CASE STUDY

MICROWAVE ENGINEERING
on

LiFi (Light Fidelity)

By Ujjwal Aggarwal
05211502817
ECE-1
 Abstract
Li-Fi stands for Light Fidelity. The technology is very new and was proposed
by the German physicist Harald Haas in 2011 TED (Technology,
Entertainment, Design) Global Talk on Visible Light Communication (VLC).
Li-Fi is a wireless optical networking technology that uses light emitting diodes
(LEDs) for transmission of data. The term Li-Fi refers to visible light
communication (VLC) technology that uses light as medium to deliver
high-speed communication in a manner similar to Wi-Fi and complies with the
IEEE standard IEEE 802.15.7. The IEEE 802.15.7 is a high-speed,
bidirectional and fully networked wireless communication technology based
standard similar to Wi-Fi’s IEEE 802.11.

Wi-Fi is of major use for general wireless coverage within building, whereas
Li-Fi is ideal for high density wireless data coverage in confined area and
especially useful for applications in areas where radio interference issues are
of concern, so the two technologies can be considered complimentary. Li-Fi
provides better bandwidth, efficiency, connectivity and security than Wi-Fi and
has already achieved high speeds larger than 1 Gbps under the laboratory
conditions. By leveraging the low-cost nature of LEDs and lighting units, there
are lots of opportunities to exploit this medium. Li-Fi is the transfer of data
through light by taking fibre out of fibre optics and sending data through LED
light bulb
 Introduction

In the era of overcrowded (data communication) world, Li-Fi is a new way of

wireless communication that uses LED lights to transmit data wirelessly.
Transmission of data is one of the most important day to day activities in the fast
growing world. The current wireless networks that connect us to the Internet are very
slow when multiple devices are connected. Also with the increase in the number of
devices which access the Internet, the availability of fixed bandwidth makes it much
more difficult to enjoy high data transfer rates and to connect a secure network.
Radio waves are just a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum available for data
transfer. Li-Fi has got a much broader spectrum for transmission compared to
conventional methods of wireless communications that rely on radio waves. The
basic ideology behind this technology is that the data can be transferred through
LED light by varying light intensities faster than the human eyes can perceive. This
technology uses a part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is still not greatly
utilized- The Visible Spectrum, instead of Gigahertz radio waves for data transfer.

The idea of Li-Fi was introduced for the first time by a German physicist Harald Hass
in the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Global talk on Visible Light
Communication (VLC) in July 2011, by referring to it as “data through illumination”.
He used a table lamp with an LED bulb to transmit a video of a blooming flower that
was then projected onto a screen. In simple terms, Li-Fi can be thought of as a
light-based Wi-Fi i.e. instead of radio waves it uses light to transmit data. In place of
Wi-Fi modems, Li-Fi would use transceivers fitted with LED lamps that could light a
room as well as transmit and receive information. By adding new and unutilized
bandwidth of visible light to the currently available radio waves for data transfer, LiFi
can play a major role in relieving the heavy loads which the current wireless system
is facing. Thus it may offer additional frequency band of the order of 400 THz
compared to that available in RF communication which is about 300 GHz. Also, as
the Li-Fi uses the visible spectrum, it will help alleviate concerns that the
electromagnetic waves coming with Wi-Fi could adversely affect our health.

By Communication through visible light, Li-Fi technology has the possibility to

change how we access the Internet, stream videos, receive emails and much more.
Security would not be an issue as data can’t be accessed in the absence of light. As
a result, it can be used in high security military areas where RF communication is
prone to eavesdropping.
 Working of Li-Fi

Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) technology is a wireless communication system based on the

use of visible light between the violet (800 THz) and red (400 THz). Unlike Wi-Fi
which uses the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum, Li-Fi uses the optical
spectrum i.e. Visible light part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The principle of Li-Fi
is based on sending data by amplitude modulation of the light source in a
well-defined and standardized way. LEDs can be switched on and off faster than the
human eyes can detect since the operating speed of LEDs is less than 1
microsecond. This invisible on-off activity enables data transmission using binary
codes. If the LED is on, a digital ‘1’ is transmitted and if the LED is off, a digital ‘0’ is
transmitted. Also these LEDs can be switched on and off very quickly which gives us
a very nice opportunity for transmitting data through LED lights, because there are
no interfering light frequencies like that of the radio frequencies in Wi-Fi. Li-Fi is
thought to be 80% more efficient, which means it can reach speeds of up to 1Gbps
and even beyond. Li-Fi differs from fibre optic because the Li-Fi protocol layers are
suitable for wireless communication over short distances (up to 10 meters). 5 This
puts Li-Fi in a unique position of extremely fast wireless communication over short
distances.
 Applications of Li-Fi

There are numerous applications of Li-Fi technology, from public Internet access
through existing lighting (LED) to auto-piloted cars that communicate through their
headlights (LED based). Applications of Li-Fi can extend in areas where the Wi-Fi
technology lacks its presence like aircrafts and hospitals (operation theatres), power
plants and various other areas, where electromagnetic (Radio) interference is of
great concern for safety and security of equipments and people. Since Li-Fi uses just
the light, it can be used safely in such locations or areas. In future with the Li-Fi
enhancement all the street lamps can be transformed to Li-Fi connecting points to
transfer data. As a result of it, it will be possible to access internet at any public place
and street.

Why Visible Light Communication:

1) Radio waves are expensive (due to spectrum charges) and less secure (due to
interference and possible interception etc.)
2) Gamma rays are harmful because it could be dangerous dealing with it, by the
human beings due to their proven adverse effects on human health.
3) X-rays have health issues, similar to the Gamma Rays.
4) Ultraviolet light can be considered for communication technology purposes at
place without people, otherwise they can also be dangerous for the human
body when exposed continuously.
5) Infrared, due to high safety regulation, can only be used with low power.

Comparison Between Li-Fi and, Wi-Fi and other Radio Communication

technologies
 Conclusion
Although there’s still a long way to go to make this technology a commercial
success, it promises a great potential in the field of wireless internet. A significant
number of researchers 15 and companies are currently working on this concept,
which promises to solve the problem of lack of radio spectrum, space and low
internet connection speed. By deployment of this technology, we can migrate to
greener, cleaner, safer communication networks. The very concept of Li-Fi promises
to solve issues such as, shortage of radio-frequency bandwidth and eliminates the
disadvantages of Radio communication technologies. Li-Fi is the upcoming and
growing technology acting as catalyst for various other developing and new
inventions/technologies. Therefore, there is certainty of development of future
applications of the Li-Fi which can be extended to different platforms and various
walks of human life.