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Li-Fi : The Future of Internet

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Li-Fi : The Future of Internet

Medium,

5 min read
5 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

A light-based alternative to Wi-Fi might soon lighten the strain on Internet networks. 

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Scientific
  • Visionary

Recommendation

Imagine you have stopped at a traffic light. While you wait, the red bulb you are staring at sends you information about a traffic incident farther up the street – or data on nearby restaurants or tourist attractions you’ve been wondering about. As technology writer Fiza Rasool explains, the described scenarios aren’t science fiction, but a potential application of a new data transmission technology based on light waves. Whether you consider yourself a techie or not, you’ll find her piece illuminating. 

Summary

Li-Fi, or Light Fidelity, uses light from LED bulbs for wireless communication. Light waves can transmit data up to 100 times faster than the standard radio waves used in Wi-Fi technology. Besides its high speeds, Li-Fi won’t interfere with competing radio signals. Moreover, Li-Fi networks are less prone to hacking attacks as the light waves won’t travel beyond the room from which they originate or travel farther than 10 meters. This, however, is also the technology’s major limitation: Li-Fi doesn’t work outdoors in sunlight, nor can it transmit data through walls. Although Li-Fi is unlikely to replace Wi-Fi, it can...

About the Author

Fiza Rasool is a UK-based IT professional.


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