The internet could become very fast in the near future with the new Li-Fi technology, which has the ability to deliver 100 broadband speeds faster than the widely used Wi-Fi.
A new form of online data provision is preparing to find its way to the market, and could replace Wi-Fi in the coming years. The Li-Fi uses LED light bulbs to send information, and in theory can provide 100 internet access times faster than Wi-Fi.
LED lamps emit visible light, which is a steady flow of photons. When the current is manipulated to generate small fluctuations, a detection device can capture the pulses and convert them back into electricity, as German physicist Harald Haas said during a TED Talk. Haas is a professor of mobile communications at Edinburgh University and the founder of pureLiFi, a leading company in Li-Fi technology.
The connections Li-Fi χρησιμοποιούν το visible light connection (VLC), as we mentioned above and an Estonian company, Velmenni that tested the technology managed to catch the speed of 224 Gbps in the lab and 1 Gbps outside.
"Currently, we have designed a smart lighting solution for an industrial environment where data communication takes place through light. "We are also piloting a private company to set up a Li-Fi network for Internet access from office space," Deepak Solanki, CEO of Velmenni, told the International Business Times in the United Kingdom. consumption by the general public could be launched in about three to four years.
The promise of incredibly fast Internet that Li-Fi gives will not be something that can be done overnight. The technology and equipment are completely new so we are talking about total change infrastructure and networks.
Another difficulty with this project could be the fact that the new technology uses light instead of radio waves, and it won't be able to pass through walls, which means its range will be somewhat more limited. However, this also means that the network will be more secure, putting an end to theft bandwidth from neighbors.
Finally, the Li-Fi will not work as well outdoors, as sunlight could disturb its signal.
Watch the video below to see Li-Fi inventor, Harald Haas, TED at 2011.
