The latest Wi-Fi standards are probably faster than your home internet connection, but even the fastest wireless networks can't touch Li-Fi. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has just released the new light-based communication standard, and an industry group has already sprung up to support it. Li-Fi won't replace Wi-Fi, but it might provide a handy "fast lane" option for transferring data.
Among the companies already committed to developing the standard are pureLiFi and Fraunhofer HHI. The latter has produced a video (see below) explaining how Li-Fi can augment networks using a building's existing lighting fixtures. On the other side is pureLiFi, which has developed the Light Antenna ONE module (above). This 14.5mm component is being sampled by OEMs for integration in phones, laptops, and any other device that could benefit from super-fast data speeds. That might not sound huge, but it's about the same size as mmWave 5G antenna modules, which already take up a lot of space and add expense to smartphones.
Wi-Fi has become ubiquitous because it has enough range to make it convenient. A single Wi-Fi hotspot can deliver high-speed connectivity to an entire home or office because radio waves can pass through obstacles. That's not true elsewhere on the electromagnetic spectrum. Higher frequency signals, like a laser beam, can deliver much more data as long as you have line-of-sight. So you'll probably have to be aware of how a device is oriented to ensure the Li-Fi window is pointed at your laser source.
The Li-Fi alliance claims this technology could be 100 times faster than existing Wi-Fi, but that's all theoretical until we have hardware to test. The theoretical maximums line up a bit differently. The Li-Fi standard could transfer 224 gigabytes of data in one second, which works out to roughly 1,700 Gbps. The Wi-Fi 6 standard tops out at 9.6 Gbps, and Wi-Fi 7's ceiling is 40 Gbps. Regardless, Li-Fi's claimed speeds are impressive—NASA's space lasers currently top out at 200 Gbps.
Li-Fi beams will require line of sight, but there won't be any visible change to the lighting in your space. Li-Fi uses infrared lasers, which are invisible to the human eye. However, they could potentially interfere with night vision security cameras and robot vacuums that use lasers for navigation. Our first chance to see Li-Fi working may come in early 2024 at tradeshows like CES and Mobile World Congress in January and February, respectively.
