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Li-Fi – Wireless Internet Using Light (No, really!)

Kevin François Bile Ebelle January 11, 2013
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Streaming music or videos on your device without an internet connection, wi-fi or 3G card and only through the light of a lamp.

“That’s science fiction” I hear you call. Well no, not any more. We introduce to you, Li-Fi. It was presented at LeWeb 2012, an event devoted to connected objects. The Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) has been developed by Oledcomm, a French company.

How does Li-Fi work?

Li-Fi technology is a wireless communication system based on the use of visible light between the blue (670 THz) and red (480 THz). Unlike Wi-Fi which uses the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum, Li-Fi uses the optical spectrum. The principle of Li-Fi is based on sending data by amplitude modulation of the light sources in a well-defined and standardized way.

The principle is simple: the LED turns on and off at high speed and is not visible to humans. This ribbon of on and off signals is interpreted to create binary streams of 0 and 1. Because there are no battling light frequencies like that of the radio frequencies in Wi-Fi, Li-Fi is thought to be 80% more efficient. Which means it can reach speeds of upto 1 Gbps. Is this the future?

Li-Fi differs from fibre optic because the Li-Fi protocol layers are suitable for wireless communication over short distances (up to ten meters). This puts Li-Fi in a unique position of extremely fast wireless communication over short distances. The technology has already attained IEEE standard certification and is currently being tested at the Oledcomm headquarters in France. It is expected that Li-Fi could be ready for use as soon as 2014.

Li-Fi

Is Li-Fi the future, or will you be sticking with your good old fashioned radio waves? Why not tell us what you think in the comments below…

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Li-Fi – Wireless Internet Using Light (No, really!)
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By Kevin François Bile Ebelle
Kevin François is a student of Medicine in Cameroon. He is a geek, and is passionate about everything related directly or indirectly to Opensource. You can find him on Google+, and on Linux Mint Social Network.

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  • https://refu-archive.kevquirk.com/ Kev Quirk

    With such a short range of just 10 metres, Li-Fi may be a viable alternative to Bluetooth. But Wi-Fi? I’m not so sure.

    • Kevin François Bile Ebelle

      I don’t so, because if you just look at lampposts are in most of our streets, they are almost past the LED because less energy. Even your TV (OMED) has LEDs. And more LED devices are found in more and more public places …So I think in a few years, the internet will be the same in our pockets, all this cat eliminating outright harmfulnesses created by electromagnetic waves … +1 for health

      • https://refu-archive.kevquirk.com/ Kev Quirk

        That’s true I suppose. I think the technology has a very long way to go before it’s at that point though. Stranger things have happened,

  • françois kevin Bile Ebelle

    In the world of technology, nothing is impossible, I already understood

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