Light Fidelity or LiFi as it is commonly known has the potential to revolutionize wireless communication. By using visible light communication (VLC) technology, it can deliver faster wireless internet speeds than current WiFi networks. Let's explore more about this promising technology.
What is LiFi?
LiFi is a wireless optical networking technology that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for data transmission. Much like WiFi which uses radio waves, LiFi uses visible light communication between LED bulbs and photodetectors for networking purposes. Data is transmitted through the LED bulbs by switching them on and off rapidly which is undetectable to the human eye. Nearby devices can detect these signals using photo receivers.
Compared to traditional WiFi, LiFi has several advantages. It provides significantly higher speeds, has wider spectrum availability, and is more secure. Most importantly, it doesn't interfere with other wireless networks. LiFi also complements existing WiFi networks and can deliver internet connectivity in places where WiFi signals cannot reach like hospitals, aircrafts, and underwater.
History and Development
The concept of LiFi was pioneered by German physicist Harald Light Fidelity Haas from the University of Edinburgh in 2011. He demonstrated that by embedding a photodiode into a mobile phone and connecting it to a LED lamp controller, internet browsing was possible through a beam of light. Since then, global technology giants like Facebook, Samsung, and Philips have invested heavily to commercialize this technology.
In 2013, Haas founded pureLiFi company to further develop and commercialize LiFi products. In 2016, Estonian company Velmenni announced the world's first LiFi-enabled smartphones and laptops. In 2018, pureLiFi demonstrated download speeds of over 150 Mbps in a lab environment. Around the same time, Samsung partnered with pureLiFi to include LiFi chips in its future smartphones and TVs.
Today, LiFi industry partnerships are actively working to roll out this technology across various sectors including automotive, robotics, aviation, retail, and more. Several universities have also initiated research programs focused on improving the speed, security, and capabilities of LiFi networks.
How Does LiFi Work?
At the core of every LiFi system are LED lights which act as transducers to transmit internet signals over visible light spectrum. These LED bulbs are equipped with special LiFi chips that help in modulating data onto light waves using advanced modulation techniques such as orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM).
A LiFi-enabled device like a smartphone or laptop has a photosensor (such as a photodiode) that can detect these light signals. Special software decodes the data transmitted through rapid variations in the light intensity, thus providing internet access. The photosensor converts light pulses into electrical signals that are then processed by a LiFi receiver chip to recover the original digital information.
LiFi systems leveraging VLC technology provide full-duplex communication - data can be transmitted in both directions simultaneously. This bidirectional communication is achieved through frequency division since downlink transmission uses a different frequency than uplink transmission. Advanced techniques also ensure that LiFi signals don't interfere with light from other sources like sunlight or ambient room light.
Future Applications and Potentials
With theoretical speeds exceeding gigabits per second, LiFi is expected to play a crucial role in next-generation 5G and 6G networks as an accompaniment to WiFi. Some key use cases where LiFi could make an impact are:
- Smart Homes and Offices: Embedded LiFi in lighting infrastructure can offer seamless and wireless connectivity to a plethora of IoT devices.
- Automotive: In-vehicle LiFi allows high-speed internet access and enables functions like autonomous driving through V2X communication.
- Aircrafts: LiFi can deliver wireless connectivity to passengers on flights safely and securely through cabin LED lighting.
- Underwater Communications: LiFi is highly suitable for underwater wireless as it avoids signal interference unlike radio waves.
- Streetlights and Traffic Management: Intelligent transportation systems could leverage LiFi from streetlights for connectivity solutions.
- Industrial Automation: LiFi is ideal for mission-critical applications due to its high security and lack of electromagnetic interference.
- Augmented and Virtual Reality: Next-gen AR/VR headsets may use LiFi for fast, high-bandwidth data transmission from base stations.
With the continued expansion of wireless data traffic, the limited and congested radio spectrum is no longer sufficient. As an alternative wireless technology, LiFi promises to augment and complement existing WiFi networks. With advancements in hardware and software, LiFi adoption is likely to accelerate rapidly across multiple industries in the coming years. Though WiFi will continue to dominate for a while, LiFi clearly presents an optimistic vision of an all-optical and fully connected future.
Get more insights on – Light Fidelity
According to the new market research report on "Free Space Optics (FSO) and Visible Light Communication (VLC)/Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) Market by Component (LED, Photodetector, Microcontroller, and Software), Transmission Type, Application, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023", the free space optics (FSO) market is expected to grow from USD 0.27 billion in 2018 to USD 1.45 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 39.58% during 2018–2023.
Factors driving the growth of the FSO market include last-mile connectivity, no licensing, and alternative solution to overburdened RF technology for outdoor networking.
Major factors driving this growth are faster and safer data transfer, RF spectrum bandwidth crunch, and less energy consumption.Browse 102 market data Tables and 47 Figures spread through 185 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Free Space Optics (FSO) and Visible Light Communication (VLC)/Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) Market - Global Forecast to 2023"Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=946Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports.Mobile backhaul and consumer electronics applications expected to hold the largest share of the FSO and VLC markets, respectivelyAmong all the major applications of FSO, the mobile backhaul application is expected to account for the largest share during the forecast period.
This is due to the increasing internet penetration and data traffic from mobile applications, including the Internet, video, and data services, which has grown tremendously with the proliferation of smartphones, tablets, and other wireless devices.
Photodetector is the main component of bidirectional VLC that helps in detecting changes in light intensity from the LED light source.FSO and VLC market in APAC is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast periodThe FSO market in APAC is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2018 and 2023.
Increasing manufacturing facilities, advanced infrastructure, and the growing computer-aided design (CAD) industry are the factors driving the FSO market in APAC.
Visible Light Communication Market, By Component (Image Sensor, Visible Light Diode), By Application (Location Based Service, Indoor Applications, Outdoor Applications), By Vertical (Transportation, Automotive, Defense, Healthcare) - Forecast 2022Market OverviewVisible Light Communication can be defined as free space optical wireless communication technology that utilizes the visible light to transmit data across the distances.
This type of technology is widely used in a number of applications or end user segments that includes intelligent traffic management system, wireless communication, power line communication, home networking system and underwater communication.Visible Light Communication (VLC) is a method by which Light Emitting Diode (LED) are utilized to transfer the data by using visible light as a transmission medium.
The increasing usage of data over the mobile phones and via other wireless devices, lack of spectrum appears to be one of the major problem for which visible light communication can be offered as a potential solution.
The raising demand of the retails based indoor positioning market due to high traffic and better illumination has paved the way for the growth of the visible light communication market.
The increasing demand by retailer to send instant offers to customers in the form of messages to enhance their shopping experience has also anticipated to boost the overall VLC market.
The study also indicates that the increasing investments in the research and development of new products by various key players like General Electric Company, LVX Systems and others are expected to make a revolutionary changes in visible light communication market.The global Visible Light Communication Market is expected to grow exponentially by 2022, at will show a significant growth in CAGR between 2016 and 2022.Get a Free Sample @https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2559Key Players:The prominent players in the Visible Light Communication Market are – fSONA Networks (Canada), General Electric Company (U.S.), Casio Computer Co., Ltd.(Japan), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (South Korea), Nitto Denko Corporation (Japan), NEC Corporation (Japan), Fujitsu Ltd. (Japan), Qualcomm, Inc. (U.S.), Panasonic Corporation (Japan) and among others.Segments:Visible Light Communication market is segmented on the basis of component, application and verticals.Regional Analysis:The regional analysis of Visible Light Communication Market is being studied for region such as Asia pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World.
