Li-Fi refers to wireless communication systems using light as a
carrier instead of traditional radio frequencies, as in technology using
the trademark Wi-Fi.
Li-Fi has the advantage of being able to be used in electromagnetic sensitive areas such as in aircraft or nuclear power plants, without causing interference. However, the light waves used cannot penetrate walls which makes Li-Fi more secure relative to Wi-Fi.
internet connections through LED bulbs + light-waves (LiFi)
image via crewofone
a group of chinese scientists have successfully produced internet signals sent exclusively through lightbulbs (LiFi), instead of WiFi. in the tests, four computers hooked up to one-watt LED light bulbs with embedded microchips connect to the web using light-waves as a carrier instead of traditional radio frequencies, as in WiFi. the smart LEDs can produce data rates as fast as 150 megabits per second, faster than the average broadband connection in china. the system is also as cost-effective as well as efficient, ‘wherever there is an LED light-bulb, there is an internet signal,’ said chi, a scientist from the shanghai institute of technical physics of the chinese academy of sciences. ‘turn off the light and there is no signal, if the light is blocked, then the signal will be cut off.’ if the technology evolves, we will one day start seeing LED bulbs retrofitted and turned into hot-spots and access points for broadband networks in both home and office contexts.
Li-Fi has the advantage of being able to be used in electromagnetic sensitive areas such as in aircraft or nuclear power plants, without causing interference. However, the light waves used cannot penetrate walls which makes Li-Fi more secure relative to Wi-Fi.
image via crewofone
a group of chinese scientists have successfully produced internet signals sent exclusively through lightbulbs (LiFi), instead of WiFi. in the tests, four computers hooked up to one-watt LED light bulbs with embedded microchips connect to the web using light-waves as a carrier instead of traditional radio frequencies, as in WiFi. the smart LEDs can produce data rates as fast as 150 megabits per second, faster than the average broadband connection in china. the system is also as cost-effective as well as efficient, ‘wherever there is an LED light-bulb, there is an internet signal,’ said chi, a scientist from the shanghai institute of technical physics of the chinese academy of sciences. ‘turn off the light and there is no signal, if the light is blocked, then the signal will be cut off.’ if the technology evolves, we will one day start seeing LED bulbs retrofitted and turned into hot-spots and access points for broadband networks in both home and office contexts.
- Li-Fi Consortium
- Visible light communication
- Bluetooth, short range using 2400–2480 MHz radio frequency
