WIFI-CAST

Overview

WIFI-CAST is a WIFI communication protocol defined by Realtek. Different from the standard WIFI transmission method, WIFI-CAST devices can transmit application data without establishing a WIFI connection with a router, thus achieving ultra-low data latency and flexible networking topology. The following is a comparison diagram between standard WIFI and WIFI-CAST communication:

../_images/wifi_cast_arch.svg

WIFI-CAST supports networking scenarios including one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many, as shown below:

../_images/wifi_cast_network1.svg

Even when devices maintain a standard WIFI connection with a router, they can still use WIFI-CAST to communicate with other WIFI-CAST nodes, forming a hybrid network, as shown in the figure below:

../_images/wifi_cast_network2.svg

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Advantages

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Fast Networking and Low-Latency Communication

  • Devices do not need to establish a standard WIFI connection, eliminating processes such as authentication, key exchange, and TCP connection, greatly improving networking speed.

  • Application layer data is sent directly to the WIFI driver, bypassing the TCP/IP stack, effectively reducing latency and improving response speed.

  • Since standard WIFI and TCP/IP stacks are not used, memory and code usage can be significantly saved.

Low Power Consumption

  • The transmitter can enter uA-level low-power mode if there are no transmission tasks, greatly improving battery life for battery-powered products.

  • Supports millisecond-level wake-up and exit from low-power mode.

Low Latency Response

  • Data can be transmitted directly to the link layer, bypassing the traditional TCP/IP protocol stack, which effectively reduces latency and provides faster response speed.

  • Omitting protocol stack processing significantly saves SRAM and Flash resources and improves system performance.

Stable and Reliable

  • Uses direct link layer transmission to reduce delay caused by network congestion and packet loss, ensuring stable data transmission and meeting high real-time requirements.

  • Utilizes CCMP-128 encryption technology to protect data frames and ensure transmission security and reliability.

Application Scenarios

  1. Custom Mesh Applications

    Take advantage of WIFI-CAST’s flexible networking and direct data transmission to easily implement custom WIFI-Mesh applications, thereby extending WIFI coverage and improving communication efficiency.

  2. Remote Debugging

    When there is no debug serial port available for issue analysis, WIFI-CAST can be used to send core logs or information to a dedicated WIFI-CAST node for analysis and troubleshooting.

  3. Remote Control Applications

    With features such as low power consumption and fast networking, remote control applications can be easily implemented. Compared with BLE solutions, WIFI-CAST not only ensures real-time performance with low latency, but also provides higher communication bandwidth and longer control distances.

Software Resources