What is li-fi: In today’s digital age, the requirement of fast, safe and reliable wireless communication is more than ever. Wi-Fi has made internet connectivity an integral part of common life but its limited bandwidth, network congestion and security challenges affect its performance. LI-Fi has developed as an advanced and new technology to solve these problems.
Lai -Fi, called light fidelity, is a state -of -the -art wireless communication system that uses visible light communication -VLC in place of traditional radio waves for data transfer. This technique not only provides much more speed than Wi-Fi but is also more effective than safety, spectrum availability and energy efficiency. Due to its fast, safe and stable connection capabilities, Li-Fi can bring a revolutionary change in the field of internet connectivity in the coming times.
What is Lai-Fi?
Li-Fi is an advanced wireless communication technique that uses LED lights instead of traditional radio waves for data transfer. It contains the communication of data through visible light waves, which fall into the visual part of the electromagnetic spectrum. When the LED bulb is on and off very fast. So fast that this change does not even appear to the human eyes, it transmits the data as binary code (0 and 1). This process is called ‘modulation’. The photo-dyode used as a receiver catchs the fluctuations of these light and converts them into digital data. The data transfer speed of this technique can be extremely high. In some experiments it is recorded up to 224 GBPS which makes it many times faster than Wi-Fi.
Difference between Li-Fi and Wi-Fi
The biggest difference between Wi-Fi and Li-Fi is in their data transmission medium where Wi-Fi uses radio waves, while Li-Fi sends data through visible light waves. This technical variation directly affects speed, security and reliability. The general speed of Wi-Fi can range from 100 Mbps to 1 GBPS (in some cases 5 GBPS) while Li-Fi speed has been recorded from 10 GBPS to 224 GBPS which makes it many times faster than Wi-Fi. From the range of a range, Wi-Fi remains effective for about 30 meters and can send signals across the walls while LI-Fi is limited to the access of LED light and cannot pass through the walls. This limitability makes Li-Fi more reliable in terms of safety, as its signal cannot go out. LI-Fi is also ahead in the case of bandwidth. It uses visual light spectrum that is about 10,000 times larger than the radio spectrum, which makes more data transmission possible. In addition, Wi-Fi can be a victim of interference arising from electronic devices while Li-Fi is almost free from such problems, making it emerging as a more stable and efficient option.
History of Li-Fi
The concept of Li-Fi was first presented in the year 2011 by Professor Herald Haas. He performed this technique live on the stage of the Tedglobal 2011 conference held at Edinburch University in which video was transmitted through a LED bulb. Pro. Haas defined it as’ Data Through Illumination) and clarified that Li-Fi is not a replacement of Wi-Fi but an impressive complement. Since this presentation, continuous efforts are being made towards research and commercial use on LI-Fi technology worldwide, which is emerging as a possibilities and revolutionary technology.
How does Lae-Fi work?
The basic principle of LI-Fi technique is to transfer data through light, in which the LED bulb acts like a transmitter. This bulb is extremely rapidly turned on and off which transports data in the form of binary code (0 and 1). This process is so intense that human eye is unable to see or feel it. The receiver devices such as photodatector catch the fluctuations of light and convert them into digital data. This entire system consists of three major components: LED bulbs (which emit light), photodetter (which captures light signals), and a processor or converter, which converts the obtained signals into useful data. LI-Fi serves as a high speed and safe wireless communication medium from the coordinated work of these components.
Benefits of Lae-Fi
Extremely fast speed-Li-Fi speed controlled environment is recorded up to 224 GBPS which is thousands of times faster than the normal Wi-Fi.
High security – Since the signal of Li -Fi cannot pass through the walls, its coverage is limited and it is difficult to hack or illegally access it.
Work without radio spectrum – Li -Fi is based on Visible Light which reduces the burden on radio frequency (RF) spectrum.
Energy Savings – LI -Fi uses LED bulbs that are energy efficient and can simultaneously transmission light and data.
Working in Vaurit regions-Li-Fi can also work in places (such as aircraft, hospital, radio-sensitive area) where the use of radio waves is limited or prohibited.
Li-Fi boundaries
The effectiveness of Ly-Fi technology depends on several factors, one of which is the main requirement between the transmitter (LED) and the direct vision between the LED and the receiver, called the line-of-site-los. In most cases, it is necessary to communicate in a straight line for data transfer, although the reflection of light can also be helpful in certain circumstances. Since Ly-Fi is based on visual light, its signal cannot exceed walls or solid obstacles, which limits its range and may require separate Ly-Fi-Fi sources in each room. Additionally, sunlight or other acute exterior light sources can intervene in the Ly-Fi-Fi signal, which negatively affects its performance. Another challenge is its initial setup, which is currently relatively expensive, although it is likely to reduce its cost as technology develops.
Application of Lae-Fi
Domestic networking – Internet connection is possible through LED bulbs in homes, so that fast and safe data can be transferred.
Airplane – where the use of RF (radio frequency) waves is restricted or limited, Li -Fi offers a safe option.
Hospital – Sensitive medical machines like MRI are likely to interfere with radio signals while LI -Fi is safe due to light -based.
Underwater communication – radio waves are not effective in water but light -based communication (LI -Fi) is suitable for underwater data transfer.
Smart City – Data communication through LED lights in traffic signals, street lights etc. is possible, which can improve the smart city infrastructure.
Industrial Area – Li -Fi can be used in industrial environment for fast and safe communication, especially in places where RF interfensions can cause problems
Ly-Fi situation in India
Many institutes and government agencies are actively striving for LI-FI technology in India. The Kerala government planned LI-FI based internet services in the state in 2020. Although his major project KFON (Kerala Fibre Optic Network) is mainly fiber-based, the state has also seriously considered the possibilities of emerging techniques like LI-Fi. Also, leading technical institutes like IIT Madras, IIT Delhi and IIIT Hyderabad are doing intensive research on LI-Fi or Visible Light Communication (VLC). IIIT Delhi has been set up a Center of Excellence on the region where hardware, algorithm and hybrid RF-VLC systems are being worked out. IIT Delhi has also presented a 100 Mbps Li-Fi network demo, while ERNET India is also experimenting in association with IIT Madras and IIIT Delhi. Experts believe that if LI-Fi technology is successfully adopted in India, it can empower the Digital India mission and can play an important role in increasing internet connectivity especially in rural and inaccessible areas.
future prospects
Experts believe that Li-Fi technology is capable of reducing the current boundaries of Wi-Fi or effectively complementing them and is considered an important column of future internet connectivity. Although the entire replacement of Wi-Fi is not currently practical, given the existing infrastructure and widespread use requirements, Li-Fi is emerging as a fast, safe and energy efficient solution. Its speed in controlled environment is recorded up to 224 GBPS, which is thousands of times faster than Wi-Fi. Li-fi is more reliable even from the security point of view, as its signal does not cross the walls, which reduces the chances of unauthorized access or hacking. In terms of energy efficiency and data transmission density, this technology is also suitable for smart and high-density network. The combined use of 5G and LI-Fi in the future can lead to an unprecedented increase in internet speed, capacity and reliability, which will make the Internet more smart, faster and capable.
