Google Launches Wireless Android Capabilities Exceeding Bluetooth Even Without Internet Connection

As part of its continuous effort to provide access to seamless wireless capabilities with unhindered scope, Google has launched an Android app that exceeds Bluetooth distance coverage without the need for an internet connection.

This week, Google rolled out the WiFiNanScan developer mode for Android devices. This feature functions almost similar to Bluetooth yet has a wider scope of covered distance. The app debuted in Google Play and is available to download for free under Tools.

WiFiNanScan is an app that helps users to find out the actual distance among separate devices through NAN or Near-to-Me Network. It is designed as a testing tool for vendors and a platform for developer research and demonstration.

WiFiNanScan targets developers who want to experiment and explore deeper in using the Wi-Fi Aware app. It provides developers with a simpler functionality than the Wi-Fi Aware, giving them a head start to the more complicated application.

Wi-Fi Aware also called the Neighbor Awareness Networking works by providing connectivity between devices skipping the need for traditional network infrastructure such as internet connection, according to Wi-Fi Alliance. It works with Android 8.0+ or later devices.

The app could function by securely sending a document to a printer without the need to log in to a common network. It could also help handlers to view a restaurant menu while walking close by.

For road emergency cases, Wi-Fi Aware can help remote-controlled vehicles to interact with nearby devices by exchanging significant information such as GPS location, direction, and even owner information if available.

The app functions through the devices’ APIs that search out the devices close by and create connections. These connections allow the mobile phones to send short messages as well as transfer huge amounts of data with another user and works well indoors and in crowded environments.

The app's network connections provide support for "higher throughput rates across longer distances than Bluetooth connections," 9to5Google reported.

Google’s newly launched WiFiNanScan is also similar to the WifiRttScan or WiFi Round Trip Time. WifiRttScan, an app that was launched in 2019 measures distances between RTT-capable Wi-Fi access points and used as an alternative to GPS, TomsGuide reported.