Li-Fi technology offers breakthroughs in Internet connection

Lighting, which has been popular for illumination, could also bring another possibility as it can be used to transmit data, enabling people to connect their hand-held devices to the Internet via satellites. Li-Fi technology is the new wireless method based on light waves, with many advantages compared to traditional Wi-Fi technology. This article provides more information about Li-Fi and its applications. 

Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) is a new kind of wireless optical networking technology that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for data transmission. While being similar to Wi-Fi as it enables devices to connect to the Internet without physical cables, it uses light waves rather than radio waves to transmit the data. 

Li-Fi was first introduced in 2011 by Professor Harald Haas, a German engineer and academic who is credited with coining the term “Li-Fi.” Since its introduction, Li-Fi technology has attracted significant interest thanks to its potentials in offering faster data transfer speeds while being more secure and reliable than the traditional Wi-Fi technology. 

Li-Fi technology is based on light waves to transmit data. 

Advantages 

High speed  

Li-Fi technology is able to transmit data at high speed. Lab tests show that Li-Fi can reach speeds that are 100 times faster than what the current Wi-Fi technology offers.. For instance, users can download 18 movies at 1.5 gigabytes (GB) per second. Not only that, but the rate per square meter or area data rate of a Li-Fi network can be 1,000 times higher than that of a WiFi network. 

Cost effective 

Since LED lamps are inexpensive to produce, analysts predict that the deployment of Li-Fi would be easier and 10 times cheaper than Wi-Fi. Besides, unlike Wi-Fi systems, Li-Fi systems can work without electronic devices such as routers, modems, etc., so they will save money on buying auxiliary devices and on electricity costs. 

Availability 

Nowadays, LED light bulbs have been popular everywhere from homes, offices, businesses, to means of transportation. This means it is easily integrated into many areas that already use appropriate LED lighting systems. In the near future, the Internet will be readily accessible wherever there is light, and it can facilitate a variety of applications that require an Internet connection. 

Security 

Wi-Fi communication technology has been easy to eavesdropping, signal hijacking, or even brute force attacks. When using Li-Fi technology, devices are in direct contact with the LED light beam emitter, so their security is strengthened. Only devices illuminated by the same light bulb can be interconnected with each other, eliminating attacks or unauthorized entry attempts from devices outside of the light spectrum. 

Some future applications of Li-fi 

Until now, Li-Fi technology is still in the early stages of development, so it is not yet widely available. However, with the strengths of Li-Fi technology, it is hoped that Li-Fi technology will soon be widely applied in the following fields: 

Smart traffic control 

Vehicle's LED-based headlights and (back) lights can be used as light wave sources for Li-Fi technology. Using Li-Fi for smart traffic control can ensure quick, seamless communication between vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure, resulting in increased safety. This will help solve the problem of frequent traffic jams and regulate better the amount of traffic on roads. 

The photo illustrates how a smart traffic management system using Li-Fi technology operates. 

Hospital 

Using Wi-Fi at hospitals may interfere with the signals of monitoring equipment. So, it may be hazardous to the patient's health. As Li-Fi does not interfere with radio frequency devices, it can be safely used in hospitals.  

Airline 

When traveling on airplanes, passengers are required to switch their mobile phones to Airplane mode, because the whole airways communication is based on radio waves. Li-Fi is a good solution to overcome this drawback on radio waves. 

Passengers can easily access the Internet while aboard an airplane. 

Street lights 

There are billions of street lights around the world and each of them could be a free public Li-Fi access point. 

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