Light Fidelity or Li-Fi is a bi-directional, high-speed and fully networked Visible Light Communication (VLC) technology, that works in a similar manner as Wi-Fi.
Some advantages of VLC/Li-Fi, when compared to current wireless technologies, are network security, worldwide availability, unlicensed spectrum (high speed and high capacity), low power consumption, and the lack of electromagnetic interference.
How Li-Fi Works
Li-Fi is an innovative wireless communication technology which utilizes LED light to transmit data and position between devices. It offers high bandwidth, immunity to interference from electromagnetic sources, and high levels of communications security.
LEDs have been adopted as a common Li-Fi transmitter because they provide low power consumption, low cost of ownership, high return on investment, high luminance efficiency, ease in color rendering, and long lifetime.
Li-Fi, as part of OWC, uses VL and IR to achieve high speed, secure, bi-directional, EMI free and fully networked wireless communications. It is important to note that Li-Fi supports user mobility, access point hand off and multiuser access.
Li-Fi resolves the low bandwidth problem of RF by employing the entire range of the VL and IR spectrum, which is 2600 times larger than existing RF spectrum. Additionally, VL and IR spectrum, unlike RF spectrum, are not being used, and are available and license free.
Since Li-Fi receivers need to reside in the same room as the transmitter, any receivers outside that room will not be able to intercept the signal. This eliminates the inherent security issues of RF communication systems such as Wi-Fi and Cellular.
From energy consumption perspective, Li-Fi is based on LED lighting, which not only has low energy consumption, but can also be used for illumination. Compared to Wi-Fi, this will eliminate the need for the extra power needed for the access points.

