Spotty internet connection could be a thing of the past in the very near future thanks to Laser Li-Fi. The technology would use LED lighting along with laser diode boosts to obtain speeds of 100 gigabits per second.
According to Tech Frag , the days of slow internet connection may be over thanks to the innovative technology presented by Oxford University’s Department of Engineering Science. The technology would utilize the rapid flickering of energy-saving lighting to encode data. The flickering is so quick, that it is unseen by the human eye and could be utilized to encode a variety of data including Li-Fi technology. Essentially, researchers have found a way to use already existing lighting to in a room to send data signals through the air to a receiver box.
The study, which was published in the Photonics Technology Letters , notes that the Li-Fi coding, once coded into the lighting, could then be sent back to a receiver in your home or office to provide unparalleled internet access speeds.
“While LED-based Li-Fi could reach data rates of 10 Gb/s, which is an improvement over the 7 Gb/s maximum of Wi-Fi; however, using lasers could enhance that speed to “easily beyond 100 Gb/s.”
The technology is advanced and would require the use of expensive lasers to work. However, researchers are hoping that if the lasers were produced on a mass scale, the cost would be lowered to a point that would be commercially viable. It was pointed out that car manufacturer BMW is already using laser-based lighting for vehicle headlights.
Though the research is promising and extremely fast internet signals have been achieved, there are some hurdles that must be overcome for the Li-Fi to become the standard of internet connection. For one, the current setup requires that a Li-Fi box be mounted on the ceiling with a direct line of sight to the receiver box. Therefore, the Li-Fi receiver box would be required to stay in a fixed location. However, researchers tell Tech Worm that they are working on a solution to the location-specific issues.
“The next step is to develop a tracking and location system so that a user could place a laptop at a random spot on a table and have the system find it and create a link.”
What do you think about the possibility of consistent 100 gigabits per second internet connection? Is Li-Fi going to be the internet access system of the future or are the lasers needed going to be too big of a financial hurdle?
[Image Source: Getty Images/Adam Berry]