802.11z – the one that skipped the middleman

IEEE Std 802.11z-2010, aka Amendment 15, dropped with a pretty straightforward goal: let Wi-Fi devices talk to each other **directly**, without going through the access point. developed by **Task Group z**, this one expanded on the earlier Direct-Link Setup (DLS) idea – and gave us something more flexible: **Tunneled Direct-Link Setup**, or **TDLS**.

normally, if two devices – say, a laptop and a smart TV – are on the same Wi-Fi network, all their traffic still goes through the AP. even if they’re right next to each other. 802.11z said: why not just connect them directly and skip the unnecessary overhead?

TDLS made that happen. it allowed two stations (STAs) in the same Basic Service Set (BSS) to set up a secure, efficient peer-to-peer tunnel. and the best part? they could negotiate that link **while still being associated with the AP**, so they didn't break their normal network connection in the process.

this reduced **latency** and **protocol overhead**, especially for high-bandwidth use cases like media streaming or large file transfers. TDLS could negotiate quality, security, and even pause the link when idle. all without the AP needing to support anything special.

as expected, 802.11z got pulled into the **802.11-2012** revision and stayed alive through 2016 and 2020. and while TDLS never got mass consumer hype, it’s quietly used in certain enterprise setups and device-to-device systems where cutting out the AP makes a real difference.

802.11z made Wi-Fi smarter by letting nearby devices cut out the middleman. less hop, more speed.