It's fast! Li-fi realizes the Gbps speed, but you still can't leave Wi-Fi

Gbps: This is the network transfer rate that LI-FI can achieve, which is 10 times times more than the existing WiFi network. According to Spectrum, a team of researchers at Oxford University has designed a LI-FI system to achieve this level of network speed ...

Li-fi Chinese "Light Internet technology", it does not need Wi-Fi signal, using light-emitting diodes to convert the light source into the form of network signals to achieve the internet handover. The technology was developed by Harald Hasmin of Germany in October 2011 and in mainland China in 2013, and was invented by the Computer Institute of Fudan University.

Theoretically, the maximum data transfer rate of Li-fi is up to 3Tbps, while Wi-Fi has a maximum rate of 7Gbps.

Optical fiber networks use light for data transmission, which utilizes the principle of total internal reflection, which directs the direction of light transmission within the line cable. When the light travels through the backbone, it will stagnate for some time before the data reaches the end, while the LI-FI light has no channel and passes directly through the air. Oxford University's Li-fi system is to accelerate the last distance, allowing light to pass through the air directly in the room, transmitting data.

To do this, the system requires a base station mounted on the ceiling, which is responsible for transmitting and receiving light signals from the computer. In order to achieve the accurate projection of the beam, the transmitter and receiver of the device are all practical "beam control" technology, and use the LCD array to build a programmable diffraction grating, to control the direction of the light to the need. This process is much like a projector.

However, this system requires harsh conditions to achieve high speed transmission of Gbps. The projected light must be accessible and straight to the receiving end, that is, the computer needs to be placed in a fixed position, and there can be no obstructions between it and the base station on the ceiling.

The next step, the team says, is to develop a traceability system that allows users to place computers at will, and the system automatically finds and projects light. The system is still using infra-red as a light source, and the team says that in the future they intend to use visible light to achieve li-fi.

Li-fi as a cutting-edge technology, is still in the early stages of development, can not replace Wi-Fi in the short term, its advantages and disadvantages are very obvious: Li-fi can achieve a single light source to support 4 machines with computer functions at the same time on the Internet, Mutual transmission network signals, its security is now the WiFi network can not But once the light is blocked or the light is off, the system will not work.

Li-fi-tech start-ups have also been hit by capital, Purelifi, which has received 1.5 million of billions of dollars in financing, about $2.25 million trillion and the company's valuations have grown to $21 million. The company hatched from Edinburgh University, where early investors included the University of Edinburgh, the Scottish Government's corporate fund and some private equity funds.