Technology

LiFi Vs WiFi and the Differences between them.

By Anees Shah

Posted on April 21, 2021

Lifi-vs-wifi-what-is-the-difference-between-lifi-and-wifi

LiFi vs WiFi: In this article, we are going to compare and see the differences between our everyday use of WiFi and the new data transmission technology that is called LiFi.

What is LiFi Technology?

In July 2011 Herald Haas talked about a new Technology on Ted Global Talk that He and his team had come up with, He showed the audience on the show how data could be transmitted with the help of light just like Wi-Fi but Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) has more density and is based on Visual Light Communication (VLC), With LiFi the common house LED light bulbs work as the router, the LiFi bulbs have a chip installed in them that modulates the light imperceptibly for optical data transmission. LiFi delivers high speed, bi-directional technology and has two components.

One device with a photodiode which will be able to receive light signals and a light source that’s equipped with a signal processing unit.

The LED bulbs help transmit the data which in turn is received by photoreceptors. It is 100 times faster than Wi-Fi and can reach speeds up to 224 gigabits per second.

LiFi Vs WiFi: What is the difference between LiFi and WiFi?

WiFi:

Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity. Wi-Fi transmits data through radio waves with the help of a Wi-Fi router. Wifi has interference issues from nearby access points, WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ad standard-compliant devices. It is used for browsing with the help of Wi-Fi kiosks or Wi-Fi hotspots. Wifi signals cannot pass through seawater, which works better in less dense areas. In Wi-Fi, RF signal cannot be blocked by the walls hence the need to employ techniques to achieve secure data transfer.

WLAN-11n offers 150 Mbps, About 1-2 Gbps can be achieved using WiGig/Giga-IR. Wi-Fi has a frequency of 2.4 GHz, 4.9 GHz, and 5 GHz. Wireless fidelity works in a less dense environment due to interference issues. Wi-Fi coverage distance is about 32 meters (WLAN 802.11b/11g), Vary based on transmit power and antenna type. Needs system components like routers to be installed, subscriber devices (Laptops, PDAs, and Desktops) are referred to as stations.

LiFi:

LiFi stands for Light Fidelity. Li-Fi transmits data through light with the help of LEB bulbs. LiFi has no interference issues, unlike radio frequency waves. Light Fidelity uses IrDA (Infrared Data Association) compliant devices. LiFi technology is used in airlines, Undersea explorations, Operation theaters in the hospitals, office, and home premises for data transfer and internet browsing.

Advantages of LiFi Technology:

Almost has no Interference can pass through salty seawater, works in dense regions. In Li-Fi the light is blocked by the walls which gives you secure data transfer. The data transfer speed is about 1 Gbps. Li-Fi has a 10 thousand times frequency spectrum of the radius. LiFi works in high Dense environment. The coverage distance is about 10 meters. System components comprise a Lamp driver, LED bulb or lamps, and a photodetector, all of these components make a complete Li-Fi system.

Also Read: Advantages of 5g Technology
Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet

LiFi Companies:

A lot of companies are working and investing in LiFi technology. In this article, we provide you the full list of LiFi companies. Some of these LiFi companies are launched LiFi Products and some are still working on their development. Here is the complete list of LiFi companies:

Signify
PureLifi
Oledcomm
VLNComm
Velmenni
LumEfficient
Firefly LiFi
LIFX (LiFi Labs)
Lucibel
Basic6
General Electric
Global LiFi Tech
Lightbee
Luciom
LVX System
Panasonic
Wipro
Infinity Technology Services

Also read: Why is cybersecurity important?

When will be LiFi technology available? and where it is used?

LiFi-Xc system was released in October 2017. The device is a plug-and-play system that works with USB devices and is small enough to be integrated into your laptop, tablet, or any other smart appliance. Stins Coman, a Russian Company is selling its Li-Fi-based solutions to the United States, Israel, China, and other countries. The Indian IT minister tested the Li-Fi technology as well in 2018 in a pilot jointly conducted with the Indian Institute of Technology- Madras and lightening company Philips India.

But it still has a long way to take over the world or our routers as it is still in the experimental process and the commercial launch of the LiFi Technology has no set date but is expected till 2021.

Originally Published on Everyday Science Blogspot