LEDs are used for a long time for all kinds of data communications applications ranging from wireless IR remote controls and IrDA to wired fiber optics communication. There has been many years ago also ideas on optical wireless LANs based on infrared, but they faded quickly. But now when LED lights are becoming very popular this idea could see a second coming.
Ceiling lights in Minn. send coded Internet data article tells about LED lights that will transmit data to specially equipped computers on desks below by flickering faster than the eye can see. The first few light fixtures built by LVX System will be installed in six municipal buildings in the central Minnesota. The LVX system puts clusters of its light-emitting diodes in a standard-sized light fixture. The LEDs transmit coded messages A light on the modem talks back to the fixture overhead, where there is sensor to receive the return signal and transmit the data over the Internet. It works in almost exactly the same way that fiber optic systems do, except the sender and receiver aren’t connected by a cable. Communicating lights are set up using just ordinary power connections. The first generation of the LVX system will transmit data at speeds of about 3 megabits per second. If you are interested check video from Get ElectricTV.
There is another application that also combines wireless communications and LED lights. Finnish article Wlan ohjaa yksittäisiä led-loisteputkia (read English translation) tells about LED light tubes can be controlled by a WLAN connection, even individually. Finnish company Valtavalo has licensed Netled control technology from Yashima Dengyo Co., Ltd. and sells their products. Netled technology is designed to provide means to monitor in electricity consumption in real time and control the various LED light tube groups.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-fi from lasers
White light from lasers demonstrates data speeds of up to 2 GB/s
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-08/kauo-wfl081116.php
A nanocrystalline material that rapidly makes white light out of blue light has been developed by KAUST researchers.
While Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are now well established technologies, there are several advantages gained by shortening the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves used for transmitting information.
So-called visible-light communication (VLC) makes use of parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that are unregulated and is potentially more energy-efficient. VCL also offers a way to combine information transmission with illumination and display technologies–for example, using ceiling lights to provide internet connections to laptops.
Many such VLC applications require light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that produce white light. These are usually fabricated by combining a diode that emits blue light with phosphorous that turns some of this radiation into red and green light. However, this conversion process is not fast enough to match the speed at which the LED can be switched on and off.
“VLC using white light generated in this way is limited to about one hundred million bits per second,” said KAUST Professor of Electrical Engineering Boon Ooi.
The team created nanocrystals of cesium lead bromide that were roughly eight nanometers in size using a simple and cost-effective solution-based method that incorporated a conventional nitride phosphor. When illuminated by a blue laser light, the nanocrystals emitted green light while the nitride emitted red light. Together, these combined to create a warm white light. The white light generated using their perovskite nanostructures was of a quality comparable to present LED technology.
This meant they could modulate the optical emission at a frequency of 491 Megahertz, 40 times faster than is possible using phosphorus, and transmit data at a rate of two billion bits per second.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lifi is a technique in which data is transferred by means of näkyävn light flicker. The German Fraunhofer Institute fotonic systems research lab scientists have developed a module that would fit the wireless data transfer to industry applications.
According to researchers lifi may facilitate the development of the Internet of industrial equipment with machines, production and logistics fully automated and monitored in all sensors. Machine control requires in many cases, virtually real-time, that is, the delay can be up to the order of milliseconds between the sensor and the actuator.
Developed by German researchers lifi module “GigaDock” solves many of these problems. The visible light by means module is capable of transferring data at up to 12.5 gigabits per second
Testing the latency was reduced to less than one milliseconds, which enables real-time control of machinery.
GigaDOck-in module is a Gigabit Ethernet interface, so it can be integrated into existing industrial networks. A couple of weeks to get to the Hanover trade fair ECOC scientists promise to try the demo and industry lifi a wireless network in which devices are controlled wirelessly up to 10 meters away.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4942:ledidata-korvaa-ethernetin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackaday Prize Entry: Cheap Visible Light Communication
http://hackaday.com/2016/09/03/hackaday-prize-entry-cheap-visible-light-communication/
[Jovan] is very excited about the possibilities presented by Visible Light Communication, or VLC. It’s exciting and new. His opening paragraphs is filled with so many networking acronyms that VLC could be used for, our browser search history now looks like we’re trying to learn english without any vowels.
Visible Light Communication for the masses
https://hackaday.io/project/12556-visible-light-communication-for-the-masses
This project will focus on making current research in field of Visible Light Communication (VLC and LiFi) usable and meaningful for use.
So far I spend some serious amount of time developing usable low-cost VLC solution that can find its way to every day use in PAN networks. My primary idea is to enable Sensor/IoT to MCU/SOC or MCU to SOC low power intercommunication (M2M) in visible light spectrum.
VLC systems are far beyond EM spectrum that is regulated by gov. agencies and is by default free, open and dose not require licensing. But best part is its width that can in future provide million times greater bandwidth that whole 10k-300GHz Radio EM spectrum.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sending Music Long Distance Using A Laser
http://hackaday.com/2016/09/25/sending-music-long-distance-using-a-laser/
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen DIYers sending music over a laser beam but the brothers [Armand] and [Victor] are certainly in contention for sending the music the longest distance, 452 meter/1480 feet from their building, over the tops of a few houses, through a treetop and into a friend’s apartment. The received sound quality is pretty amazing too.
the light of the laser is modulated with a signal directly from the audio source, making it an analog transmission. The laser is a 250mW diode laser bought from eBay. It’s powered through a 5 volt 7805 voltage regulator fed by a 12V battery.
They receive the beam in their friend’s apartment using solar cells, which then feed a fairly big amplifier and speakers. From the video you can hear the surprisingly high quality sounds that results.
Music by LASER : DIY Experiments [#3] Sound transfer by light / LASER music air / light music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtCwJU6YMaA
Tomi Engdahl says:
Solar-Cell Laser Communication System
http://hackaday.com/2015/07/02/solar-cell-laser-communication-system/
Gigabit Ethernet Through the Air
http://hackaday.com/2016/03/10/gigabit-ethernet-through-the-air/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The DarkLight Rises: Visible Light Communication in the Dark
http://dartnets.cs.dartmouth.edu/darklight
Visible Light Communication (VLC) emerges as a new wireless communication technology with appealing benefits not present in radio communication. However, current VLC designs commonly require LED lights to emit shining light beams, which greatly limits the applicable scenarios of VLC (e.g., in a sunny day when indoor lighting is not needed). It also entails high energy overhead and unpleasant visual experiences for mobile devices to transmit data using VLC. We design and develop DarkLight, a new VLC primitive that allows light-based communication to be sustained even when LEDs emit extremely-low luminance. The key idea is to encode data into ultra-short, imperceptible light pulses.
Our DarkLight prototype supports 1.8-m distance with 1.6-Kbps data rate.
The DarkLight Rises: Visible Light Communication in the Dark (MobiCom 2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwxLYC2z1C0
Tomi Engdahl says:
Connected Offices through VLC
http://www.usa.lighting.philips.com/systems/connected-lighting-for-offices
Connected lighting is part of the Internet of Things (IoT) trend. By building on the digital nature of LED technology, connected lighting brings illumination and IT together. With the help of PoE technology not only power and data can be delivered for the luminaire over a standard Ethernet cable but it also allows the lighting system to be merged with the IT system. Moreover, Philips PoE (power over ethernet) enabled luminaires also incorporate Visible Light Communication (VLC) technology wherein the PoE luminaires continuously transmit their IP address at higher frequency which in turn can be detected by a smartphone app allowing app based controllability and personalization of lights.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Philips acquires French Li-Fi company
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/02/philips-acquires-french-li-fi-company.html?cmpid=enl_leds_ledsmagazine_2017-02-08&[email protected]&eid=289644432&bid=1658407
The Dutch lighting giant quietly picked up Luciom late last year, and has already moved it to Eindhoven.
Holland’s Philips Lighting has quietly acquired a small French company specializing in visible light communications (VLC) in a move believed to be aimed at boosting Philips’ capabilities in Li-Fi, the light-based technology expected to provide Wi-Fi-like two-way Internet communications.
“Philips Lighting acquired Luciom at the end of 2016,” a Philips spokesperson confirmed for LEDs Magazine, noting that all eight of Luciom’s employees now work for Philips.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nanorods Emit and Detect Light, Could Lead To Displays That Communicate Via Li-Fi
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/17/02/11/0218222/nanorods-emit-and-detect-light-could-lead-to-displays-that-communicate-via-li-fi?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
Ever since 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, quantum dots have been in a market struggle to displace light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as a backlight source for liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Now an advance by a team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute in South Korea and Dow Chemical may turn the display market on its head by eliminating the need for backlights in LCD devices. They have produced a LED pixel out of nanorods capable of both emitting and detecting light.
Nanorods Emit and Detect Light, Could Lead to Displays That Communicate via Li-Fi
http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/optoelectronics/nanorods-emit-and-detect-light-enabling-displays-to-communicate-via-li-fi
“If you want to operate an LED or a photdetector or a photovoltaic, you have to either inject electron holes, positive and negative charges into this quantum dot for light emission, or extract those charges out,”
“Our proof-of-concept devices show how LEDs can play multifunctional roles from light detection to data communication, ranging from visible light communication, such as Li-Fi, to energy harvesting/self powered displays,” said Oh in an e-mail interview with IEEE Spectrum.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Editor’s Picks
February 1, 2017
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-25/issue-2/departments/editor-s-picks.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cimdatacenternewsletter_2017-02-27
Light fidelity (LiFi) technology transmits data through light, turns lamps into wireless Internet access points
Professor Harald Haas, CSO of pureLiFi and Professor of Mobile Communications at the University of Edinburgh, received the International Solid State Lighting Alliance (ISA) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Beijing, China this past November. The award, presented at the 13th International Forum on Solid State Lighting, relates to Professor Haas’s contribution to diversify the applications of solid state lighting (SSL) technology. According to the forum, “LiFi, which stands for ‘light fidelity’, is a technology that can transmit data through light and turn the lamps in every office, home, car or streetlight into wireless Internet access points. It offers higher speeds than traditional wireless technology, greater security and the potential to deliver unprecedented bandwidth and data density.” 2014 Nobel Prize for Physics winner and previous winner of the Outstanding Achievement, Professor Shuji Nakamura, presented Professor Haas with the award.
Professor Haas was recognized as the “father of LiFi” after introducing the technology to the world at a TED Global talk in 2011, where he demonstrated light fidelity for the first time and coined the term LiFi. The company he founded in 2012, pureLiFi, is at the forefront of the commercialization of LiFi technology, and in 2016 launched the world’s first LiFi dongle-“LiFi-X”-and integrated LiFi luminaire.
Haas established the world’s first LiFi center in 2013, when the LiFi Research & Development Center opened at the University of Edinburgh. The center now leads cutting-edge R&D, including pioneering work into the use of solar panels as receivers, in a move which Haas says could help tackle Internet access problems in the developing world-the so-called “digital divide.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile World Congress 2017: PureLiFi Debuts New Li-Fi Luminaire and Shares Progress on Commercial Pilots
http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/internet/mobile-world-congress-2017-purelifi-debuts-new-lifi-luminaire-and-shares-progress-on-commercial-pilots
In real-world settings, the company’s products deliver data rates of about 45 Mbps for both uploads and downloads.
There are some special considerations that come with using Li-Fi, such as the fact that light doesn’t penetrate walls, so every room in a house would need a Li-Fi–enabled lighting fixture. However, PureLiFi likes to pitch this factor as a feature that also keeps users’ data secure, since communications are inaccessible to anyone who is not in the same room.
Banham and Haas know that Li-Fi will not be widely adopted until it is integrated into the chipsets of laptops, tablets, and smartphones. In the meantime, Banham points out that both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth also started out with dongles, and that it took nearly a decade for those technologies to move to chipsets and become widely adopted
Ultimately, Haas doesn’t view Li-Fi as a replacement for other wireless technologies such as 5G for cellular networks or Wi-Fi. Instead, he thinks Li-Fi will work hand-in-hand with existing technologies to provide the most bandwidth to users, rather than compete with them.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Philips taps Microsoft as part of indoor-positioning partnering push, adds Bluetooth to the mix
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/02/philips-taps-microsoft-as-part-of-indoor-positioning-partnering-push-adds-bluetooth-to-the-mix.html?cmpid=enl_ledsmagazine_showdailyvideoenewsletterstrategiesinlight_2017-03-01
With location-based services still stuck on the launchpad, the company’s new “Location Lab” reaches out to data and app developers. Meanwhile, Philips finally acknowledges that Bluetooth, not just VLC, can light the way.
In two moves to jump-start the stalled indoor-positioning business, Philips Lighting said it has rounded up IT companies including Microsoft and SAP to develop compelling data-linked uses that might actually attract customers. And in an underlying wireless technology change, Philips quietly revealed that it is now embracing radio-based Bluetooth in addition to the visible light communication (VLC) that it has long preferred.
Indoor positioning — also known as location-based services — transmits signals to smartphones in order to guide and engage people around buildings such as retail stores and offices. Lighting companies want to use ceiling luminaires to send the signals. Philips has persistently championed VLC, which embeds signals in the modulation of lightwaves emitted by LEDs. Other vendors such as Osram and startup Gooee prefer Bluetooth beacons that send signals from chips inside light fixtures.
Regardless of the technology, one of the big early adapters is supposed to be the retail industry, which would guide shoppers around physical stores, pinging them with discounts of interest to the individual based on buying history, loyalty programs, and the like. The schemes represent a potential bonanza in the buying and selling of data that can be analyzed, scrubbed, and repurposed across many industries.
Success in the retail area will require the buy-in of large retail chains and brands.
To help develop broader applications for the technology, Philips today launched a new initiative called the Location Lab partner program, whose initial members include Microsoft, SAP, and Capgemini, among others.
The fortified partnership emphasis echoes a strong push by Philips rival GE, where the newfangled lighting division — called Current, powered by GE — has over the last year signed a number of indoor-positioning partners.
Like Philips, GE has had a notable dearth of public indoor-positioning announcements, even though GE began heavily promoting retail use some three years ago
Another large Philips rival, Osram launched its indoor positioning a year ago but has yet to announce a retail deployment
One lighting company that could be making headway is Atlanta-based Acuity Brands, which last month said it has now installed Internet of Things (IoT) lighting in nearly 40 million ft2 of retail space. Lighting-based indoor positioning is a type of IoT lighting.
Target uses both VLC and Bluetooth technologies in its indoor-positioning trials.
Until now, Philips has steadfastly backed VLC, a light-based technology that provides better accuracy than Bluetooth does — VLC will steer a shopper closer to the beer or soap or whatever they desire. But one of VLC’s drawbacks is that it requires a phone to be in direct line-of-sight with a luminaire. Bluetooth, which uses radio frequencies rather than lightwaves, does not require such direct contact.
Philips has now added Bluetooth to its positioning topography, even if it did not go out of its way to proclaim the move.
Philips’ Location Lab announcement comes on the heels of its acquisition of French VLC specialist Luciom.
In its incipient form, one of Li-Fi’s principle advantages is that it can augment the amount of bandwidth available for wireless Internet, because the light spectrum is somewhere between 1000 and 10,000 times wider than the radio spectrum
Acuity says it has deployed IoT lighting in 40 million square-feet of retail space
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/01/acuity-says-it-has-deployed-iot-lighting-in-40-million-square-feet-of-retail-space.html
LED lighting vendor Acuity Brands said it has now deployed lighting-based indoor positioning systems (IPS) in nearly 40 million ft2 of retail space, a claim it made as it and software giant Microsoft jointly showed off Internet of Things (IoT) technology at the National Retail Federation exhibition in New York.
The two companies showed Acuity luminaires communicating information to in-store shoppers and sending data to Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing system to discern useful retail patterns and insights. Acuity reported significant headway since demonstrating IPS with Microsoft at the same show last year.
Target in particular has gained attention for trialing IPS, as LEDs sister magazine Lux Review first revealed nearly two years ago.
By November of 2015, at least 100 Target locations were known to have trialed IPS technology, a number that could well have surged by now.
Acuity’s lighting-based IPS communicates with end users’ smartphones via either the modulation of LED lightwaves — a technology known as visible light communication (VLC) — or via Bluetooth chips embedded in ceiling luminaires. Either way, the lights can welcome the shopper to the store and then direct him or her to discounts of particular interest to that individual. The system can then send data about the customer’s actions to the cloud, giving the retailer and its suppliers valuable insights on sales and shopper behavior.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The resolution of converging lines of interest – The LED Story
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/02/the-resolution-of-converging-lines-of-interest-the-led-story.html?cmpid=enl_ledsmagazine_showdailyvideoenewsletterstrategiesinlight_2017-03-01
This industry is experiencing an unimaginable whirlwind of technical directions in which it can move. With the Internet of Things (IoT), LED lasers, Li-Fi (light fidelity), high power, chip-on-board (COB), flip chip, etc., the topics and terms are endless. The Pandora’s Box of issues related to a new technology and a rush to market has been opened.
The lighting industry had been static or at least in flux in past years. The advent of solid-state lighting (SSL) was, in fact, a panacea for the Illumination world. Companies had reached the end of discharge lighting potential and phosphor performance marks. LED lighting arrived on the scene at a perfect time to pump life into a commoditized world. But that’s what capitalism does to all products bought and sold. When creativity becomes stagnant and good ideas wane, they reach back into the box and recycle. We shouldn’t worry about the next big thing — rather, what we can do with an aging infrastructure of 100-plus-year-old legacy lighting? Is now the time to change? With a clean slate in front of us, would we choose an Edison socket?
As I have said on numerous occasions, “We are not alone.” Many other industries (i.e., information technology) see the lighting pie as delicious and are ready to take a bite. The problem is we (lighting folks) see it as the whole meal, not just the dessert. Apple, Google, and Amazon are poised and ready to feast at any moment. With SSL, the possibilities are endless and that is the crux of the issue.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Infrared 42.8 gigabits online
Stuck with a home Wi-Fi network? No worries. Dutch PhD student has developed based on infrared technology, which the user gets over 40 Gigabit connection to themselves.
It is Einhovenin University of Technology doctoral student Joanne Oh’s work, which he used infrared rays to transfer data. Each device gets its own network infra-red rays, which data is transferred to 42.8 gigabits per second.
Joanne Oh’s concept is not only effective, very affordable. Data users should be installed on the ceiling a few “light antennas” who can head to the rays accurately. The antenna consists of a pair of optic fiber, which do not require maintenance and power supply.
It is also a very safe technique. The beam wavelength of about 200 terahertz, so it will never be maintained on the retina of the eye. Each antenna can serve multiple devices, because each issued its own wavelength.
The concept could develop to commercial use within five years.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6060-infrapunalla-kotiin-42-8-gigabitin-netti
Tomi Engdahl says:
Infrared light could someday deliver super-fast WiFi
A student’s PhD dissertation proposes a high-speed system with no interference.
https://www.engadget.com/2017/03/17/infrared-super-fast-wifi/
WiFi has become essential to our everyday lives, which is why slow speeds piss us all off. Luckily, a PhD student in the Netherlands has come up with a potentially groundbreaking idea: using infrared rays to carry wireless data to your laptop or smartphone.
The capacity of the proposed system is massive, with more than 40 gigabits per second possible per light ray. Contrast that with current 802.11ac, which can transmit up to 1 gigabit per second. This new infrared system can target multiple devices at once, is cheap to set up and doesn’t have any issue with radio interference, unlike traditional WiFi. The research team has only tested download speeds and only across short distances, but the potential is clear.
Wi-fi on rays of light: 100 times faster, and never overloaded
https://www.tue.nl/en/university/news-and-press/news/17-03-2017-wi-fi-on-rays-of-light-100-times-faster-and-never-overloaded/
Tomi Engdahl says:
You Could Have 40 Times Faster Wi-Fi Based On Infrared Rays In Your Home In Just Five Years
http://www.indiatimes.com/lifestyle/technology/you-could-have-40-times-faster-wi-fi-based-on-infrared-rays-in-your-home-in-just-five-years-273828.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Infrastructure-based wireless technology has been developed at Eindhoven University of Technology for up to 300 times faster data transfer rates than existing wifi networks. Reported by Reuters.
According to Professor Ton Koonen, each light beam acts as a high capacity channel. – It’s kind of like fiber optic fiber but without fiber. Until now, we’ve got a link to the data rate of 112 gigabytes
The transmitter consists of several antennas. If your smartphone or tablet moves away from the antenna view, the data goes through the second antenna.
According to Noonen, the system is very easy to maintain because it has no moving parts.
The infrared beam does not pass through the walls, so the connection is protected within the walls of one room. Noon’s research team wants to commercialize technology over the next five years.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6674-300-kertaa-nopeampaa-wifia
Tomi Engdahl says:
London scientists propose 10Gbps home wireless network using Li-Fi and 5G
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2017/09/london-scientists-propose-10gbps-home-wireless-network-using-li-fi-and-5g.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2017-09-21
A team working out of Brunel University London has secured £720,000 of funding from Europe’s Horizon 2020 Program in order to help them develop a 10Gbps capable home wireless network using hybrid Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) and mmWave tech inside LED [Light-Emitting Diode] room lights.
As reported by the UK’s ISPreview, “the goal is to create a 10Gbps (Gigabits per second) local wireless network in homes and buildings (offices etc.) with a delay of just 1ms (millisecond). The new network would make use of both Li-Fi and 5G wireless technologies in the millimeter Wave (mmWave) frequency bands.”
London Scientists Prep 10Gbps Home Wireless Network Using Li-Fi and 5G
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2017/09/london-scientists-prep-10gbps-home-wireless-network-using-li-fi-5g.html
Electronics and software engineers at Brunel University London are just one of the teams working on Li-Fi solutions as part of a 3 year project. The goal is to create a 10Gbps (Gigabits per second) local wireless network in homes and buildings (offices etc.) with a delay of just 1ms (millisecond).
The new network would make use of both Li-Fi and 5G wireless technologies in the millimeter Wave (mmWave) frequency bands, although judging by the diagram above it’s probably not something that an ordinary home owner would want to install; unless you’re happy with running lots of optical fibre cable around your various light fittings. However it may have applications in other fields.
The current plan is to develop and install a “remote radio-light head 5G” demonstrator hybrid Li-Fi / mmWave network and advise on systems in a Paris Museum (Musée de la Carte à Jouer), as well as an unnamed Madrid underground station and a Chinese supermarket. The team suggests that it could also find its way into tube stations, airports, planes, trains, schools and hospitals.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Infrared Light Promises Ultrafast Wireless Communications
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/wireless/infrared-light-promises-ultrafast-wireless-communications
Now, a research group in the Netherlands is proposing to increase wireless capacity by orders of magnitude by using infrared light instead of radio waves.
The proposed system uses infrared antennas to steer light beams toward connected devices, and reaches a bitrate of 112 gigabits per second (Gb/s).
“Wi-Fi’s getting congested everywhere,”
In his setup, data is carried on a beam from an infrared laser—the same sort used in telecommunications networks—to an array of optical fibers.
The fibers shine their beams, which have wavelengths between 1529.10 and 1569.80 nanometers, onto a pair of arrayed waveguide gratings. The gratings act like a filter, directing each beam in a particular direction based on its wavelength. A lens focuses the beams, coming out of a router on the ceiling of the room, into individual spots.
Where those spots land is where the tablet or smartphone ought to be. Those devices would be equipped with an infrared receiver, consisting of a wide-aperture lens with a wide viewing angle, and photodiodes to convert the optical signal to an electrical one. If the person using the tablet is walking around the room and wanders out of view of one antenna, the system switches to another antenna. The location of the device can be tracked using its Wi-Fi radio.
In theory, Koonen says, data from the device could be sent back optically as well, but that’s a trickier system to design, so at first uploads would be sent via Wi-Fi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
German high school transmits lessons via the lights
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/11/german-high-school-transmits-lessons-via-the-lights.html?eid=293591077&bid=1919307
The idea of using LED ceiling lights to transmit Wi-Fi-like Internet signals continues to move slowly forward, as a German high school is deploying a prototype Li-Fi system in a specially equipped classroom to deliver lessons to students’ laptops.
The school in Stuttgart, called Hegel-Gymnasium, is using the room to teach a broad range of subjects — everything from history to information technology. Five ceiling lights send wireless signals to small tabletop boxes, which then transmit to laptops via Ethernet cable. Each light covers 2m2, and each box can support up to four laptops or other devices.
The prototype lights and boxes come from Berlin’s Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI.
Li-Fi, short for light-fidelity, is a two-way form of visible light communication (VLC), an emerging technology that uses invisible modulations in LED light frequencies to embed data. Proponents say that it will open up a vast amount of spectrum that will be needed as Wi-Fi waves saturate. Wi-Fi is a radio technology.
Li-Fi enthusiasts also note that Li-Fi is not susceptible to interference the way Wi-Fi is (although Li-Fi requires line of sight), it does not emit electromagnetic radiation, and it is more secure.
“We are happy that our students are involved with a sensational research project, which is concerned with high-speed data communication without electromagnetic interference,”
Translation: The school is kicking the tires on Li-Fi and will provide insights that will help Fraunhofer improve the technology so it is more prime-time ready. It will also help tailor it for classroom settings.
“The modern schoolroom needs new solutions for flexible data exchange,” Fraunhofer project manager Anagnostis Paraskevopoulos told LEDs Magazine. “We believe that the VLC technology offers a genuine alternative to radio-based systems.”
Fraunhofer began developing the classroom earlier this year and will use the deployment to further troubleshoot Li-Fi and move it out of what Fraunhofer called the “prototype stage.”
One thing holding back Li-Fi is that device manufacturers have not yet embedded Li-Fi chips inside phones, tablets, and laptops, whereas they long ago began embedding Wi-Fi.
While Fraunhofer’s Li-Fi has a shorter range than Wi-Fi, that can be an advantage, because Wi-Fi’s range is what can often cause different Wi-Fi networks to clash, he added.
Paraskevopoulos was optimistic about the future for Li-Fi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Li-Fi replacing Wi-Fi: multipoint-to-multipoint-capable optical data transmission for automation
http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/2017/11/li-fi-replacing-wi-fi-multipoint-to-multipoint-capable-optical-data-transmission-for-automation.html?cmpid=enl_lfw_newsletter_2017-11-21
Researchers around the world are developing light-fidelity (Li-Fi) technology (the use of light to exchange large amounts of data) to augment, or sometimes replace, the widely used Wi-Fi. Developers at Fraunhofer IPMS (Dresden, Germany) are working on Li-Fi systems specifically for use in industrial environments. The use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in industry is known as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) or Industry 4.0.
In addition to allowing different users in an industrial setting to simultaneously use an access point, the IPMS-developed optical transmission technology enables each user to communicate with several access points. As a result, Li-Fi is no longer limited to stationary applications. Fraunhofer IPMS specialists will present this multipoint-to-multipoint-capable technology to the professional public for the first time at the 2017 SPS IPC Drives Trade Fair for Electric Automation (Nuremberg, Germany; November 28-30, 2017).
According to Fraunhofer IPMS, its Li-Fi optical data transmission performs far better than Wi-Fi in every respect. Its Li-Fi hotspot transceiver system uses the optical spectrum of light, which is available free of regulations worldwide, and which eliminates interference with and from radio-based systems. Net bandwidths of up to one gigabit per second are much faster than today’s Wi-Fi. IPMS also claims that Li-Fi networks offer security against hacker attacks.
The multipoint approach
But optical data transmission also has a systemic vulnerability: the visual axis between transmitter and receiver must remain unobstructed — a significant shortcoming, especially in mobile applications. In order to not be limited to stationary applications when using Li-Fi technology, Fraunhofer IPMS specialists are working on so-called multipoint-to-multipoint solutions.
“Our communication modules allow multiple users to act simultaneously in the same spot,” says Alexander Noack, project manager at Fraunhofer IPMS. “At the same time, each user can switch between different, overlapping access points along a production line. Provided the coverage is adequate, we are in a position to guarantee mobile users a free viewing axis at all times to accommodate uninterrupted data exchange — faster, more stable, and more secure than possible with radio-based infrastructures.”
The Fraunhofer IPMS driverless transmit/receive modules combine an optical transceiver and a protocol controller with a gigabit Ethernet interface. To allow potential users to test the equipment, Fraunhofer IPMS is providing its clients with Li-Fi customer-evaluation kits.
GigaDock has bandwidths of up to 12.5 Gbit/s and is intended to complement or replace stationary cable connections in highly automated production environments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Johns Hopkins team demonstrates high-bandwidth free-space optical communications at sea
http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/2017/08/johns-hopkins-team-demonstrates-high-bandwidth-free-space-optical-communications-at-sea.html?cmpid=enl_lfw_newsletter_2017-11-21
Engineers from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL; Laurel, MD) have demonstrated a high-bandwidth free-space optical (FSO) communications system between two moving ships, proving operational utility of FSO technology in the maritime environment.
Juan Juarez, the technical lead for the team developing the technology, said APL is the first organization to successfully operate such a high-capacity optical communications capability — up to 10 Gbit/s — on the move, on board ships at sea, and in challenging near-shore environments.
“We demonstrated bandwidths that were several orders of magnitude higher than all current radio-frequency [RF] communications capability on Navy vessels, and at longer ranges than previously demonstrated FSO technology for maritime applications,” Juarez says. “This is the equivalent to having up to 2000 users simultaneously watching high-definition video streams across the optical link.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
IEEE announces formation of 802.11 Light Communications Study Group
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2017/11/ieee-announces-formation-of-802-11-light-communications-study-group.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2017-12-04
IEEE and the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), today announced the formation of the IEEE 802.11 Light Communications Study Group. The new study group will directly engage with manufacturers, operators and end users in consensus building efforts and to create a Project Authorization Request (PAR) towards developing a global wireless local area network light communications standard.
Per an IEEE press release, “Light communications represent a readily available and very large source of wireless spectrum outside of the traditional radio spectrum, and utilizes solid state lighting, e.g., LED lighting, installations to transmit high bandwidth data as a wireless network. To address the growing demand for wireless data, and the impending spectrum crunch, the technology has notable potential as a wireless solution that offers greater bandwidth and efficiency, security, and data density, while not being subjected to or contributing to electromagnetic interference (EMI) below 3 THz. With industry analysts like Gartner projecting the Internet of Things (IoT) to grow to 20 billion connected devices by 2020, light communication is gaining ground through use cases that demonstrate its viability as a global wireless solution with initial applicability in EMI-challenged environments, such as hospitals, petrochemical plants, and airplanes, but also secure environments where RF is not sanctioned.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paresh Dave / Reuters:
Alphabet’s X inks deal with the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to install 2,000 boxes that provide high-speed wireless internet using light beams
Alphabet’s X sells new wireless internet tech to Indian state
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-india/alphabets-x-sells-new-wireless-internet-tech-to-indian-state-idUSKBN1E83BQ
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the agreement, which begins next year, would see 2,000 boxes installed as far as 20 kilometers (12 miles) apart on posts and roofs to bring a fast internet connection to populated areas. The idea is to create a new backbone to supply service to cellphone towers and Wi-Fi hotspots, endpoints that users would then access.
The agreement is an outgrowth of X’s Project Loon
X plans to deploy free space optical technology, which transmits data through light beams at up to 20 gigabits per second between the rooftop boxes. There would be enough bandwidth for thousands of people to browse the Web simultaneously through the same cellphone tower, X said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
FUNDING
MyLiFi
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mylifi-light#/
MyLiFi® is a desk lamp with a pure and elegant design, providing white dynamic lighting, a secure, fast (23 Mb/s) and radio waves free LiFi connectivity. Provide your family with a digital detox solution,
MyLiFi® has already won 2 CES awards innovation under the categories “tech for a better world” and “Smart Cities”.
MyLiFi ® is a high quality LED light, with dimming and adjustable white color temperature. Create your own light ambiance. It is fully controlled via an IOS/Android or web app.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Li-Fi replacing Wi-Fi: multipoint-to-multipoint-capable optical data transmission for automation
http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/2017/11/li-fi-replacing-wi-fi-multipoint-to-multipoint-capable-optical-data-transmission-for-automation.html?cmpid=enl_lfw_newsletter_2018-01-09&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=1967424
Researchers around the world are developing light-fidelity (Li-Fi) technology (the use of light to exchange large amounts of data) to augment, or sometimes replace, the widely used Wi-Fi. Developers at Fraunhofer IPMS (Dresden, Germany) are working on Li-Fi systems specifically for use in industrial environments. The use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in industry is known as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) or Industry 4.0.
In addition to allowing different users in an industrial setting to simultaneously use an access point, the IPMS-developed optical transmission technology enables each user to communicate with several access points. As a result, Li-Fi is no longer limited to stationary applications. Fraunhofer IPMS specialists will present this multipoint-to-multipoint-capable technology to the professional public for the first time at the 2017 SPS IPC Drives Trade Fair for Electric Automation (Nuremberg, Germany; November 28-30, 2017).
According to Fraunhofer IPMS, its Li-Fi optical data transmission performs far better than Wi-Fi in every respect. Its Li-Fi hotspot transceiver system uses the optical spectrum of light, which is available free of regulations worldwide, and which eliminates interference with and from radio-based systems. Net bandwidths of up to one gigabit per second are much faster than today’s Wi-Fi. IPMS also claims that Li-Fi networks offer security against hacker attacks.
Fraunhofer IPMS scientists will present the multipoint-to-multipoint-capable Li-Fi HotSpot as a prototype for optical wireless communication at distances of up to 10 meters, as well as the so-called GigaDock technology for smaller distances, at the 2017 SPS IPC Drives Trade Fair. November. GigaDock has bandwidths of up to 12.5 Gbit/s and is intended to complement or replace stationary cable connections in highly automated production environments. Fraunhofer IPMS will be exhibiting this technology at its Booth 246 in Hall 7a.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackaday Links: The ‘S’ In ‘CES’ Stands For Snake Oil
https://hackaday.com/2018/01/14/hackaday-links-the-s-in-ces-stands-for-snake-oil/
Remember IRDA? Before we had Bluetooth and WiFi, the cool kids connected their computers and printers together over fancy Infrared connections. Yes, your computer probably still has the drivers, but the hardware is nowhere to be found. For good reason, too: we now have Bluetooth and WiFi. This year, at CES, IRDA is making a comeback. MyLiFi is a product from OLEDCOMM that puts infrared connectivity in a lamp. All you need to do is plug an Ethernet cable into a desk lamp, a proprietary dongle into your computer, and you too can reap the benefits of a wireless connection with a range measured in meters. One of the selling points of this product is that this gives you wireless Internet ‘without radio waves’, marketing to the idiots who think RF causes cancer or whatever. It’s a stupid product that’s a highlight of the entire trade show.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Philips is starting to sell data LED lamps
LiFi is a technology developed at the University of Edinburgh where data is transferred, for example, to a laptop via the office light bulbs. Now, Philips has reported that it is introducing LiFi luminaires on the market. The company introduces its solutions at Hannover’s Light + Building
The link is always completely protected, based on visible light. And the data rate already reaches 30 megabits per second.
Laptops or other devices are equipped with a USB module that receives LiFi data. The data is transmitted by means of the emitting visible light of the LED so that the bits are modulated to the flicker of light. This flickering does not appear in the human eye.
The USB dongle is a link to a LED transmitter via infrared. In the future, the moka will be integrated into computers
According to Philips, the French Icade already tests the LiFi network in its Paris office. With 30 megabits, the user can stripe multiple HD channels simultaneously, so the speed of the LED is quite enough for use.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7722-philips-alkaa-myyda-dataledivaloja
Tomi Engdahl says:
Light Communications for Wireless Local Area Networking
https://5g.ieee.org/tech-focus/may-2018/light-communications-for-wireless-local-area-networking
A recent study by the Wi-Fi Alliance has acknowledged the imminent need for more unlicensed spectrum, where it has identified:
“Between 500 MHz and 1 GHz of additional spectrum in various world regions may be needed to support expected growth in Wi-Fi by 2020;
If demand for Wi-Fi exceeds expected growth, then between 1.3 GHz and 1.8 GHz more spectrum may be required by 2025; and
Wi-Fi spectrum needs to be sufficiently contiguous to support 160 MHz wide channels, which are required to support a growing number of bandwidth-intensive applications and to allow maximum Wi-Fi benefits to be attained.”
There are multiple solutions that can provide an increase in the available spectrum. As an example, WiGig solutions, defined in IEEE 802.11ad and being revised in IEEE 802.11ay that operate in the 60 GHz spectrum have access to around 14 GHz of bandwidth in the USA. However, WiGig and other mm-wave RF solutions all exhibit similar challenges.
The visible light spectrum alone stretches from approximately 430 THz to 770 THz, which means that there is potentially more than 1000x the bandwidth of the entire RF spectrum of approx. 300 GHz. Both the visible light spectrum and the infrared spectrum are globally unlicensed. Light Communications (LC) devices are promising to make use of this previously untapped spectrum.
Tomi Engdahl says:
PureLiFi
https://mailchi.mp/purelifi/reseller
Tomi Engdahl says:
IEEE 802.11 launches standards amendment project for light communications, aka ‘LiFi’
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/07/ieee-802-11-launches-standards-amendment-project-for-light-communications-aka-lifi.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-08-06&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2195102
In May 2018, IEEE announced the formation of the IEEE 802.11 Light Communications Task Group and its intent to engage with manufacturers, operators and end users in consensus building efforts to develop a global standard for light communications in wireless local area networking. The task group continues to call upon stakeholders to participate in the newly approved standards amendment project IEEE 802.11bb. The IEEE 802.11 is the group responsible for the technical definitions behind Wi-Fi and includes individuals affiliated with a broad ecosystem including chipset providers like Qualcomm, Huawei, Broadcom, Intel and more
IEEE 802.11™ Launches Standards Amendment Project for Light Communications (LiFi)
https://beyondstandards.ieee.org/general-news/ieee-802-11-launches-standards-amendment-project-for-light-communications-lifi/
IEEE 802.11bb™ to define one medium access control (MAC) and several physical layer (PHY) specifications for light-based wireless connectivity for fixed, portable, and moving stations within a local area network
Tomi Engdahl says:
O2 trials wireless networks generated by LED lighting
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/08/o2-trials-wireless-networks-generated-by-led-lighting.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-08-20&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2212288
LED lighting is being used to send data across networks while remaining almost invisible to the human eye. O2 has unveiled a trial in which light will become the backbone of wireless connectivity and networks in preparation for the emergence of 5G. On Wednesday [Aug. 15], the telecommunications provider revealed the project at the O2 headquarters in Slough, UK. The company’s trial, made possible through a partnership with pureLiFI, will be “used to provide high-speed wireless connectivity” via LED light bulbs.
O2 trials wireless networks created from LED lighting
https://www.zdnet.com/article/o2-trials-wireless-networks-created-from-led-lighting/
LED lighting is being used to send data across networks while remaining almost invisible to the human eye.
O2 has unveiled a trial in which light will become the backbone of wireless connectivity and networks in preparation for the emergence of 5G.
On Wednesday, the telecommunications provider revealed the project at the O2 headquarters in Slough, UK.
The company’s trial, made possible through a partnership with pureLiFI, will be “used to provide high-speed wireless connectivity” via LED light bulbs.
The LED light bulbs are connected to pureLiFi’s LiFi-XC system and are “LiFi-enabled,” which is described as a category of Optical Wireless Communications (OWC) including infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light.
The energy created by light for illumination can “also be used for communication,”
When data is moved across a LiFi network, it appears as white light to the human eye. Data can be sent at high speeds by adjusting a bulb’s brightness.
“The LiFi system has the potential to serve as a serious contender to Wi-Fi, which uses radio frequencies,” O2 says. “Its reliance on the visible light spectrum aims to enable safer, more reliable and more secure wireless data communication than Wi-Fi. It also has the potential to reduce infrastructure complexity and energy consumption.”
The company says that the LiFI trial has been launched in preparation for 5G networks and the need to “future-proof” its business.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LEDs and Li-Fi Brighten the Future of Connected Lighting Systems
https://iconsofinfrastructure.com/leds-and-li-fi-brighten-the-future-of-connected-lighting-systems/?code=Mouser08072018-03&elqTrackId=ab54d9274ad24fdf8892306e2b4d12b7&elq=ecbd9118eaa04968ae3c6def4f624125&elqaid=18715&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=16358
Until recently, lighting systems operated as localized points of illumination. This purpose, however, is evolving as our dependency on connectivity and data continue to increase. Connected lighting systems (CLSs) blend light-emitting diode (LED) capabilities with Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity to enable design engineers to provide illumination and to transfer data simultaneously. With IoT as its data-collection platform, CLS will save electrical energy while opening up new gamuts of services and benefits for people and organizations.
At the core of CLSs is an emerging optical wireless communication technology called Li-Fi, which is short for light fidelity. Introduced in 2011, Li-Fi uses IEEE 802.11 protocols and has gained momentum toward becoming a viable alternative to the ever-shrinking Wi-Fi spectrum and toward making lighting a central point in smart infrastructure. This article explores the role of IoT technologies, Li-Fi’s ability to transfer data through lighting, and technologies that need further development to bring CLSs to their potential.
Wireless Connectivity
Wi-Fi is a technique that allows devices to connect to a wireless local area network (WLAN). Wi-Fi uses electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequency (RF) spectral range (20kHz–300GHz), at five primary frequency ranges: 2.4GHz, 3.6GHz, 4.9GHz, 5GHz, and 5.9GHz. Currently, most consumer products focus on one or both of the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies. Wi-Fi has drawbacks, however, including a susceptibility to hacking and a spectrum that’s already nearing capacity.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LED signs could soon hide secret messages
https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/29/led-signs-could-soon-hide-secret-messages/
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8409-seuraava-nettiyhteytesi-kulkee-ledivalon-mukana
Tomi Engdahl says:
LEDs and Li-Fi Brighten the Future of Connected Lighting Systems
https://iconsofinfrastructure.com/leds-and-li-fi-brighten-the-future-of-connected-lighting-systems/?code=Mouser08072018-03&elqTrackId=ab54d9274ad24fdf8892306e2b4d12b7&elq=ecbd9118eaa04968ae3c6def4f624125&elqaid=18715&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=16358
Until recently, lighting systems operated as localized points of illumination. This purpose, however, is evolving as our dependency on connectivity and data continue to increase. Connected lighting systems (CLSs) blend light-emitting diode (LED) capabilities with Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity to enable design engineers to provide illumination and to transfer data simultaneously. With IoT as its data-collection platform, CLS will save electrical energy while opening up new gamuts of services and benefits for people and organizations.
At the core of CLSs is an emerging optical wireless communication technology called Li-Fi, which is short for light fidelity. Introduced in 2011, Li-Fi uses IEEE 802.11 protocols and has gained momentum toward becoming a viable alternative to the ever-shrinking Wi-Fi spectrum and toward making lighting a central point in smart infrastructure. This article explores the role of IoT technologies, Li-Fi’s ability to transfer data through lighting, and technologies that need further development to bring CLSs to their potential.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LEDs and Li-Fi Brighten the Future of Connected Lighting Systems
https://iconsofinfrastructure.com/leds-and-li-fi-brighten-the-future-of-connected-lighting-systems/?code=Mouser08072018-03&elqTrackId=ab54d9274ad24fdf8892306e2b4d12b7&elq=ecbd9118eaa04968ae3c6def4f624125&elqaid=18715&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=16358
Tomi Engdahl says:
Li-Fi The New fast wireless internet…
http://source-feed.com/2018/05/15/li-fi-the-new-fast-wireless-internet/
Light fidelity or Li-Fi is a visible light Communications (VLC) system running wireless communications at very high speeds.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HomeGrid Forum touts VLC technology supported by G.hn for emerging smart home/city market
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2019/04/homegrid-touts-vlc-ghn-wifi-for-smart-home.html?cmpid=&utm_source=enl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cim_data_center_newsletter&utm_content=2019-04-29&eid=289644432&bid=2430366
Visible Light Communication (VLC), modulated with G.hn technology, is set to be the next major innovation in realizing the full potential of both smart homes and smart cities, contends the HomeGrid Forum, the industry alliance that promotes the use of the ITU-T’s G.hn gigabit-capable home networking technology standards.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HomeGrid Forum touts VLC technology supported by G.hn for emerging smart home/city market
https://www.cablinginstall.com/standards/article/16470355/homegrid-forum-touts-vlc-technology-supported-by-ghn-for-emerging-smart-homecity-market
For Visible Light Communication (VLC) networks to reach their full potential, installations will require a high-speed backbone – which G.hn can provide for both VLC and complementary Wi-Fi services, HomeGrid Forum asserts.
Visible Light Communication (VLC), modulated with G.hn technology, is set to be the next major innovation in realizing the full potential of both smart homes and smart cities, contends theHomeGrid Forum, the industry alliance that promotes the use of the ITU-T’s G.hn gigabit-capable home networking technology standards.
According to Livia Rosu, the HomeGrid Forum’s marketing chair, “VLC has great potential for smart homes with high-density connectivity needs, especially where sensitive data needs to be transmitted between multiple connected devices within one room, because the light spectrum provides low latency and avoids the kind of interruption that can sometimes happen with radio frequency spectrum during congestion time.” She adds, “It supports larger bandwidths, it can act as both a source and receiver, it has low power consumption, enhanced security, and is easy to install.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Will #LiFi be a proper #WiFi alternative? #LEDs #wireless https://buff.ly/2Dw9IUV
Tomi Engdahl says:
Li-Fi: An attractive alternative to Wi-Fi
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/led-diva/4462450/Li-Fi–An-attractive-alternative-to-Wi-Fi
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10195-netti-tulee-lentokoneisiin-valkkyvalla-valolla
Tomi Engdahl says:
Modulated Pilot Lights Anchor AR To Real World
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/modulated-pilot-lights-anchor-ar-to-real-world/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=435OSV8Hudw&feature=emb_logo
https://www.lightanchors.org/
LightAnchors requires no extra hardware and simply takes advantage of high-speed cameras on recent smartphone models.
Many devices already contain microprocessors that can control status lights and can be LightAnchor-enabled with a firmware update.
https://karan-ahuja.com/assets/docs/paper/lightanchors.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
MicroLEDs Transmit Whopping Amounts of Data
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/wireless/micro-led-lights-transmit-whopping-amounts-data
“In previous studies, we demonstrated that the small dimensions of the microLEDs mean that they can be modulated at much higher frequencies than standard LEDs, several hundreds of megahertz compared to a few tens of MHz,”
Being able to modulate the light source at higher frequencies allows them to transmit more data. Researchers at the University of Strathclyde set about creating a custom microLED array with 9 pixels in-series, with lights measuring just 20 micrometers in diameter.
Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Edinburgh used advanced modulation techniques to control the microLED array at extremely high speeds. Together, they built a system that achieved record data transmission rates of 11.74 Gbps at 0.3 meters, 6.58 Gbps at 10 meters, and 1.61 Gbps at 20 meters.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Infrared wireless online communication in the home could lead to 2,000 times higher capacity.
Researchers Develop New Wireless Communication Method Using Infrared
https://www.hackster.io/news/researchers-develop-new-wireless-communication-method-using-infrared-1a894a2352c4
IR wireless online communication in the home could lead to 2,000 times higher capacity.
Ton Koonen and researchers at the Institute for Photonic Integration are designing new systems with a capacity of more than two thousand times that of current shared WiFi systems. They explain that optical wireless communications using narrow light beams has several advantages, such as being easily directable, being more energy-efficient, have lower levels of latency, better data and communication privacy, and a significantly larger capacity per user.
The modern world is fast becoming a wireless, infrared world
https://www.tue.nl/en/news/news-overview/03-06-2020-the-modern-world-is-fast-becoming-a-wireless-infrared-world/
Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology are developing new methods for infrared wireless communications that could change how we access data
Tomi Engdahl says:
Connecting the Lost City of Atlantis
Aqua-Fi is a wireless transmission method, adapted for aqueous use, that would make Aquaman jealous
https://www.hackster.io/news/connecting-the-lost-city-of-atlantis-958f87dcb8e2
Tomi Engdahl says:
#LiFi market to reach $8 billion by 2030 #communication #lighting Global Market Insights Inc.
Li-Fi market to reach $8 billion by 2030
https://www.edn.com/li-fi-market-to-reach-8-billion-by-2030/?utm_content=buffera8fe3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=edn_facebook&utm_campaign=buffer
The light fidelity or Li-Fi market is set to grow from its market valued at over $70 million in 2019 to $8 billion by 2030, according to a new research report by Global Market Insights. The growing adoption of Li-Fi systems across the education sector is anticipated to propel the global Li-Fi market share over the coming years.
Research institutes and schools are increasingly implementing Li-Fi systems in order to offer secure and seamless Internet connectivity to their students. In addition, drastically rising data consumption and increasing RF spectrum crunch are further laying down the groundwork that will foster the adoption of alternative wireless communication technologies like Li-Fi, further pushing its overall industry outlook.
Li-Fi systems are capturing use cases across the areas where Wi-Fi technology faces issues or does not hold a presence; that includes operation theatres in hospitals, aircrafts, and power plants. More specifically, Li-Fi can be used in areas where electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a major concern for the security and safety of people and equipment
The Li-Fi market is also estimated to garner huge adoption in defense and security applications over the coming years.
With increased implementation of Li-Fi technology, microcontrollers (MCUs) serving the Li-Fi devices are also likely to witness significant demand. With high flexibility of functions in a single device, MCUs can potentially reduce the requirements for a large number of components for the installation of Li-Fi systems. The Li-Fi components can be integrated in several devices including laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ledidataa työnnetään nyt teollisuuteen
https://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11083&via=n&datum=2020-08-28_15:47:42&mottagare=30929
Philipsin entinen valaistusdivisioona eli nykyinen Signify haluaa laajentaa ledidatan käyttöä tuotantoteollisuudessa. Yhdessä Edge Connectivity -ratkaisujen tarjoaja EDZCOMin kanssa se on esitellyt Trulifi-ratkaisun teollisuuteen.
Trulifi on kaksisuuntainen langaton verkkoyhteys infrapunatiedonsiirron ja näkyvän valon kautta. Edge Connectivity -ratkaisut yhdistävät omaisuuden, laitteet ja ihmiset suljetun langattoman yhteyden avulla. Se on luotettava ja yksilöllisesti rakennettu suljettu verkko, mikä takaa yhteyden katkeamattomuuden ja turvallisuuden.
Trulifi käyttää sekä infrapunasäteilyä että näkyvän valon aaltoja mahdollistaakseen turvallisen kaksisuuntaisen langattoman ja nopean viestinnän. Trulifi ei reagoi yhteyden häiriöihin, toisin kuin perinteiset radioteknologiaa hyödyntävät wifi- tai 4G- ja 5G-verkot.
Trulifi-yhteyksiä on jo hyödynnetty yli 150 projektissa maailmanlaajuisesti. EDZCOM tarjoaa teknologista osaamista sekä kaupallista suunnittelu- ja käyttöönottokokemusta suljettujen langattomien ratkaisujen parissa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This “optical modem” is designed to bring Wi-Fi-like high-speed communications capabilities to underwater sensors and drones operating at a distance of over 160 feet and depths of up to 20,000 feet.
Hydromea’s LUMA “Optical Modem” Offers Light-Based Wi-Fi-Like Connectivity Under the Waves
https://www.hackster.io/news/hydromea-s-luma-optical-modem-offers-light-based-wi-fi-like-connectivity-under-the-waves-12e45aa0a92e
Blue light communication system works over far longer distances than radio, and at greater speeds and reliability than acoustic systems.
Hydromea’s alternative: An “optical modem” dubbed LUMA which can send and receive data using pulses of blue light. “We chose blue light because even though water is generally opaque for electromagnetic waves,” Hydromea chief technology officer Felix Schill explains, “there is a small transparency band for blue and green light. That’s what lets our system send and receive data over long distances.
“Because light generally diffuses so rapidly underwater, finding a way to send communications over distances of 50 or 100 meters was difficult. It took us a long time to develop a receiver sensitive enough to capture tiny light pulses even from far away.”
https://actu.epfl.ch/news/optical-wi-fi-allows-for-ultrafast-underwater-comm/