Li-Fi, the next big thing?

[dos2unix]

There have been some discussions going around the internet this last week or so, about something called "Li-Fi".

It doesn't use radio waves like Wi-fi, but uses High frequency light waves, such as comes from fluorescent and LED light sources.
Supposedly this could be up to 10 times faster than Wi-Fi, and safer because it doesn't use radio waves radiation.
There is testing to see how this works in the real world, does in require line-of-site? Will it work over existing light fiber cables?

I don't know the answers to any of this, as so far it only exists in testing labs, not out in the real world just yet.
How much will it cost? Will it be more reliable and cause less radio-magnetic interference? It remains to be seen.

But if some companies have their way, it could be coming soon to your house.

Li-Fi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

What is Li-Fi? Get the Details on What Might Be the Next Big Thing for the Internet

Connecting to the internet can be as simple as turning on a light. This new technology could revolutionize Wi-Fi.

www.cnet.com

 

[CaffeineAddict]

These technology news are awesome, sometimes I wish to deep freeze my body and wake up in year 4000 or so to see all new technologies we will otherwise not see.

Li-Fi uses light to transmit data:

Li-Fi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[KGIII]

Hmm... Light is electromagnetic radiation (radio waves) that just happens to be in the visible spectrum for us humans. (Some animals can see different frequencies, such as ultraviolet or infrared.) It's all just radio waves, however. It's all radiation.

 

[Egzoset]

...so far it only exists in testing labs... ... Will it be more reliable and cause less radio-magnetic interference?

The WikiPedia link you provided yourself is 13 years old already... Yet, can we claim the technology passed the test of time?

Presumably, bandwith & reliability would be affected by optical flux vs multi-path reflexions and since it's wireless we can assume the target application is meant to be portable while also requiring privacy within a short range. The use of lightwaves will certainly ensure no secrets pass the wall so i can accept the idea of a transmitter flooding the room from above, but then is it realistic to expect a bidirectional connection of symetrical quality without taxing portable power autonomy?

IMO this is reserved to a narrow niche and i wonder what that could be. Lets consider the case of a TV set and speakers, it would make sense to restrict its signal range as that can certainly help avoid crowding the bandwith, for example in appartment buildings, but... Although it may seem to offer some desirable features i find that's overkill as we already got time-tested devices capable of ethernet interfacing via a powerline network piggy-backed onto the electrical circuits supplied by a power panel; actually i used it myself to add a remote HomeRun DLNA TV tuner to my router and the bandwith was 200 Mbps:

https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/XAVB5201/XAVB5201_FR_DS_09July12.pdf

Powerline 500 (Nano) Adapter XAVB5201​

Its 2012 datasheet mentions HomePlug compatibility. The product proved reasonably affordable & convenient compared to hiring a professional mandated to install wires - which may be why Bell Canada deployed such a solution. Then Wi-Fi improved sufficiently over the years to cover the needs of a family. Not to mention a TV and satellite speakers still need some wiring, starting with an A.C. plug anyway.

In short, i see no urge to develop Li-Fi relatively to a domestic TV set. What else?

 

[Vimmer]

It's pretty disappointing since it can't pass through walls, it will probably never be used this way (for internet) on a large scale.

 

[MikeRocor]

Just some thoughts, not coming from any specific education nor expertise...

if I remember correctly, the "radio" part of the spectrum is lower frequency than the "visible" part so visible "light", at a higher frequency, ought to be able to carry a higher bandwidth -and- be free of governmental regulation.

The inability to pass through walls and other obstructions would be a limiting factor, or it might be an asset in certain situations - like the apartment building that @Egzoset mentioned.

The availability of for instance, cheap red lasers might provide some interesting possibilities for line-of-sight communication over distance - as might, for lesser distances, even cheaper LED's.

Hmmmmm...

 

[KGIII]

-and- be free of governmental regulation.

We can't discuss it and that's for the best. It really does help keep the forum civil.

I will mention that your comment made me chuckle.

 

[Egzoset]

It's pretty disappointing since it can't pass through walls...

I'd be worried if light were powerful enough to pass the walls, specially Ultra-violet, and during summer perhaps Infra-Red too i think...

...a higher frequency, ought to be able to carry a higher bandwidth...

...cheap red lasers might provide some interesting possibilities for line-of-sight communication over distance - as might, for lesser distances, even cheaper LED's.

It's true visible light frequency is much greater than micro-waves including Wi-Fi and reference to LASER makes sense, while cheap LEDs are relatively slow devices and yet it's still appropriate to consider the discussion is getting academic when in fact i find no Li-Fi devices to purchase a decade later. There's certainly a practical reason for that...

Lets imagine a need for relay towers located kilometers away from each other, which of micro-waves or infra-red would attenuate faster in presence of moisture in the atmosphere? ...

Really i feel as blind as anyone else trying to figure out what the future Li-Fi applications could be. Not that the topic lacks value, but it just not reflecting economically, so far. Maybe the access point would have sufficient power but portability limitations at the other side are going to cause its bandwith to be either unidirectional or asymetric. If portability is even desired and suitable.