LONDON: Tested in Tallinn, Estonia it transmitted data at 1GB per second – that is 100 times faster than current average Wi-Fi speeds, Science Alert reported.
In practical terms, this means Li-Fi will allow you to download a high-definition film within a matter of seconds. Sweet.
The tech uses a Morse code-esque mechanism in which turning an LED on and off at a high-speed can transmit data in a binary code.
Known as Visible Light Communication (VLC), this medium requires light between 400 and 800 terahertz.
If you are concerned Li-Fi will turn your office or house into a club, don’t worry – the flickering happens at such a fast rate that you won’t be able to see it with the naked eye.
One of the main advantages that Li-Fi has over Wi-Fi is that it cannot pass through walls and therefore, the signal is stronger and the chance of interference is less.
The tests were carried out by a firm known as Velmeni in New Delhi, India.
CEO Deepak Solanki, told IBTimes UK, “We are doing a few pilot projects within different industries where we can utilise the VLC technology. 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.”
Li-Fi was first invented by Harald Haas, who showed the world that he was able to transfer more data than a cellular tower through the use of LED lights.
In 2011 he gave a TED Talk answering the question, What if every light bulb in the world could also transmit data?
“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,” he said. “In the future we will not only have 14 billion light bulbs, we may have 14 billion Li-Fis deployed worldwide for a cleaner, greener and even brighter future.”
