Media players with Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

— a technology used to connect wirelessly to computer networks and, more recently, to connect devices directly. Accordingly, in media players, tuners and video capture devices, it can be used both to access the Internet or “local area” through a wireless router, and to communicate with a smartphone, tablet, etc. Players with Wi-Fi support are almost guaranteed to have at least one function associated with the Internet (see "Internet Services"); in addition, such a connection is suitable for DLNA, and for AirPlay it is necessary by definition (for both, see "Features"). As for the direct connection, in this format Wi-Fi is used at least to work with Miracast (see ibid.), however, other methods of use are possible — for example, to remotely control a media player from a smartphone or tablet.

An alternative to Wi-Fi for network functions is a wired LAN connection, however, it is less convenient due to the wire itself (although it has its advantages — see the relevant paragraph).

Also note that this item includes all models with Wi-Fi, regardless of version — including devices with support for the advanced Wi-Fi 5 standard. However, for added convenience, models with Wi-Fi 5 are also placed in a separate selection item; this standard is described in detail there.