GainSpan's GS1500M Module Achieves Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct™ Certification

San Jose, CA - June 18, 2012 - GainSpan Corporation, a leader in low power Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi® connectivity for the Internet of Things, announced its low power GS1500M 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi module has achieved Wi-Fi Direct™ certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance®. Wi-Fi Direct enables devices to communicate directly with each other without having to connect first to an access point and be part of a traditional Wi-Fi network, thus enabling many new wireless device-to-device applications and usage models.

With a GS1500M Wi-Fi device and underlying Wi-Fi Direct mechanism, you can, for example, discover and connect a camera to a printer, a sensor to a display or a remote controlled device to one or more smartphones, all with no requirement for an access point. Additionally, you can connect several devices at once, in a one-to-many configuration. This makes it simple to print, display or share content with multiple devices in a peer-to-peer relationship, even in the absence of a Wi-Fi access point. Wi-Fi Direct allows devices to automatically discover, negotiate and connect with other devices in the vicinity, without user intervention. With Wi-Fi certified technology, users get industry-standard interoperability and security.

Wi-Fi Direct extends the GS1500M module's mode of operations which already includes Limited Access Point (Limited AP mode), and Client of an existing infrastructure network (Client/Station Mode). With Limited AP mode, GainSpan offers the capability to act as a soft access point connecting several Wi-Fi client devices and supporting packet forwarding between these devices. Wi-Fi Direct further improves the user experience by eliminating the need to setup a wireless network with an Access Point and having clients connect to the Access Point, thus providing a faster and easier way for devices to connect and communicate with each other. It uses the intrinsic capability of Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ which eliminates the need for a passphrase and uses either the pin or push button methods, while still being protected by WPA2™ security. The GS1500M is also certified for Wi-Fi Protected Setup.

The GS1500M Features

GainSpan's GS1500M is a high-performance 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi module that provides for easy integration with most 8-32 bit microcontroller (MCU) based solutions, enabling embedded designers to quickly add Wi-Fi connectivity - through a serial interface and using AT commands. It has advanced networking features and services not readily available with other Wi-Fi modules including enterprise security, embedded servers (HTTP, DHCP and DNS servers), service and device discovery (mDNS and DNS/SD), XML parsing, and over the air firmware upgrades.

"By offering Wi-Fi Direct, we not only support our customers with an interoperable and popular feature, but also, and more importantly, we meet the expectations of their customers for robust, secure and easy to use connectivity solutions. Wi-Fi Direct plays a key role in meeting this demand and enhancing the growth of the burgeoning Wi-Fi market," said Bernard Aboussouan, GainSpan vice president of marketing. "This latest certification demonstrates our commitment to being on the forefront of helping transform the way millions of people use Wi-Fi."

Availability

Customers can purchase the Wi-Fi Direct-certified GS1500M Wi-Fi modules as well as evaluation kits, development kits and solutions for Freescale and Renesas platforms from Alpha Micro Components.

About GainSpan

GainSpan is a leading ultra-low power embedded Wi-Fi solutions company focused on connecting things wirelessly to the Internet. The company's Wi-Fi chips and modules make it possible to quickly and easily add Wi-Fi to devices, through a serial interface to a device microcontroller. The GainSpan Wi-Fi chip handles all Wi-Fi functionalities, networking and security stacks, accelerating wireless device development cycles. GainSpan solutions feature an ultra low power SoC that consumes just a few µA of standby current and has a few ms of wake-up latency, ideal for battery operated devices requiring long life. Applications for the company's embedded Wi-Fi include healthcare, smart energy and control and monitoring for industrial, commercial and home markets. Based in San Jose, CA, the company has R&D facilities in Bangalore, India.www.gainspan.com