A New Type Of Li-Fi That Is 100 Times Faster Than Wi-fi
Everyone is so over slow wi-fi connection. Well, there is relief. Li-fi (light-based wi-fi), is able to be up to 100 times quicker than the wi-fi connection we use today.
It relies on transmitted data from LED bulbs, which shows there are limitations to the technology being applied to outside systems away from the lab. Researchers have come up with a type of li-fi that utilizes infrared light, and has pushed up to 40 gigabits per second in early tests.
For the people who haven’t heard about the li-fi hype, the system was set up in 2011, based on an idea of transferring data straight from a LED light-think of morse code going fast, it’s hard for the eye to see. There are lab tests that show li-fi can run up to 224gbps. Back in 2015, real-world testing showed that it slowed down to 1 gbps, which impressed a lot of people. All you will need is one LED bulb. However, there are some challenges with LED-based li-fi.
It requires light in order to be on and working successfully, so checking social media in the dark isn’t able to happen. Similar to wi-fi, LED li-fi systems use up one bulb to stream data to connected devices, so it slows devices down. In order to fix the problem, Joanne Oh, a PhD student from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands has run with the li-fi concept and made a new system based off of harmless infrared light, rather than straight from LED light.
It isn’t exactly a new idea, but many experiments have utilized energy-intensive mirrors that reflect infrared light, so it hasn’t been promising for being marketed to consumers. Oh’s system will utilize passive antennae to send data, with no movable parts.
"This new concept won't simply outstrip current WiFi speeds and provide interference-free connections. There are no moving parts here, making power requirements much lower," Rob Lefebvre writes for Engadget. Eindhoven University announced that early tests found a download speed of 42.8 gbps over a distance of 8.2 feet using that system. The average connection speed found in the Netherlands is about 17.6 mbps (2,000 times slower), and the best wi-fi systems perform around 300 mbps (around 100 times slower).
The team of researchers are waiting for that 42.8 gbps speed to be published into a peer-reviewed journal. What we now know is that the system works by transferring wireless data through a central 'light antennae’ from the ceiling. These antennae direct rays of infrared light are directly supplied by an optical fiber that radiate light rays in different directions, depending on their wavelengths and angles, so it means they will not require power or any maintenance at that.
Every device out there, has its own light at different wavelengths, so connection won’t slow down, regardless of the amount of computers and cellphones utilizing it altogether. The infrared light in the system is greater than 1,500 nanometers, which its frequency would range around 200 terahertz. In comparison, wi-fi utilizes radio waves with a frequency of 2.5 or 5 gigahertz, which has more interference. Because the wavelengths of infrared light is transmitting data, it can’t be detected by our retina, so it is unrecognizable.
The infrared li-fi isn’t being tested for upload speeds, so until then, the system utilizes radio waves mainly for uploads. Oh's project is part of a larger group working on a system at the university. Other projects are investigating how the antennae can track online devices when moved around, so that connection isn’t interfered when people travel between rooms in their homes.
Ton Koonen, said it will take another five years when the new technology could be marketed, with the "first devices to be connected to this new kind of wireless network will be high data consumers like video monitors, laptops or tablets”.
This entirely means it's unlikely to be rolled out by your internet service provider for now. Even though infrared light can pass through more materials than visible light, both types of li-fi have failed to transfer data through walls. It seems privacy-friendly if you plan on keeping your internet connection secure, but it will be less user-friendly.
Researchers are still trying to figure out if our electronic devices can even handle such a fast internet connection. Data will need to be slowed down for processing to other devices. So, researchers are conducting further studies to test the connections effect on mobile devices. It’s a relief to know that there are two types of li-fi systems that are being experimented with. Hopefully, we will have it soon so we can enjoy less connection-interference.
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