Li-fi record data transmission of 10 Gbps achieved

A Mexican software company Sisoft has managed to transmit audio, video and Internet across the spectrum of light emitted by LED lamps using light fidelity (Li-fi) technology.

They were able to transfer data at a rate of 10 gigabytes per second (Gbps).For example, with this speed of Li-Fi you could quickly download an entire HD movie in just 45 seconds.

Li-Fi technology  is considered as an alternative to Wi-Fi because

• It will maximise the original provided speed of the internet to offer safer data transfer and a transfer rate of up to 10 gigabytes per second.
• The Li-Fi device circulates data via LEDs which emits an intermittent flicker at a speed imperceptible to the human eye.
• As Wi-Fi uses cables to spread our connections, wireless transmission Li-Fi uses LED lamps that emit high brightness light.
• Another advantage in comparison to Wi-Fi is that there is no way to hack the signal since the internet is transmitted by light.
• This technology has lower costs and a service increased by five thousand per cent internet speed.
• The technology can illuminate a large work space, such as an office, while providing full mobile Internet to every device that comes into the range of the light spectrum.
• Furthermore, it can be installed in hospitals areas that use radiation apparatus and generally block or distort internet signal.

About Sisoft Li-Fi technology experiment

• Sisoft Li-Fitechnology began with an internet speed of two Gigabits per second; but Sisoft along with researchers from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM) adapted the system to be multiplied five times.
• The first experiments were conducted with audio, in which a cable is connected via 3.5 mm audio Jack from a smartphone to a protoboard table to transform the auditory signal in optical waves.
• A special emitter transmits data across the spectrum of light generated by an LED lamp and is captured by a receptor located in a speaker that reproduces sound. (Similar wireless internet transmission mechanism but using optical energy).
• The station developed by Sisoft stands above the router device that distributes the internet signal and a lamp-LED is incorporated to maximise the speed of data transfer.
• Light carrying data will emulate an antenna, but only the electronic apparatus that has the receptor for the "optical audio" signal and is inside the range of the halo of light will have a connection.

What is Li-fi technology?

LiFi is a wireless optical networking technology that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for data transmission.

LiFi is designed to use LED light bulbs similar to those currently in use in many energy efficient bulbs used in homes and offices.

However, LiFi bulbs are outfitted with a chip that modulates the light imperceptibly for optical data transmission. LiFi data is transmitted by the LED bulbs and received by photoreceptors.

Change in characteristic of the amplitude or frequency of (an oscillation or signal) in accordance with the variations of a second signal

This technology is also known as visible light communications (VLC).

Benefits of LiFi:

• Higher speeds than Wi-Fi.
• 10000 times the frequency spectrum of radio.
• More secure because data cannot be intercepted without a clear line of sight.
• Prevents piggybacking.
• Eliminates neighboring network interference.
• Unimpeded by radio interference.
• Does not create interference in sensitive electronics, making it better for use in environments like hospitals and aircraft.

By using LiFi in all the lights in and around a building, the technology could enable greater area of coverage than a single WiFi router.

Drawbacks to the technology include the need for a clear line of sight (LoS), difficulties with mobility and the requirement that lights stay on for operation.