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
