“The group that puts the Wi-Fi badge on phones, laptops and countless other gadgets is now starting to certify products for Wi-Fi Aware, a way for apps to make their presence known to devices nearby. Because it’s peer to peer, the system works anywhere there’s more than one Wi-Fi Aware device.
Here’s how the system works: A device’s Wi-Fi radio sends tiny messages over its normal frequencies, looking for other Wi-Fi Aware devices and services within normal Wi-Fi range. When multiple devices with the technology find each other, they form clusters that share a “heartbeat” that determines when the radio goes to sleep and when it wakes up to communicate with the others. The heartbeat saves the devices from having to constantly send out messages, which could drain their batteries.”
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