What is Li-Fi, Will It Replace Wi-Fi?

"If Harald Haas is right, we will get our internet through light bulbs in just a few years. Haas is a mobile communication professor at Edinburgh University in Scotland. He has the idea that data can be transferred through LED bulbs for years, and now he created the working model of the Li-Fi system. In his latest TED talk, Haas showed one of the Li-Fi prototypes that can transfer video from solar cell to laptop via LED bulb from a store.

Li-Fi is basically the same as Wi-Fi, just a little difference; we use LED lights to transfer data wirelessly, rather than using radio signals, "says Haas. It uses radio signals to transfer traditional Wi-Fi data to devices. Currently, Wi-Fi carries almost half of the world's internet forwarders. Therefore, as people start to go online and the internet of things grows, this rate is expected to increase in the coming years. Some experts, including Haas, are concerned that this will cause the spectrum crack, which will cause Wi-Fi networks to slow down under heavy demand.

"The radio spectrum is not enough," says Haas, and continues, "It is very heavily used, too crowded. This to airports and hotels; we see where people want to access mobile internet and where the internet is terribly slow. I guessed this would happen 12-15 years ago and I said, what are the better ways to transfer data wirelessly? "

The idea of transmitting data with a visible light spectrum is not new. Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the sound through a beam of sunlight in 1880 through a photophone, a device similar to a cordless phone. In recent years, many researchers have tried to transmit the data using light. But Haas emphasized that the key to Li-Fi is simply to use LED bulbs for data transfer.

When Haas started using alternative wireless systems for the first time, LED bulbs started to be used more in homes, which was much less effective than traditional incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs are controlled by a driver who can quickly dim the light or turn it on and off. However, Haas realized that the data can be encrypted at fine intervals in the brightness and change of light that the human eye does not perceive. For this reason, Haas started experiments by replacing the LED bulb with incandescent bulb. Finally, he obtained a transmitter and receiver system working with solar panel and bulb. The research was completed in Edinburgh University named after Alexander Graham Bell, born in Scotland.

Li-FU; Much faster than Wi-Fi

In recent experiments, researchers have reached up to 224 gigabytes per second at Li-Fi speed. At these speeds, a person can download 20 movies of data in one second. According to Haas's research, Li-Fi can reach 1000 times more data density than Wi-Fi because Li-Fi signals are gathered in a small region, unlike more scattered radio signals.

Besides being faster than Wi-Fi, it is safer than Li-Fi Haas stated. Wi-Fi signals can pass through walls, while in a house Li-Fi signals can be kept inside the house through curtains. This does not mean that you will always keep your lights on. Haas notes that the bulbs can still transfer data even at very low settings.

Now Haas' company PureLiFi has started producing Li-Fi routers for its limited number of corporate customers. They are planning to spread these routers in the market in the coming years. Li-Fi can easily find its way into business and industrial use in the next two years. If we set out from here, it will not take long for Li-Fi to enter the houses. The system can be easily connected to any device with an LED light. Finally, this can make the Internet of Things much faster. Haas also sees Li-Fi technology as a means of moving the Internet to remote locations using top transmitters and rooftop solar panels. Even LED street lights can become a form of using the outdoor Li-Fi network, making it possible to stay connected to the internet while walking in the city.

It is not clear how quickly Li-Fi will become widespread. India, St. Kolkata `` Although Li-Fi technology offers countless benefits, there are certain barriers that this technology must overcome before it becomes part of our lives. '' it includes the fact that its power is running low and so on. Still, the research states that the Li-Fi industry will be $ 6 billion from 2018.

Haas and his team aren't the only people testing Li-Fi. Chinese researchers have also developed a basic Li-Fi prototype that can run many laptops by working with an LED bulb. The German research institution Fraunhofer Institute is also working on the Li-Fi hotspot prototype. Even NASA has announced plans to work on the potential use of Li-Fi in space travel.

Finally, Haas says; ‘'Incandescent bulbs only transmit light. In twenty years, LED bulbs will transmit hundreds of applications ''.