Chinese researchers from the Institute of Technical Physics in Shanghai have managed to remotely transmit information from the internet through light instead of the traditional use of radio waves (Wi-Fi). Using a one-watt LED light emitting lamp, the team got four computers to connect to the internet. This small bulb can achieve data flows up to 100 times faster than the WiFI speed. This new technology is already known as LIFI.
Do you know any other wireless network other than Wi-Fi? Well, today we will talk about the LI-FI or LIFI concept, a concept that will give a lot to talk about, the new era of wireless connections, an alternative to the well-known Wi-Fi. We will explain what Li-Fi is, how it works, what advantages and disadvantages it has with respect to WiFi and the future that awaits this promising term. We will explain everything in a simple way so that you understand it well.
What is LI-FI?
Li-Fi refers to the term Light Fidelity, is communication through visible light. What this light does is transmit ultra-fast light data that is received by an optical router.
It is a wireless communication system like Wi-Fi but using visible light instead of electromagnetic waves. Surely you already know that light travels incredibly fast, can you imagine connecting to the internet and surfing with such speed?
HOW DOES LI-FI TECHNOLOGY WORK?
Li-Fi means communication through visible light pulses through which information is transferred, that is, transmitting information through light.
Logically it is essential to have an internet connection so that the light bulb antenna transmits the information to the rest of the receivers of a home or office.
The good thing about this technology is that the infrastructure for LiFi technology already exists. There are thousands of lights everywhere, an estimated 14 billion.
All we need to do is fit a small microchip to each lighting device (LED bulb). Then combine two basic functions: lighting and wireless data transmission.
The founder of this technology explains how it works :
"When a constant current is applied to a [emitter-diode] LED bulb, a constant flow of photons is emitted from the lamp that is seen as visible light. If the current is varied gradually, the output intensity of the light is dimmed from top to bottom (it also varies.) Because LED bulbs are semiconductor devices, the current, and therefore the optical output, can be modulated at extremely high speeds that can be detected by a photodetector device and transform it from new in electric current. Intensity modulation is imperceptible to the human eye, and therefore communication is as transparent as RF [radiofrequency technology]. Using this technique, high-speed information can be transmitted from an LED bulb to a receiver. "
A LITTLE HISTORY :
The term Visible Light Communication implies the use of any portion of electromagnetic spectrum light to transmit information and it is in 2010 when physicist Harald Haas of the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) founded the D-Light project. In 2011, he began promoting this technology in order to market it. At the end of 2011 different groups and companies of this industry formed in Li-Fi Consortium in order to publicize and promote this technology.
During the presentation of the new form of transmission, Harald Haas demonstrated its LiFi technology using a $ 3 LED bulb. "It's about data through lighting," Haas said. "The transmission of data using an LED bulb is free, not to mention the LED bulbs, which in themselves, are extremely efficient."
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES. WI-FI vs LI-FI :
Although LiFi technology is still undergoing experimentation, it should be noted that it promises to be the wireless network of the near future and that it will eventually replace the well-known Wi-Fi wireless system. Let's see why and what are the advantages and disadvantages of Li-Fi technology.
ADVANTAGES LI-FI vs WI-FI :
- It can offer speeds of 500 mbps (megabits per second), that is, almost 10 times faster than the fiber optic used by Wi-Fi.
- It is cheaper than Wi-Fi, it is said to be up to 10 times cheaper.
- Any bulb or lamppost can be converted into a hotspot or luminous router in a cheap and simple way, putting a simple Li-Fi transmitter.
- The light, by not crossing walls, is much safer than Wi-Fi. It can be used in places very concerned about security such as banks.
- It does not require the quoted radio frequencies that Wi-Fi requires. Radio frequency communication requires complex radio circuits, antennas and receivers, while Li-Fi is much simpler and uses direct modulation methods similar to those used in low-cost infrared communications devices, such as remote controls.
- Absence of cables.
- Electric light does not disturb or interfere with communication, does not cause interference with other systems.
- It does not saturate the frequency bands used for the transmission of information via Wi-Fi.
- It is energy more efficient than Wi-Fi
DISADVANTAGES LI-FI vs WI-FI :
- It does not work under direct sunlight.
- Does not pass through partitions or walls.
- It does not work with the light off, which can lead to an increase in your light rate.
- It only works with those devices (tablets, mobiles, etc.) that have a receiver for such technology, that is, that have a receiver capable of decoding the light signal.
FUTURE OF LI-FI :
As research is progressing in this field we can almost say that this technology can replace Wi-Fi without any doubt. This technology is in the experimental phase but we are almost sure how fast everything progresses, faster almost than the light itself, nothing will surprise us that in a few years can forever change the way we connect to the internet in our homes. It would not be bad to leave our mobile under a simple lamp while it is charging, or while we are browsing without having connectivity problems as it happens many times with Wi-Fi. Everything will be seen over time ... but we throw a question on the air
Will we see each other in a short time connected to the Internet through simple "light bulbs"?
Here is a video that explains this new lifi technology:
No comments:
Post a Comment