Editor’s Note: This is the first EdisonReport update sent using light to transmit.
Your humble editor has been keeping up with LiFi since it first came on the scene in 2011. In fact, I had the privilege of negotiating the sale of the URL LiFi.com, originally owned by LUXIM. It was the single most profitable sale I have ever been involved and I earned a sweet commission.
At LuxLive, I saw the world debut of LiFi—and it’s very impressive. Think of WiFi on steroids.
pureLiFi hosted the demonstration. They build a LED driver which turns luminaires into access points, where light actually transmits the data. Today, a simple dongle is installed into the laptop USB, but pureLiFi is ready to work with laptop, tablet and desktop makers to have it built in. Co-Founder Professor Harold Haas explained that it took about 15 years for WiFi to be the standard, and he expects devices to be LiFi compatible in about three years.
Fresno-based Linmore LED had LiFi enabled fixtures on display and it was fascinating to watch the speed of a movie load. As you put your hand over the dongle, the load begins to slow, as you would expect. However, it only stops if the receiver is completely blocked from the light. “This is not a disadvantage, quite the opposite,” explained Sarah Scace, Director of Marketing. Security is one of the biggest advantages, meaning it cannot be hacked from the outside. Radio waves like WiFi pass through walls and ceilings. Light does not. An intruder hacker outside a building can gain access, whereas data communicated via LiFi can only be accessed where the LED light illuminates. Another huge benefit is to lower congestion. LiFi light waves are 1000 times more plentiful than limited WiFi radio frequencies.
Don’t expect LiFi to replace WiFi. Look for LiFi to sit alongside WiFi much like WiFi sits along cellular. There will always be applications where WiFi is still needed, but LiFi will do the majority of heavy lifting.