In the era of overcrowded (data communication) world, LiFi is a new way of wireless communication that uses LED lights to transmit data wirelessly. The transmission of data is one among the foremost necessary day to day activities in the fast-growing world. The current wireless networks that connect us to the Internet become terribly slow once multiple devices are connected. Also with the rise in the number of devices that access the Internet, the availability of fixed bandwidth makes it much more difficult to enjoy high data transfer rates and to connect a secure network. Radio waves are simply a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum available for data transfer. LiFi has got a much broader spectrum for transmission compared to conventional methods of wireless communications that rely on radio waves. The basic ideology behind this technology is that the data can be transferred through LED light by varying light intensities faster than what the human eye can perceive. This technology uses a section of the electromagnetic spectrum that’s still not greatly utilized-The Visible Spectrum, instead of Gigahertz radio waves for data transfer.
LiFi is a powerful technology that can revolutionize the world of wireless communication. Many organizations and universities have started working on the research and development of LiFi. Few are working in the industry to run pilot projects on utilizing this technology. LiFi is a secure, faster and safer medium which when put into action will successfully fill the gaps in wireless data transmission created by Wifi.
LiFi applications are diverse due to their key characteristics, like energy efficiency, directional lighting, intrinsic security, high data rate capability, signal blocking by walls and integrated networking capability. Following are some examples of real-life usage of LiFi:
Dense urban environments
Dense urban environments by their nature tend to own complete artificial lighting coverage. This lighting infrastructure will give the available high data rate access to users as they move through that setting. For instance, exhibitions, conferences, seminars, airports, etc where a number of users can download, send and receive data at a high speed. Moreover, high-speed wireless communication would be available in each room as the light waves won’t propagate through walls, resulting in interference-free wireless communication.
Underwater communication
Traditional Wi-Fi can’t be used underwater since radio waves get absorbed by the water. LiFi, on the other hand, uses light for data transmission. As visible light could penetrate deep into the water, LiFi can be used for underwater communication and will potentially change the way underwater vehicles and drivers communicate with each other.
Also read: Is light communication technology capable of overcoming the future technology problems
Augmented reality
Augmented reality is being employed in establishments like museums to reinforce the client experience. However, like many other services that are dependent upon Wi-Fi, the experience can be slow and sluggish as the number of people connected on the network increases.
LiFi can easily solve this problem by providing each exhibit with its own data stream using a Led Powered light bulb.
Aviation Industry
LiFi has great potential to revolutionize the aviation industry. Firstly it will solve the ‘congestion’ issues at airports and aircraft interiors, enabling people to enjoy seamless data streaming/ downloading. Secondly, as it does not interfere with radio frequency devices, it can be safely used in airline cabins.
Hospitals & Healthcare
LiFi can also be safely used in many hospital applications like real-time monitoring and details of patient movement, to check the actual status of the prescriptions by patients on their smartphones, etc. without the need of wires.
Security
In a meeting room environment, the access area of every channel is the width of the light pool, which can be accessed by multiple users. Each user will receive higher data rates than would be the case for an equivalent Wi-Fi channel. In the case of Wi-Fi, every user or cluster of users directly competes for access to bandwidth. The internet result is that the more the number of connections, the slower the download speeds are for all. In contrast, LiFi, with its greater number of available access points, each pool of light provides full channel data rates with fewer simultaneous users. Additionally, the light does not pass through the walls. Therefore, with the least precautions to avoid leakage from windows, etc., security is fundamentally enhanced as compared with Wi-Fi.
Hazardous Environment
The use of cell-phones is prohibited in places having dangerous explosive environments. The transmission of data using LiFi will simplify network configuration in such environments. Using LiFi’s new modes of securing such environments from potential hazards may also be developed and can enable new systems to enhance security in these environments.
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