Android Device Discovery and Communication
Sanjay M. Mishra · 2015
Wi-Fi Direct, also known as Wi-Fi P2P, is a peer-to-peer-based Wi-Fi standard extension that addresses the subject of direct connectivity between two Wi-Fi devices, without the need for an intermediate Wi-Fi access point. Android's Wi-Fi Direct/P2P API allows Android devices with the appropriate Wi-Fi Direct hardware to connect directly to each other over Wi-Fi, without an intermediate access point. Zero configuration networking (zeroconf) is, today, a set of open standards and technologies that makes it easier for devices and applications to interconnect and interoperate over the local TCP/IP network, with minimal manual setup and configuration. Android has support for Network Service Discovery (NSD) which helps your application detect other devices and services on the local network. USB On-The-Go (USB OTG) is an extension that is part of the USB 2.0 standard that allows two devices to negotiate which of them will play the role of the USB host.