What is LiFi?

Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) is a new ground-breaking technology which provides ubiquitous wireless access, connecting people and devices in residential, business, factory, and other settings with highly secure, cost-effective communications. Depending on the type of deployment and application, a benefit of LiFi is the capability of LED light bulbs to provide both illumination and network connectivity simultaneously and seamlessly.

LiFi is a form of Visible Light Communications (or 'Visual' Light Communications), and part of the broader field of Optical Wireless Communications (OWC). LiFi uses light emitting diodes (LEDs) to deliver networked, mobile-capable, high-speed communication. Primary implementations of LiFi utilize stand-alone transceivers or LED light bulbs, controlled by a driver that turns the LED on and off, to transmit encoded data. An optical sensor is used to receive the data, which is then decoded. The transmissions occur at rates of many millions of times per second, which is not perceivable by the human eye.

LiFi, like WiFi, enables devices such as computers, smartphones, and printers, televisions, speakers, headphones, and a vast number of devices under the Internet of Things (IOT) umbrella, to communicate bi-directionally without the use of radio frequency waves and without interference.

What is Visible Light Communications?

Visible Light Communications (VLC) and "LiFi" products utilize light spectrum to transmit data, similar to how WiFi transmits data with radio and microwave frequency spectrum. Light spectrum is up to 10,000 times more plentiful than radio frequencies and does not compete or interfere with WiFi or other RF networks. VLC products include point to point, and point to multi-point applications.

VLC uses visible light between 400 THz (780 nm) and 800 THz (375 nm). VLC uses lights (ordinary lights/lamps) or LEDs to transmit data. Since light from these sources is not detrimental to the human eye/vision, and is immune to radio frequency interference and congestion, VLC technology is emerging as a new, innovative way of transmitting data.