Using Windows Rally Vertical Pairing to automatically install Wi-Fi devices

Article
06/01/2017

This article provides information about Windows Rally™ Vertical Pairing technologies for the Windows family of operating systems. It provides guidelines for device manufacturers to develop Wi-Fi devices that pair with Windows while Windows configures the device's wireless network settings.

This information applies for the following operating systems:

Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows 7

In this section

Topic	Description
Rally Vertical Pairing end-to-end experience	This topic discusses the history behind Windows Rally Vertical Pairing and provides some example usage scenarios.
Rally Vertical Pairing theory of operation	This topic discusses the Windows Rally Vertical Pairing theory of operation.
Rally Vertical Pairing best practices	This topic discusses some best practices that you should consider when you develop your Wi-Fi devices.

Introduction

Network-connected devices have become increasingly popular among consumers. They provide ubiquitous connectivity that enables exciting customer scenarios. However, along with these scenarios consumers want Wi-Fi wireless networking technologies that eliminate wired network cables. Unfortunately, the complexity of configuring Wi-Fi devices has caused poor user experiences, high return rates, and customer service calls.

Many consumers have problems installing a new wireless device because of the amount of technical understanding that is required and the number of steps that must be performed to join the device to a Wi-Fi network, connect to the device from a computer, and then install the appropriate device drivers.

This paper discusses how to use Windows Rally™ Vertical Pairing technologies to automatically configure Wi-Fi devices and connect them to a computer that is running Windows. It discusses Rally Vertical Pairing concepts, scenarios, technical implementation details, and best practices. It shows Wi-Fi device manufacturers how to enable simple and easy end-to-end device installation experiences for their customers.