Li-Fi Has Just Been Tested In The Real World, And It's 100 Times Faster Than Wi-Fi

Li-Fi is a wireless technology that transfers high-speed data using visible light communication (VLC) and it’s going to revolutionize the world of internet. With researchers reaching speeds of 224 gigabits per second in the lab using Li-Fi earlier this year, the potential for this awesome technology to revolutionize everything about the way we use the Internet is huge. And just now, researchers have tested Li-Fi out of the lab for the first time ever, trailing it in workplaces and manufacturing environments in Tallinn, Estonia, stating that they can reach data transmission at 1 GB per second - that's 100 times faster than present average Wi-Fi speeds. Deepak Solanki, CEO of Estonian tech firm, Velmenni, told IBTimes UK "We are doing a few pilot projects within different industries where we can utilise the VLC (visible light communication) technology,"

Li-Fi was developed by Harald Haas from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland back in 2011, when he proved for the first time ever that by wavering the light from a single LED, he can transfer far more data than a cellular tower. Think back to that lab-based highest achieved speed of 224 gigabits per second - that's almost 18 movies of 1.5 GB each being downloaded every single second.  This technology uses Visible Light Communication (VLC), which is medium that only uses visible light among 400 and 800 terahertz (THz). It works essentially like an extremely advanced form of Morse code - just like switching a torch on and off according to a definite configuration can transmit a secret message, flicking an LED on and off at great speeds can be used to carve and transfer things in binary code.

And although you might be worried about how all that flickering in an office atmosphere would make you go crazy, don’t worry - we’re talking LEDs that can be switched on and off at speeds completely unnoticeable to the naked eye. The one particular benefit of Li-Fi over Wi-Fi, other than way much faster speeds, is that as light cannot pass over walls, it creates it a whole lot more safe, and as Anthony Cuthbertson points out at IBTimes UK, this also means there's less interfering between devices. Learn more about this technology here.