On November 25th 2015, Estonian startup Velmenni announced that they had made a breakthrough in wireless technology. The new technology is called Li-Fi, as it uses visible light to transmit and receive digital data at speeds 100 times faster than Wi-Fi. Velmenni used a light bulb to transmit data at a speed of 1 gigabit per second in a real world test.
Li-Fi refers to visible light communications (VLC) technology. It can deliver high speed bidirectional networked communications that is similar to Wi-Fi. The term Li-Fi was first used by German physicist Herald Hass in 2011. Hass later went on to create the company, PureLiFi, which claims to be the leader in Li-Fi technology.
Hass' vision is to see the world replace current wireless routers with LED light bulbs. He says that Li-Fi devices will be able to transmit not just one data stream, but thousands. Some other advantages of Li-Fi are efficiency, availability, and security. The same bulb that you use as a light source can also be used to transmit data. Every light bulb being used everywhere is a potential transmission point. And, since light can't penetrate walls, personal networks can only be accessed by people in the same room.
At this time, however, there are some down sides to the technology. Li-Fi doesn't work outside due to being overpowered by light from the sun. Because Li-Fi doesn't travel through walls, you have to have an open floor plan or use Li-Fi to compliment your existing Wi-Fi setup. Also, a Li-fi connection can be blocked by placing a solid object in front of the transmission source. But, even with those limitations, the increased speed is more than enough to make Li-Fi a desirable emerging technology
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