Lifi is a brand-new entry in optical wireless communications technology. It assists in transmitting handsome amounts of new bandwidth for data transmissions. Thanks to its visible light spectrum, it can quickly assist in creating networked communications.
However, the only loophole of this optically advanced tech is that you need to use the light bulbs to get the bandwidth for data transmissions. In the common man’s language, this means the space in which you need to use this technology should not be in the dark.
This can be a big problem, especially when someone wishes to sleep in a room. You can resolve this problem by dimming the LEDs or switching them on and off at high speeds so that it is not visible to your eyes
The researchers from Dartmouth College have created a workaround solution for encoding “data into ultra-short, imperceptible light pulses.” Here, you cannot see the pulses. They call it DarkLight. It has the potential to enhance the practical applications for Lifi Technology speed .
The scientists from the Department of Computer Science and Department of Physics and Astronomy say that their Darklight prototype supports 1.8-meter distance with 1.6 kbps data rate. This distance is enough in a test environment to send a signal from a ceiling-mounted smoke-detector-like device to a desktop or a bed.
This is what Visible Light Communication in the dark is all about.
Let’s now look at some practical cases of using Lifi Communications. It provides a fantastic bandwidth, which is 10,000 times greater than the radio. Scientists even claim that it can be employed for cost-effective beacons, backhaul, sensors, rural broadband, and the Internet of Things, amongst others. They also discussed using commonly installed rural solar panels as a broadband receiver.
During that time, the concept of switching lights on and off within nanoseconds was discussed to make LiFi appear in the dark. According to the Dartmouth scientists, with this functioning, it is possible to tackle challenges in encoding/decoding schemes, DarkLight networking, and circuit designs to produce and reliably decipher the ultra-short light pulses effectively. In layman’s language, it works. With the help of this system, they claim to have demonstrated for the very first time the way visible light can transmit data in the dark.
In case they can make this technology work effectively, it can provide several advantages over the radio. On top of the above-mentioned bandwidth gain, the visible light spectrum is very secure.
The most significant advantage is that as normal light cannot travel from one room to another when the cracks in the door frame are sealed, LiFi data will not spill from one room to another. This goes to show that it is much more secure than the potentially hackable WiFi or Bluetooth. To ensure that your data does not get transmitted from one room to another is to seal it completely.
The other advantage of light-based networks is that it can work in places where radio interference can be a hindrance to getting internet access. A prime example of this is hospitals.
Also, the fact that lights are everywhere - street lights, reading lamps, and car headlights, to name just a few.
Matthews Liam is a Senior Content writer. He loves to write and research new things which can be useful in day to day life.