The way to share data wirelessly has evolved a lot in the last few years. Thanks to the WiFi networks, Bluetooth or NFC you can move data between devices with very little effort. One of these protocols is WiFi Direct, a system of connectivity that helps to that two devices can communicate to send (or receive) data. With him the transfer of files is faster a lot. If you want to know how to transfer files between your PC and Android using WiFi Direct the only thing you have to do is continue reading.
What is WiFi Direct and what is it?
WiFi Direct is a protocol for communication between devices without cables and be able to offer higher data transfer speeds than Bluetooth traditional is a choice, and all this without spending data of your rate and without sharing information or data of the users. Yes, it is necessary that both devices are close physically to each other.
One of the disadvantages of Bluetooth, despite of its usefulness for interconnect devices, is its poor suitability for sending large files. WiFi Direct solves this problem. For now this technology is not very universal and is not very widespread, but it is very useful for example to send files between your Android and your PC.
As we said above, the main function is to transfer files between devices at high speed, but it is not the only one. Another interesting feature is the wireless printing, that allows you to send documents and pictures to a printer without using a single cable. Another utility interesting is to wirelessly transmit the screen of your device to another, what is known as screencasting (in fact, Chromecast or AirPlay uses this technology though with another name). It can also serve to make sharing of screens, or for the fast synchronization of files.
It also serves to complete the utility of the NFC on some devices. The most classic is in the cameras photo, where you’re approaching your mobile to the camera to connect it through the NFC chip. This chip performs the setup, then the camera can send files to your mobile using WiFi Direct without connecting any cable.
How to use WiFi Direct to pass files between my PC and my Android?
Before entering on the subject, it would be desirable to clarify that Android has a tool native connection for WiFi Direct, though only works between mobile devices. If you want to use the protocol to transfer files between your computer and your mobile, you’ll have to resort to a third-party application.
The more easy it gets in this sense is SHAREit, which is available for Android and for the major desktop operating systems. Among all the options available in the market is, today, the more easy it gets to use the protocol, and the most direct.
Before you begin, download the app for Android and for Windows and make sure that your PC is connected to the wireless network of the place where you are. Now open, in the first place, the version for Windows. You will see this screen:
Main view of SHAREit in Windows
Click Find the wireless access point and you’ll see the following:
Search for SHAREit in mobile applications
Then open SHAREit on your Android. Click on the first place in the four squares in the upper right corner of the screen:
Main view of SHAREit in Android
After, tap Connect to computer:
Connection options SHAREit
The phone will start to search your PC. You’ll see the following:
PC found for SHAREit in Android
Click on the avatar that appears on the screen to connect to. You will see the following on the PC:
Request conexiónn Android SHAREit in Windows
Accepts the connection and voila, your PC and your Android can communicate by WiFi Direct. The transfer works in both directions: you can send files from Android to PC and vice versa. And how do you send files from the phone to the computer? Very simple. First, choose what type of file you’re sending (in this example a photo) and then the file in question. Then tap Following:
Sending files from Android to PC
On your phone, a confirmation window will appear informing you that the file was sent successfully:
Delivery confirmation SHAREit for Android
And it will also appear on your PC:
Confirmation of receipt in SHAREit for Windows
Ready, you can start to transfer files using WiFi Direct on your own devices.
