We live in a time where wireless internet via radio waves is expected to be in nearly every building and home. The days of having to hard wire in to have access to the information the internet holds is long gone and the days where a common and expected question is “What’s your wireless password?” is here. But technology is constantly changing, being refined, and bringing in better and faster options. So what’s coming after WiFi? LiFi
Li-Fi is short for light fidelity and in the most basic terms, is wireless connectivity via LED light. In other words it is a light that turns on and off so fast it can transmit data to your computer, phone, tablet, or other enabled devices. It is essentially the same as transmitting data via fiber optic utilizing a laser light source. The major difference is that it is in the light in your ceiling and not a laser. Imagine being able to walk into a building and automatically connect just because you’re using their light!
There are many benefits to LiFi, one being that it is much more data dense. LiFi uses light waves unlike WiFi’s radio waves. Much more data can be transmitted via light waves because the waves are in nanometers versus centimeters for radio waves. With each light being a communication path, LiFi also offers users more freed up bandwidth, allowing the data density LiFi to communicate at higher speeds.
Security is also a HUGE benefit of LiFi. Light can be contained to a building, space, or room while WiFi’s radio waves can leak through walls and be picked up outside a building, house, or apartment. If you’re not under LiFi’s light, you’re not connecting to the network. It can be localized in buildings as well, allowing people who walk into lobbies to have public access while workers at their desk can connect to their company network. Lastly, because LiFi uses light beams which don’t interfere with other electronic devices like radio waves can. This gives added security to places like hospitals and airplanes.
Here at Energy Performance Lighting, we have the first installment of a LiFi system in the United States from PureLiFi. It’s still in its infancy but it’s here! With the rate of advancements, LiFi is expected to be showing up more commonly in the next 2-3 years. We’re excitedly watching this new technology develop and can’t wait to work with customers interested in installing it.
If you’re interested in learning more about LiFi, check out PureLiFi’s website.
