.

The primary goal of this post was to let you understand the features and use of Wifi direct.

But here I’m sharing the additional tips and tricks that can be used by the ones who don’t have wifi direct feature in their Windows 10.

Wifi direct basically enables you to connect and transfer data (faster than Bluetooth), similarly, we have one more method by which we can easily connect Android devices with windows using FTP (file-transfer-protocol)

Let me share the steps…

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How to transfer files from android to windows without using wifi direct feature

There are dozens of tools available on the Android “Playstore” that will let you remotely share data with your Windows PC without Wi-Fi Direct.

Here also we need a third-party application to perform this task.

The one I would recommend is the Mi File manager. You can get it from the play store. Mostly, I prefer this file manager over others.

As I said, I’m using the Mi smartphone, so I don’t need to install this file manager. It’s pre-installed. 

Anyways, this manager provides many great features including the FTP feature. 

Now before I show you the process, here’s what you need to do…

Connect your Windows 10 pc and your android to the same wifi network (This is very important, without this it’s not possible)

Ask someone nearby to just turn on their hot spot for a couple of minutes and if they refuse just let them know that there’s “no need for the internet”. Just a hotspot will do the task.

Now, after connecting both devices to the same wifi network, hold your android in your hand and open the Mi file manager.

Click on the menu icon on the left-hand side and you’ll get several options. Select “FTP”.

Then simply click on the Start button and a pop-up will appear asking for the connection type.

You can simply select Portable (Not secured) and then click on ok.

Now you’ll get some FTP address similar to the web address. Just type that FTP address in the windows file explorer “in the address bar”

Refer to the image below:

Type the FTP address and then hit enter. Now you can easily transfer your data. I guess this is much easier than the first method. Isn’t it?

Anyways, these are the steps that you can approach in order to transfer data from android to pc or from pc to android without wifi direct. Yeah! it’s that simple 🙂

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Final Thoughts & FAQ’s

Now you have much better knowledge about wifi direct only if you have read the whole post. (Which I assume you have)

Right from What is Wifi Direct, How Does Wifi Direct work, How to Use Wifi Direct to the Alternatives of Wifi Direct, etc everything was covered, right?

So will you use this feature? Let me know in the comments section…

Now if you ask me: Hey Kevin, which method you prefer to transfer files from android to pc? FTP or Wifi Direct? 

Then my answer is FTP. I personally use FTP to quickly connect my Mi smartphone to my windows 10 and now I would recommend you to do the same.

But for other devices, wifi direct is the go-to solution.

Woah! I have successfully completed this article cum tutorial within 3 hours without getting distracted.

Feeling great and here’s my endnote along with faqs:

Wi-Fi Direct really encourages wireless communication and data transfer in an advanced and reliable way.

But the Wifi Direct feature is still very much underutilized. So folks, try to connect and use this feature.

FAQ’s

Can you use Wi-Fi Direct on PC?

Yes of course. One can easily use Wifi Direct on their pc but the only condition is you’ll need a third-party application.

Above, I have shown how you can connect your pc and android using Feem software.

What are the Features & Benefits of WiFi Direct?

Here are some awesome features of WiFi Direct:
1. The functionality is similar to Bluetooth
2. Works Much Faster than Bluetooth
3. No internet connection required
4. Compatible with major devices
5. Establishes P2P connection
And a lot more! Above I have explained it in detail.

How do I Enable WiFi Direct on Windows 10?

Before Enabling it, you need to First check is your device i.e Windows 10 Wifi-Direct Compatible?

After the verification, you can easily enable and use Wifi Direct. Use feem software.
(For Guidance refer tthe steps brovided above)

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