LiFi is a communication method that uses LEDs instead of dongles or antennas to provide internet access and data transfer at ultrahigh speeds.
In 2015, after several lab tests, LiFi achieved a record-breaking data transfer rate of 224 Gbps. In later “real-world” tests by the Estonian startup Vélmenni, transfer speeds reached 1GB per second, 100 times faster than conventional Wi-Fi.
An exciting technology with tremendous potential, given the hype surrounding it, we decided to explore the niche in depth to identify the top players and companies actively researching in this domain while maintaining a low profile. When we began to dive deeper, many unknown facts emerged. One of them is the origins of LiFi: Though LiFi was first publicly disclosed in August 2011, the first patent around the technology was filed in 2006. By Huawei. Not Professor Harald Haas, who is considered the Father of LiFi technology.
Now, even though it has been 7 years since public disclosure and R&D efforts in this tech have doubled since then, LiFi isn’t anywhere near in competition with WiFi. The products related to technology are limited and have not yet achieved widespread adoption despite their advantages.
Why?
Drawbacks. Yes, the technology has serious drawbacks that need to be addressed before LiFi reaches its zenith. What are these drawbacks? Let’s have a look at some of them.
The Temporary Problems With LiFi
LiFi requires specialized LEDs to work flawlessly. Though Prof. Harald Haas claimed in his TED talk that LiFi can work with existing LEDs, this is only partially true.
There is a huge variety of LED bulbs in the market, each with different specifications. It is not necessary that your LED bulb will be compatible with your choice of LiFi adapter. Also, as LiFi works only in the line of sight, you will need to buy at least one LED bulb for each corner of your room.
Editor’s Note: Researchers have found multiple solutions to this problem that will let you use almost every existing LED bulb as a LiFi router. Read more about the findings from here.
Further, LED bulbs with in-built hardware that support LiFi communication have debuted very recently in the market. For integration with existing LEDs sans the inbuilt hardware, one would need extra adapters for their devices, maybe at least one for every room. Needless to say, this further increases the cost and good ol’ WiFi suddenly seems a much better option to stick with.
Even if you decide to deal with the cost of LEDs and LiFi adapters and are waiting eagerly to make your house conducive to use LiFi, there’s still one major problem that would leave a huge hole in your pocket – New network wiring settings.
As you know, your current LED bulbs are connected directly to the power grid, but LiFi bulbs need to be connected to your network. So, you might need to consider rewiring your house again.
Currently, there are a few PureLiFi products, like LiFi-X or Li-Flame, that aim to ease this hurdle by being comparatively easier to set up, but they still require extra wiring and adapters that need to be carried around if you’re using them on a laptop or smartphone.
The Non-Temporary Or Nearly Permanent Problems With LiFi
All of the above problems are temporary, right? Once you set it up, you’re good to go. But then there’s more. Some nearly permanent problems that will make you hold close to your WiFi router.
Range
Connecting to the internet over LiFi is as confined as the light from that LED. It can’t penetrate walls like WiFi. Just one obstacle, and bam, you’re disconnected! You would also need to be in a defined range to use it efficiently, as light intensity decreases with distance. Literally, you can’t even turn your back against the LED bulb because that will again interfere with light, and thus with your signals.
Interference From Other Light Sources
LiFi is good for indoor purposes, as long as you are in an enclosed area with minimal or no ambient light. If your room has windows or if you’re sitting on your balcony, there are fair chances that light from outside may mess with your LiFi signals.
Requires Additional Devices
There’s no consumer Smartphone or computer with built-in LiFi support yet. One would need additional devices to use it on their laptop – Two signal emitters on both ends (one being the device and the other being the already existing LED), and two signal receivers (again, one for the laptop and the other hooked to your ceiling).
Pure LiFi products claim to use a single AP (emitter) for multiple client-side devices (laptops and Smartphones), but you will still need a separate receiver for each device.
Might Not Work During Night
How would LiFi work during the night? Do I need to keep my lights on in order to use it? — These questions have become quite common when people talk about LiFi.
You may not be able to play your favorite game in the dark by switching off your lights. There’s a debate over using infrared light (which is almost invisible) instead of LEDs in LiFi to make it workable at night as well. This, however, can reduce the data speed. Moreover, IR radiation can be harmful to the skin.
Conclusion
These are not problems but, per se, limitations of the new communication network. Almost all of these can be overcome, as scientists and engineers around the world continually research the domain at a steady pace.
LiFi can be a powerful communication method for home networks, for example, to transfer data between computers or stream high-definition movies from your home media station. It’s just a smartphone away from becoming popular; as soon as we see Li-Fi-compatible smartphones in the market, it won’t be long before they find a place in our households.
Until then, let’s stick to our beloved WiFi routers.
Authored By: Shabaz Khan, Senior Research Analyst, Market Research.