LiFi - A Better Solution than WiFi ? ?

People are much used to WiFi which transfers data without the use of wire.The maximum transfer speed a WiFi network could get is up to 300 Mbps.The main advantage of WiFi is that it could intrude through walls (not through many wall layer). Now recent advancement in transfer of data faster than WiFi network is found to be possible through Lights.It is termed as Light Fidelity (LiFi) which is more similiar as WiFi but much more faster than WiFi network.So far in lab tests it is found that LiFi is 100 times faster than the existing WiFi networks reaching a maximum transfer speed of 224 Gbps.

What is this LiFi ?

LiFi is a wireless network which can be used to transfer data at higher speeds through lights.You can ask could all light source can transfer data? The answer is Light Emitting Diode (LED) can be used to transmit data.Both WiFi and LiFi transmits data over electromagnetic spectrum where WiFi uses radio waves and LiFi uses visible light.LiFi can be used in electromagnetic sensitive areas where WiFi can't be used as it causes interference with other devices.

Harald Haas a professor from University of Edinburgh, UK is the founder of LiFi and Co-Founder of PureLiFi company.LiFi uses same 802.11 protocol as WiFi but it uses a much wider bandwidth than WiFi.The disadvantage with LiFi is that the light waves can not be transmitted through walls which makes it short range but at the same time making it more secure from hacking.Though the short range can be extended by using another light emitting source connected to same network.The light emitted from the LED bulb could be dimmed to below human eye visibility at the same time emitting enough light to transfer data.

Professor Haas states that the LiFi could be used in existing LED bulb technology.Please note that existing bulb technology does not mean the existing bulbs which we had set up in our home.To use LiFi technology we need to set up new bulbs and our Smartphones, Laptops, Tablet or any other device which we need to connect should have photo sensor which could read the data transferred through incoming light.

How LiFi Work ?

The below shown image is the Pure LiFi's info-graphic image to show how LiFi works.

To be simple LiFi works much like a infrared technology which is been used in our televisions.Once we send any command (pressing any button in remote like increase volume) the chip in the remote converts the command to binary and the light is emitted out.The light is then received through the Infrared receiver in the television which once again decodes the light and performs the intended action.Likewise LiFi transfers data through Light Emitting Diode's (LED bulb)

The internet router is connected to the cable and the cable is connected to any number of LED's in home/office.The photo detector on our phone/laptop picks up the light and decodes the data much faster than WiFi.

Problems in LiFi network

• LiFi could not be used under direct sunlight since photo sensors could not detect modulated light however Haas showed that it can be achieved by ambient lighting.
• You need to setup LiFi bulbs in every room of your home since light can not intrude through walls.
• LiFi needs rewiring and to install new LiFi bulbs at your home.

LiFi seems to be a cool technology and could replace existing WiFi  but to reach out to customers it could take some time as it needs some reinvestment.