Screen from video by Wi-Fi Alliance about Wi-Fi Direct

It's long been possible to connect Wi-Fi-enabled wireless devices to each other via a network or an access point, but the Wi-Fi Alliance has announced that is has begun certifying Wi-Fi Direct products "capable of making device-to-device connections." ' In other words, instead of your laptop sending documents to your printer via your network as is now the case, the new technology will make it possible for the laptop to speak directly to the printer.

To find out how it all works, I spoke with Wi-Fi Alliance spokesperson Kelly Davis-Felner.