Will Li-Fi replace Wi-Fi or work alongside it?

Li-Fi or Light Fidelity uses Light Emitting Diodes (LED) as routers on the basis of Optical Wireless Technology (OWT) for the transmission of data. The usage of Li-Fi necessitates the device to be embedded with a Li-Fi chip and for a Li-Fi enabled LED bulb to be present in the room in which the usage is envisioned. 

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) allocated a standard for the use of Li-Fi. The standard allocated is 802.11 bb. This refers to the operating range of frequencies. The more widely used Wi-Fi also operates in the same range. Whereas Wi-Fi operates on the principle of radio frequencies (RF), Li-Fi makes use of modulated lightwaves that fall both within and outside the spectrum of visible light. 

“Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute welcomes the new IEEE standard 802.11bb. Li-Fi offers high-speed mobile connectivity in areas with limited RF, like fixed wireless access, classrooms, medical, and industrial scenarios. It complements or serves as an alternative to Wi-Fi and 5G. 802.11bb integrates easily with existing infrastructures,” said Dominic Schulz, lead Li-Fi developer at Frauenhofer, an organisation that played a crucial role in the development of the technology, on the eve of the announcement.

“Functioning in the optical spectrum ensures higher reliability and lower latency and jitter. It also decreases eavesdropping and jamming and facilitates centimetre-precision indoor navigation,” he added. 

If Li-Fi is introduced for public use it would operate at a speed of 224 GB per second but there are logistical and feasibility issues that remain to be resolved.