Google launches ‘WifiNanScan’ on Play Store for developers to measure the distance between phones
Experimenting with new tech to make the best of an Android phone, Google has recently released the WifiNanScan app for the developers. This new app will be mainly used for measuring the distance between two smartphones using the Wi-Fi Aware technology. Google has been working on such technologies to make the entire process of local discoveries easier for Android users. Apart from the developers, the vendors and the university researchers can also experiment with this new technology for their research purpose and business. This Wi-Fi Aware protocol enabled through the new WifiNanScan app will help two devices (smartphones) in close proximity to connect with each other in absence of any internet connection.
What is Wi-Fi Aware?
The Wi-Fi Aware protocol is a technology that enables any Android smartphone that is running Android 8.0 and above to discover other such devices in close proximity. The device can then directly establish a connection with the other smartphones without any connectivity like the internet. The Wi-Fi Aware technology is also known as Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN). This technology is made accessible to the public through Google’s new WifiNanScan app which will be mostly used by developers for experimenting and using it as a testing tool.
The Wi-Fi Aware protocol uses the APIs to discover any devices nearby and establish connections between the same. These devices after getting connected can share large amounts of data and send short messages as well (9to5Google). Google has also claimed that with this new app “higher throughput rates across longer distances” are possible which will be more than Bluetooth connection. After the app is installed, it will be able to measure the distance between two smartphones which are up to fifteen meters apart with a precision of about one meter.
Advantage of the Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) Technology
With Wi-Fi Aware protocol using the NAN technology can measure the distance between the two smartphones using the app quite efficiently, it has a lot of advantages. Many discovery apps can implement this technology based on Wi-Fi Aware with the advantage of not needing a stable internet connection. Mainly the developers and OEMs will make extensive use of this tool in order to validate the distance measurement thus making the development process of many apps better. For example, researchers and developers can use this for peer-to-peer ranging and data transfer, find my phone, and context-aware applications (9to5Google).
Application of WifiNanScan App
Establishing a connection between two smartphones without having to connect to the internet can have a plethora of advantages. You can send important files to someone in close proximity without using any data. There are still many people who find it difficult to afford unlimited data, especially in the pandemic situation when demand for stable connections has significantly increased. So, it will be really helpful if data can be saved for small activities.
Google, for instance, has mentioned a few applications for this new app. The company says that this app can be used to securely send some important documents to the printer without having to log into the network at first. One can also book a table at a restaurant without any internet connection just walking by when the restaurant is not even open. This technology can be used in many fields if harnessed potential efficiently.
WiFiRttScan Application
Two years back a similar app was released by Google called WiFiRttScan App. Android 9 Pie introduced this app for supporting indoor positioning by leveraging 802.11 mc. Google said that the Wi-Fi Round Trip Time (RTT) will enable the system and apps to measure the distance to the nearby RTT cable access points. This technology though is only viable for Android 9 and later versions to take advantage of indoor positioning.
Google then said the same that this app was for research and experiment purposes to validate range measurements and other uses of the RTT tech to build any applications. Apart from the in-building navigation system, the app also provided two extra features. There are, namely, disambiguated voice control and location-based information.
Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more