Despite its apparent omnipresence, the internet is only available to around half of the worlds population.
This means that, if we are to achieve digital equality, these billions of people will need access.
Researchhas suggested that global internet usage could consume over 20% of the worlds energy by 2030.
40% off TNW Conference!
A faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient form of wireless internet?
The tech communitys interest has been piqued.
But has it worked?
So, how does LiFi work?
On the electromagnetic spectrum, WiFi utilises a point between radio waves and microwaves.
This relatively narrow portion of the spectrum can be time-shared by multiple networks.
LiFi, on the other hand, uses the visible light spectrum to transfer data.
Visible light is almost 10,000 times larger than the spectrum occupied by radio waves.
Compared with WiFi, it could provide a 100x bandwidth increase.
Essentially, data is encoded in the light emitted from LEDs.
It is encoded into subtle changes in brightness that are undetectable to the human eye.
The potential extrapolations of the technology are present anywhere LED lights are found essentially everywhere.
Places where WiFi has been difficult to achieve out on the street, onboard an aircraft, etc.
could be serviced by LiFi given the abundance of lights found in most public areas.
How LiFi is being developed
LiFi has come a long way since Haas introduced it in 2011.
The dongle, Nikola says, is the beginning of LiFi becoming a ubiquitous product.
Mohamed Sufyan Islim works under Harald Haas.
We discussed the development of the technology and its relationship with existing technologies like WiFi.
How, then, can LiFi get around the complicated issue of handover?
Our smartphones already contain some light detectors such as proximity sensors and cameras.
In fact, there are some commercially available LiFi products that support mobility and handover.
More interestingly, handover can also be enabled between LiFi and other access technologies such as WiFi.
For example, your connectivity would be maintained when moving to an area where LiFi is not available.
So, how far away are we from a workable LiFi solution?
We put the question to Mohamed.
It shouldnt be long until we see a workable and scalable LiFi model.
There has been a recent increase in both research and commercial interest in LiFi.
The new standard has received the reference IEEE 802.11bb.
This is, internet connections aside, a boon for renewable energy.
LiFi could help power all manner ofconnected devices as part of the rapidly developing Internet of Things.
LiFi is an enabling technology for IoT systems.
The existing lighting infrastructure can be reused as communication access points.
An interesting solution would be to use photovoltaic (PV) cells as light detectors in IoT-enabled devices.
This could enable an energy-neutral LiFi transceiver solution for IoT devices with possibly no external power requirements.
Is LiFi here to replace WiFi?
Not at all, in fact.
This is where WiFi or mobile data, depending on what is available, could cover connection.
LiFi is not intended to replace WiFi, Mohamed says.
This is a common misconception.
Here, LiFi can enable additional features such as high-speed access and enhanced security at the physical layer.
The wireless optical connectivity enabled by a LiFi access point can never be intercepted by an outsider.
This is also where the benefits of LiFi are important.
Unlike radio waves or microwaves, visible light will not pass through walls.
There are enough benefits to make LiFi a convincing proposition.
The primary focus of the Journal is to educate and inform no hype, just facts.
