Light emitting diode aka LED is a new-age lighting technology that has modernized businesses across the globe and helped them become more efficient and sustainable. It is loaded with a host of monetary and safety benefits that has encouraged businesses to gradually replace all the conventional lighting solutions with LED lighting solutions in commercial facilities.
LED technology is evolving and getting better with time. For instance, it is now used in conjunction with another state-of-the-art technology i.e. Internet of Things (IoT) that has boosted the popularity of smart lighting solutions in the LED market. One such smart lighting solution is the LiFi which holds the potential of supplementing the wireless communication technology WiFi.
LiFi or light fidelity is an innovative lighting technology that provides a secure network of high-speed wireless data through light. Simply put, it is a bi-directional networked and mobile communication of data using light.
LiFi works with multiple LED luminaires that form a wireless network to offer a substantially similar user experience to WiFi via a light spectrum. It ensures data transmission by modulating the intensity of light and provides a larger bandwidth than other conventional radio frequency technologies.
LiFi is a smart lighting solution that can work indoors and outdoors both. It can work with dimmed lights and is not strictly line-of-sight technology. Moreover, it is LED agnostic - meaning it can be integrated and used with various off-the-shelf LEDs.
LiFi can be used with any private or public lighting infrastructure. For instance, it can be used alongside LED street lighting solutions to offer LiFi hotspots in public areas. Additionally, it also allows concerned authorities to monitor and control lighting (and data) over the same communication infrastructure.
Light cannot surpass physical barriers like walls and can be contained within a defined space. This means that LiFi signals can be secured in a physical space (unlike WiFi). This makes your wireless network more secure and safe.
LiFi can achieve approximately 1000 times more data density per square meter than a normal WiFi. Data density plays a vital role in ensuring a great user experience as it minimizes the need of sharing the wireless bandwidth with other users.
RF technologies like WiFi are vulnerable to disruption from devices like cordless phones and microwaves. Even the neighboring WiFi networks can cause interference that eventually harms the user’s experience. In contrast, LiFi ensures a smooth and interference-free experience for the users. It can be contained in a physical space which makes avoiding interferences easier. This makes it highly suitable for RF hostile spaces like hospitals, power plants, and airplanes.
Lastly, LiFi makes use of highly efficient and sustainable LED lighting solutions to provide high-speed wireless transmission of data. It uses the same light infrastructure for the purpose of communications and connectivity which makes it a truly efficient lighting solution of the 21st century.
