This
internet technology is 100 times faster than Wi-Fi
A new type of wireless internet technology has been
developed that could provide a connection that's 100 times faster than
traditional WiFi.
The tech is called LiFi, and was tested by an Estonian
start-up called Velmenni, who are currently trialling it in offices.
Yes, it's time to shift from Wi-Fi to Li-Fi — an alternative
technology that is 100 times faster than the average speeds of Wi-Fi.
Scientists have just field-tested the new wireless
technology called Li-Fi for the first time and achieved marvelous wireless
speeds that are 100 times faster than current WiFi speeds.
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At speeds like this, albums, high-definition films and even
video games could be downloaded in a matter of seconds.
The speed is down to the way in which it transmits data --
by using Visible Light Communication (VLC), data is sent between networks by
LED lights that flicker incredibly fast.
The technology does have one major limitation -- because it
relies on visible light to work, it can't pass through walls.
However, this makes the network much more secure. The
dramatically increased speeds make it a big improvement on current technology
for some applications as well.
Professor Harald Haas, from the University of Edinburgh,
pioneered the technology and coined the term LiFi in 2011, but this is the
first time it's been used in a 'real world' setting.
Deepak Solanki, CEO of Velmenni, told the Interational
Business Times that the technology could be rolled out to consumers within the
next three to four years.
"We are doing a few pilot projects within different
industries where we can utilise the VLC (visible light communication)
technology," Deepak Solanki, CEO of Estonian tech company, Velmenni, told
IBTimes UK.
"Currently we have designed a smart lighting solution
for an industrial environment where the data communication is done through
light. We are also doing a pilot project with a private client where we are
setting up a Li-Fi network to access the Internet in their office space.”
Li-Fi was invented by Harald Haas from the University of
Edinburgh, Scotland back in 2011, when he demonstrated for the first time that
by flickering the light from a single LED, he could transmit far more data than
a cellular tower. Think back to that lab-based record of 224 gigabits per
second - that's 18 movies of 1.5 GB each being downloaded every single second.
The technology uses Visible Light Communication (VLC), a
medium that uses visible light between 400 and 800 terahertz (THz). It works
basically like an incredibly advanced form of Morse code - just like switching
a torch on and off according to a certain pattern can relay a secret message,
flicking an LED on and off at extreme speeds can be used to write and transmit
things in binary code.
And while you might be worried about how all that flickering
in an office environment would drive you crazy, don’t worry - we’re talking
LEDs that can be switched on and off at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye.
However, due to LiFi's limitations, it would be likely to
run in parallel with existing technology to increase a network's speed and
efficiency.
However, if the infastructure catches up, LiFi could become
much more widely used, especially if it's transmitted through our lightbulbs,
as Professor Haas suggested in a 2011 TED Talk.
As Haas said, "All we need to do is fit a small
microchip to every potential illumination device and this would then combine
two basic functionalities: illumination and wireless data transmission."
"In the future we will not only have 14 billion light
bulbs, we may have 14 billion LiFis deployed worldwide for a cleaner, greener
and even brighter future."
What I was
thinking?
Such type of advancement in the wireless technology is
really awesome. Such technologies are about to come in the Tech Industry, when
the hell will the rates of mobile data plans will decrease? Secondly, if they
are not thinking about decreasing the rates of data plans, then they should at
least increase the data transmission speed.And yes, let's just not talk about
Uninor/Telenor.
This also reminds me of a friend of mine using Aircel and
Reliance 3g, worst than a 2g connection.
(Courtesy - A highly frustrated Tata Docomo 3g user, who is
blogging right now.)
