What is Li-fi?
Li-Fi is a wireless digital technology that transmits high speed data using visible light communication (VLC) and the denomination “li-fi” was originally coined by Harold Hass at the University of Edinburgh back in 2011. It was demonstrated for the first time by flickering a light from a single LED, which resulted in transmitting data much faster than from a cellular tower.
How does it work?
Hass and his team at the Li-Fi research and development centre have created the receiver chip for Li-Fi which has integrated avalanche photodiodes on CMOS which homes 49 photodiodes. It works using a visible light communication (VLC), which is a medium that uses between 400 and 800 THz of visible light. To put this more simply, it is like a very advanced form of Morse code, like switching a torch on and off to follow a certain pattern.
A tech company, Velmenni, is currently testing out the technology in a work space environment by setting up a “smart lighting” solution where the data connection is done through light. If you´re were thinking that all of that flickering would get annoying don´t worry, it won´t. The speeds in which the LEDs can be switched on and off are not perceptible to the naked eye.
Mega trends
To highlight the potential of Li-Fi technology let´s see it in the light of several mega trends that will affect the future of Li-Fi technology.
Bandwidth limitations
With the current internet usage growth we are quickly running out of bandwidth.
- IP traffic will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23 percent from 2014 to 2019. Over half of all IP traffic will originate with non-PC devices by 2019. (Cisco, 2015)
- Video streaming services YouTube and Netflix already account for over 50% of all internet traffic (Sandvine Report, 2013)
LED lighting
Solid State solutions are rapidly taking over the lighting market
- The globalLED lighting market is projected to reach $25.7 billion dollars with a market penetration of 31% in 2015 (LEDinside, 2014)
- LED lighting solutions cover a wide spectrum of indoor and outdoor applications in highly populated areas.
Green technology
The need for environmentally friendly network communication solutions
- The communication infrastructure accounts for estimately 15.6 billion kWh of energy consumption within data centers worldwide (Koomey, 2011).
- Total global electricity and diesel energy consumption by all mobile networks was approximately 120 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2010, resulting in energy costs of $13 billion and responsible for 70 Mt CO2. (GSMA: Mobile Green Manifesto, 2012).
Cyber security
Radio frequency signals are readily intercepted
- Worldwide mobile payment transactions amounted to 29.3 billions in 2013. The number of e-commerce transactions was expected to increase to 38.5 billions in 2015. (Statista, 2016)
- The majority of organisations -91 %- have adopted a security framework (PWC, 2016)
The Internet of Things (IoT)
Any object in our daily lives is becoming subject to be connected to Internet
- The 1990s’ fixed Internet wave connected 1 billion users while the 2000s’ mobile wave connected another 2 billion. The IoT has the potential to connect 10X as many (28 billion) “things” to the Internet by 2020, ranging from bracelets to cars. (Goldman Sachs, 2016)
- Existing connectivity solutions such as standard Bluetooth or Wi-Fi will probably not be able to meet smart-home requirements given their power and network limitations. (McKinsey, 2016)
Li-Fi vs. Wi-Fi
Li-Fi is still in the early stages of development, but the benefits of Li-Fi over Wi-Fi include:
- Speed– When testing out Li-Fi, labs could transmit data at 1GB per second- 100 times faster than current average Wi-Fi speeds!
- Security– Li-Fi cannot pass through walls, which means greater security and less interference between devices.
The key differences are shown in the following table:
[table id=1 /]
Conclusion
Li-fi is an exciting new technology which could have a positive impact on the future if used in conjunction with Wi-Fi. Being faster and more secure than Wi-Fi, Li-Fi technology could make homes and work spaces more efficient and secure.
Li-Fi is not set to be the replacement of Wi-Fi, but to be used in conjunction with Wi-FI to use the benefits of both. There are many Li-Fi technologies emerging in the area of science, looking to make it into the marketplace such as this CMOS plenoptic detector for LED applications which shows promise for the commercialization of this new technology.
Photon transfer is the world’s first open innovation marketplace specializing in photonics. In the spirit of open innovation we offer a range of tech for transfer listings which list new technology looking for collaboration to help get it to market. These listings are available to view here.
In the mean time feel free to check out our website photontransfer.com for more information about how we bridge the gap between science and market.