SEMINAR REPORT

ON

“Li-Fi”
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement
For the award of the
Degree of

Bachelor of Engineering
In
Computer Science & Engineering

(Integral University, Lucknow)

Submitted by-
SHUJA SHABBIR
C.S.E-4(Final Year)
Roll.No-1000112206

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

FACU TY OF ENGINEERING, INTEGRAL UNIVERSITY,

LUCKNOW

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project entitled “Li-Fi” has been carried out by SHUJA
SHABBIR under my guidance in partial fulfillment of the degree of Bachelor of
Engineering in Computer Science & Engineering of Integral University, Lucknow
during the academic year 2013-2014. To the best of my knowledge and belief this
work has not been submitted elsewhere for the award of any other degree.

Prof.(Dr.)Md. Rizwan Beg

Head of Department (CSE) Seminar Coordinators

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 CONTENT

Sl.No TITLE Page no.

1. Abstract 1

2. Introduction to Li‐Fi technology 3

3. Genesis of LI-FI technology 9

4. Issue Regarding Radio Spectrum 10

5. Working of LI-FI 12

6. Technology Brief 16

7. How it is Different 23

8. Economic value and Limitation 24

9. Application of li-fi technology 25

10. Challenging Problems 31

11. Solutions to Problems 31

12. Conclusion 34

13. References 35

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Abstract of Li-Fi Technology:-
Whether you’re using wireless internet in a coffee shop, stealing it from the
guy next door, or competing for bandwidth at a conference, you’ve probably gotten
frustrated at the slow speeds you face when more than one device is tapped into the
network. As more and more people and their many devices access wireless
internet, clogged airwaves are going to make it increasingly difficult to latch onto a
reliable signal. But radio waves are just one part of the spectrum that can carry our
data. What if we could use other waves to surf the internet? One German Physicist,
DR. Harald Haas, has come up with a solution he calls “Data Through
Illumination”—taking the fiber out of fiber optics by sending data through an LED
light bulb that varies in intensity faster than the human eye can follow. It’s the
same idea behind infrared remote controls, but far more powerful. Haas says his
invention, which he calls D-Light, can produce data rates faster than 10 megabits
per second, which is speedier than your average broadband connection. He
envisions a future where data for laptops, smart phones, and tablets is transmitted
through the light in a room. And security would be a snap—if you can’t see the
light, you can’t access the data.

Li-Fi is a VLC, visible light communication, technology developed by a

team of scientists including Dr Gordon Povey, Prof. Harald Haas and Dr Mostafa

Afgani at the University of Edinburgh. The term Li-Fi was coined by Prof. Haas

when he amazed people by streaming high-definition video from a standard LED

lamp, at TED Global in July 2011. Li-Fi is now part of the Visible Light

Communications (VLC) PAN IEEE 802.15.7 standard. “Li-Fi is typically

implemented using white LED light bulbs. These devices are normally used for

4
illumination by applying a constant current through the LED. However, by fast and

subtle variations of the current, the optical output can be made to vary at extremely

high speeds. Unseen by the human eye, this variation is used to carry high-speed

data,” says Dr Povey, Product Manager of the University of Edinburgh's Li-Fi

Program ‘D-Light Project’.

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Introduction of Li-Fi Technology:-
LiFi (Light Fidelity) is a fast and cheap optical version of Wi-Fi, the technology of
which is based on Visible Light Communication (VLC). LiFi is transmission of
data through illumination by taking the fiber out of fiber optics by sending data
through a LED light bulb that varies in intensity faster than the human eye can
follow. Li-Fi is the term some have used to label the fast and cheap wireless-
communication system, which is the optical version of Wi-Fi. The term was first
used in this context by Harald Haas in his TED Global talk on Visible Light
Communication. “At the heart of this technology is a new generation of high
brightness light-emitting diodes”, says Harald Haas from the University of
Edinburgh, UK, ”Very simply, if the LED is on, you transmit a digital 1, if it’s off
you transmit a 0,”Haas says, “They can be switched on and off very quickly, which
gives nice opportunities for transmitted data.”It is possible to encode data in the
light by varying the rate at which the LEDs flicker on and off to give different
strings of 1s and 0s. The LED intensity is modulated so rapidly that human eye
cannot notice, so the output appears constant. More sophisticated techniques could
dramatically increase VLC data rate. Terms at the University of Oxford and the
University of Edingburgh are focusing on parallel data transmission using array of
LEDs, where each LED transmits a different data stream. Other group are using
mixtures of red, green and blue LEDs to alter the light frequency encoding a
different data channel. Li-Fi, as it has been dubbed, has already achieved
blisteringly high speed in the lab. Researchers at the Heinrich Hertz Institute in
Berlin, Germany, have reached data rates of over 500 megabytes per second using
a standard white-light LED. The technology was demonstrated at the 2012
Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas using a pair of Casio smart phones to
exchange data using light of varying intensity given off from their screens,
detectable at a distance of up to ten meters.

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In October 2011 a number of companies and industry groups formed the Li-Fi
Consortium, to promote high-speed optical wireless systems and to overcome the
limited amount of radio based wireless spectrum available by exploiting a
completely different part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The consortium believes
it is possible to achieve more than 10 Gbps, theoretically allowing a high-definition
film to be downloaded in 30 seconds.

In simple terms, Li-Fi can be thought of as a light-based Wi-Fi. That is, it

uses light instead of radio waves to transmit information. And instead of Wi-Fi
modems, Li-Fi would use transceiver-fitted LED lamps that can light a room as
well as transmit and receive information. Since simple light bulbs are used, there
can technically be any number of access points.

This technology uses a part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is still not
greatly utilized- The Visible Spectrum. Light is in fact very much part of our lives
for millions and millions of years and does not have any major ill effect. Moreover
there is 10,000 times more space available in this spectrum and just counting on
the bulbs in use, it also multiplies to 10,000 times more availability as an
infrastructure, globally.

It is possible to encode data in the light by varying the rate at which the LEDs
flicker on and off to give different strings of 1s and 0s. The LED intensity is
modulated so rapidly that human eyes cannot notice, so the output appears
constant.

Li Fi is now part of Visible Light Communication (VLC) PAN IEEE

802.15.7 Standard. More sophisticated techniques could dramatically increase
VLC data rates. Team of scientists including Dr. Gorden Povey, Prof. Harald Hass
and Dr. Mostafa Afgani at University of Edinburgh and the University of Oxford

7
are focusing on parallel data transmission using arrays of LEDs, where each LED
transmits a different data stream. Other groups are using mixtures of red, green and
blue LEDs to alter the light's frequency, with each frequency encoding a different
data channel.

Li-Fi, as it has been dubbed, has already achieved blisteringly high speeds in
the lab. Researchers at the Heinrich Hertz Institute in Berlin, Germany, have
reached data rates of over 500 megabytes per second using a standard white-light
LED. Haas has set up a spin-off firm to sell a consumer VLC transmitter that is
due for launch next year. It is capable of transmitting data at 100 MB/s - faster
than most UK broadband connections. Li-Fi stands for ‘Light Fidelity’.

Li-Fi is the terms have been used to label the fast and cheap wireless
communication system, which is the optical version of Wi –Fi.

One of the biggest attractions of VLC is the energy saving of LED technology.
Nineteen per cent of the worldwide electricity is used for lighting. Thirty billion
light bulbs are in use worldwide. Assuming that all the light bulbs are exchanged
with LEDs, one billion barrels of oil could be saved every year, which again
translates into energy production of 250 nuclear power plants.

Driven by the progress of LED technology, visible light communication is gaining

attention in research and development. The VLC Consortium (VLCC) in Japan
was one of the first to introduce this technology.

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Standardization
VLC communication is modeled after communication protocols established by
the IEEE 802 workgroup. This standard defines the physical layer (PHY)
and media access control (MAC) layer. The standard is able to deliver enough data
rates to transmit audio, video and multimedia services. It takes count of the optical
transmission mobility, its compatibility with artificial lighting present in
infrastructures, the defiance which may be caused by interference generated by the
ambient lighting. The MAC layer allows using the link with the other layers like
the TCP/IP protocol

The standard defines three PHY layers with different rates.

 The PHY I was established for outdoor application and works from 11.67 kbit/s
to 267.6 kbit/s.
 The PHY II layer allows to reach data rates from 1.25 Mbit/s to 96 Mbit/s.
 The PHY III is used for many emissions sources with a particular modulation
method called color shift keying (CSK). PHY III can deliver rates from 12
Mbit/s to 96 Mbit/s.

The modulations formats recognized for PHY I and PHY II are the coding on-off
keying (OOK) and variable pulse position modulation (VPPM). The Manchester
coding used for the PHY I and PHY II layers include the clock inside the
transmitted data by representing a logic 0 with an OOK symbol "01" and a logic 1
with an OOK symbol "10", all with a DC component. This is an important point
because the DC component allows to avoid the light extinction in case of an
extended line of logic 0.

The Li-Fi Consortium has also been established to work on standardizing VLC
communications, but the rapid evolution of the technology minimizes the impact of
any standardization effort. Both the IEEE 802 workgroup and the Li-Fi
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Consortium fail to account for the emergence of optical orthogonal frequency-
division multiplexing (O-OFDM) systems which provide significant benefits with
regard to data rates, multiple-access and energy efficiency.

Visible Light Communications

“Visible light Communication (VLC) is a modern communication technology
which employs visible solid-state light sources (LEDs) for transmitting data
wirelessly as they are used for general illumination at the same time."

VLC Characteristics
The merits and demerits of this technology become apparent once we go through
the characteristics of visible light communication technology:-
 Human Safety: VLC poses no health hazards to human body. Thus, the
transmission power can be kept high if needed.
 High Data Rates: VLC inherits high data rates from optical
communications. Thus, it can be used for very high speed wireless
communications.
 Bandwidth: Visible light communications exploits the visible region of
electromagnetic spectrum. Thus it much larger frequency band ( 300 THz)
compared to that available in RF communications ( 300GHz).
 Ubiquitous Nature: We have a well-established lighting infrastructure
throughout the world. In addition to it, LED based lighting devices are
getting widespread acceptance round the globe. Since VLC uses the already
available visible light sources for wireless communications, so it is expected
to become a ubiquitous technology in near future.
 Security: As VLC involves line of sight communication, so it is impossible
to tap the communication without breaking the link. So it a very secure

10
 communication and can be used in high security military areas where RF
communication is prone to eavesdropping.
 Visibility: It is aesthetically pleasing to see data being communicated by
colored lights. Thus, VLC is also used in many entertainment related
activities like silent concerts, decoration systems, etc.
 Unlicensed Spectrum: As VLC uses the visible region of electromagnetic
spectrum, so it is free of cost. Contrary to it, the RF communication band is
regulated

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Genesis of LI-FI:
Harald Haas, a professor at the University of Edinburgh who began his
research in the field in 2004, gave a debut demonstration of what he called a Li-Fi
prototype at the TED Global conference in Edinburgh on 12th July 2011. He used
a table lamp with an LED bulb to transmit a video of blooming flowers that was
then projected onto a screen behind him. During the event he periodically blocked
the light from lamp to prove that the lamp was indeed the source of incoming data.
At TED Global, Haas demonstrated a data rate of transmission of around 10Mbps -
- comparable to a fairly good UK broadband connection. Two months later he
achieved 123Mbps.

Back in 2011 German scientists succeeded in creating an 800Mbps (Megabits per second) capable
wireless network by using nothing more than normal red, blue, green and white LED light bulbs, thus the idea has
been around for awhile and various other global teams are also exploring the possibilities

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Issues Regarding Radio-spectrum
Radio Spectrum is congested but the demand for wirelesses data double each year.
Everything, it seems want to use wireless data but the capacity is drying up.

 Capacity:

In LI-FI the Bandwidth is 10000 times more than radio wave. That provides
huge range of spectrum bandwidth.

 Efficiency:

Millions of base stations for radio wave transmission and receiving on the
earth consume huge amount of energy for transmitting the radio waves and
to cool the base station cabins. It gives only 5% Efficiency. In case of LI-FI
it does not consume energy as compare to other waves. It is very cheap.

 Availability:

Radio waves are available within the range of Base stations which make it
limited availability. It is unavailable in aircrafts because of interference of wave
cause crash. But LI-Fi does not produce interference and provide user a perfect
communication channel for accessing internet telephone, watching movies
online.

 Security:

Radio wave penetrates walls which cause security laps. Any one access to the
private network of any one and use their data, login to their secure region.

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 VLC vs RF Communication
 Limited Transmission Power: In RF communications, the electric
transmission power cannot be increased beyond a prescribed level as it
poses serious health hazards for human body.
 Regulated Spectrum: Due to the radio wave restriction, there is no room to
use more radio frequencies. In addition, the use of radio spectrum is
regulated.
 Banned in Sensitive Areas: The radio wave cannot be used in hospitals and
Space stations because it adversely acts the performance of precision
instruments. These radio wave problems above are easily solved by use of the
visible light communications.
All these problems can be solved using visible light communications. This can be
accredited to the high available bandwidth, high data rates, high transmission
power, health-friendly operation and lower implementation costs of this
technology.

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Working of LI-FI
This brilliant idea was first showcased by Harald Haas from University of
Edinburgh, UK, in his TED Global talk on VLC. He explained,” Very simple, if
the LED is on, you transmit a digital 1, if it’s off you transmit a 0. The LEDs can
be switched on and off very quickly, which gives nice opportunities for
transmitting data.” So what you require at all are some LEDs and a controller that
code data into those LEDs. We have to just vary the rate at which the LED’s
flicker depending upon the data we want to encode. Further enhancements can be
made in this method, like using an array of LEDs for parallel data transmission, or
using mixtures of red, green and blue LEDs to alter the light’s frequency with each
frequency encoding a different data channel. Such advancements promise a
theoretical speed of 10 Gbps – meaning you can download a full high-definition
film in just 30 seconds. Simply awesome! But blazingly fast data rates and
depleting bandwidths worldwide are not the only reasons that give this technology
an upper hand. Since Li-Fi uses just the light, it can be used safely in aircrafts and
hospitals that are prone to interference from radio waves. This can even work
underwater where Wi-Fi fails completely, thereby throwing open endless
opportunities for military operations.
Imagine only needing to hover under a street lamp to get public internet access, or
downloading a movie from the lamp on your desk. There's a new technology on the
block which could, quite literally as well as metaphorically, 'throw light on' how to
meet the ever-increasing demand for high-speed wireless connectivity. Radio
waves are replaced by light waves in a new method of data transmission which is
being called Li -Fi. Light-emitting diodes can be switched on and off faster than
the human eye can detect, causing the light source to appear to be on continuously.
A flickering light can be incredibly annoying, but has turned out to have its upside,
being precisely what makes it possible to use light for wireless data transmission.

15
Light-emitting diodes (commonly referred to as LEDs and found in traffic and
street lights, car brake lights, remote control units and countless other applications)
can be switched on and off faster than the human eye can detect, causing the light
source to appear to be on continuously, even though it is in fact 'flickering'. This
invisible on-off activity enables a kind of data transmission using binary codes:
switching on an LED is a logical '1',
switching it off is a logical '0'. Information
can therefore be encoded in the light by varying the rate at which the LEDs flicker
on and off to give different strings of 1s and 0s. This method of using rapid pulses
of light to transmit information wirelessly is technically referred to as Visible Light
Communication (VLC), though it’s potential to compete with conventional Wi-Fi
has inspired the popular characterization Li-Fi.

VLC is a data communication medium, which uses visible light between 400 THz
(780 nm) and 800 THz (375 nm) as optical
carrier for data transmission and
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illumination. It uses fast pulses of light to transmit information wirelessly. The
main components of this communication system are

1) A high brightness white LED, Which acts as a communication source and

2) A silicon photodiode which shows good response to visible wavelength region
serving as the receiving element?

LED can be switched on and off to generate digital strings of 1s and 0s. Data can
be encoded in the light to generate a new data stream by varying the flickering rate
of the LED. To be clearer, by modulating the LED light with the data signal, the
LED illumination can be used as a communication source. As the flickering rate is
so fast, the LED output appears constant to the human eye. A data rate of greater
than 100 Mbps is possible by using high speed LEDs with appropriate
multiplexing techniques. VLC data rate can be increased by parallel data
transmission using LED arrays where each LED transmits a different data stream.
There are reasons to prefer LED as the light source in VLC while a lot of other
illumination devices like fluorescent lamp, incandescent bulb etc. are available.
Light is inherently safe and can be used in places where radio frequency
communication is often deemed problematic, such as in aircraft cabins or hospitals.
So visible light communication not only has the potential to solve the problem of
lack of spectrum space, but can also enable novel application. The visible light
spectrum is unused; it's not regulated, and can be used for communication at very
high speeds.

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Technology Brief:-

LI-FI CONSTRUCTION:-

The LI-FI™ product consists of 4 primary sub-assemblies:

• Bulb
• RF power amplifier circuit (PA)
• Printed circuit board (PCB)
• Enclosure

The PCB controls the electrical inputs and outputs of the lamp and houses the
microcontroller used to manage different lamp functions.
An RF (radio-frequency) signal is generated by the solid-state PA and is guided
into an electric field about the bulb.
The high concentration of energy in the electric field vaporizes the contents of the
bulb to a plasma state at the bulb’s center; this controlled plasma generates an
intense source of light. All of these sub assemblies are contained in an aluminum
enclosure.

Transmitters:
The following components are used at the transmitting side:
1. Colored LEDs
2. Mosfets
3. RS232 line driver IC
4. USB to RS232 coverter cable

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 5. Voltage Regulator

 Colored LEDs
An array of Red, Green and Blue LEDs are used at the transmitter end as visible
light sources. They are connected as loads in the transistor circuitry. They are high
power and emit a focused beam. Each color is used to carry a different data stream.
 MOSFETs
A high speed N-type power MOSFET IRF 520 is used to modulate the LEDs using
OOK (On off Keying). The serial output from the computer is converted into TTL
Compatible form and is then applied to the gate of the transistor. Thus, it switches
the load (LEDs) on and off in accordance with the input data 4.3.1.3 RS232 line
driver
Since the output of computer is RS232 compatible, a 16 pin RS232 line driver IC
MAX 232 is used to make the computer output TTL level compatible to drive the
transistor circuit carrying through LED load..
 USB to RS232 converter cable
In laptops, serial port is not available. Since data is to be transmitted serially
between the two computers, a USB to RS232 converter cable is used to interface
the serial output from MAX 232 IC to the laptop using the built-in USB port. This
cable contains an embedded controller to conform the RS232 compatible data into
USB protocol compatible form.
 Voltage Regulator
A voltage regulator is used to supply constant voltage (5V) to MAX232 IC.A 3 pin
7805 IC is used to serve the purpose.

Every kind of light source can theoretically be used as transmitting device for
VLC. However, some are better suited than others. For instance, incandescent

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lights quickly break down when switched on and o_ frequently. These are thus not
recommended as VLC transmitters. More promising alternatives are fluorescent
lights and LEDs. VLC transmitters are usually also used for providing illumination
of the rooms in which they are used. This makes fluorescent lights a particularly
popular choice, because they can flicker quickly enough to transmit a meaningful
amount of data and are already widely used for illumination purposes. However,
with an ever-rising market share of LEDs and further technological improvements
such as higher brightness and spectral clarity. LEDs are expected to replace
fluorescent lights as illumination sources and VLC transmitters.
The simplest form of LEDs is those which consist of a bluish to ultraviolet LED
surrounded by phosphorus which is then stimulated by the actual LED and emits
white light. This leads to data rates up to 40 Mbit/s.
RGB LEDs do not rely on phosphorus any more to generate white light. They
come with three distinct LEDs (a red, a blue and a green one) which, when lighting
up at the same time, emit light that humans perceive as white. Because there is no
delay by stimulating phosphorus rust, Data rates of up to 100 MBit/s can be
achieved using RGB LEDs.
In recent years the development of resonant cavity LEDs (RCLEDs) has advanced
considerably. These are similar to RGB LEDs in that they are comprised of three
distinct LEDs, but in addition they are fitted with Bragg mirrors which enhance the
spectral clarity to such a degree that emitted light can be modulated at very high
frequencies. In early 2010, Siemens has shown that data transmission at a rate of
500MBit/s is possible with this approach.
It should be noted that VLC will probably not be used for massive data
transmission. High data rates as the ones referred to above, were reached under
meticulous Set ups which cannot be expected to be reproduced in real-life
scenarios. One can expect to see data rates of about 5 kbit/s in average

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applications, such as location estimation. The distance in which VLC can be
expected to be reasonably used ranges up to about 6 meters.

Figure show, Solid state LED and fluorescent bulb used as transmitter

Receivers:
The following components are used at the receiving side:
1. Optical Receiver
2. Optical Filters
3. Voltage Regulator
4. RS232 line driver IC
5. USB to RS232 converter cable

 Optical Receiver
A 6 pin fiber optic receiving module TORX 173 is used as the light sensing device.
On receiving light pulses, it gives a high output whereas the output goes low in the
absence of light.
 Optical Filters

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Red, green and blue light filters are used at the receiver to de multiplex the
multiple data streams. These are sharp narrowband filters. A red light filter allows
the frequency band corresponding to red color to pass through it and blocks all
other wavelengths. Thus, when a red light filters is placed in front of the optical
receiver, only the data stream carried by the red beam falls at the receiver while the
other streams are blocked. Similarly, blue or green light filters can be used to allow
the desired data stream to reach the receiver.
 Voltage Regulator
A voltage regulator is used to supply constant voltage (5V) to TORX 173.A 3 pin
7805 IC is used to serve the purpose.
 RS232 line driver
Since the output of TORX 173 is TTL level compatible, a 16 pin RS232 line driver
IC MAX 232 is used to make the output RS232 compatible so that the receiving
module can be interfaced to the computer.
 USB to RS232 converter cable
In laptops, serial port is not available. Since data is to be transmitted serially
between the two computers, a USB to RS232 converter cable is used to interface
the serial output from MAX 232 IC to the laptop using the built-in USB port. This
cable contains an embedded controller to conform the RS232 compatible data into
USB protocol compatible form

The most common choice of receivers are photodiodes which turn light into
electrical pulses. The signal retrieved in this way can then be demodulated into
actual data. In more complex VLC-based scenarios, such as Image Sensor
Communication even CMOS or CCD sensors are used (which are usually built into
digital cameras).

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 Figure show, receiver such as Avalanche Photo Diode and Image sensor

Modulation:

In order to actually send out data via LEDs, such as pictures or audio files, it is
necessary to modulate these into a carrier signal. In the context of visible light
communication, this carrier signal consists of light pulses sent out in short
intervals.
How these are exactly interpreted depends on the chosen modulation scheme, two
of which will be presented in this section. At first, a scheme called subcarrier pulse
position modulation is presented which is already established as VLC-standard by
the VLCC. The second modulation scheme to be addressed is called frequency
shift Keying, commonly referred to as FSK. They also explore how to combine
pulse-position modulation with illumination control.

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How It’s Different

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LI-FI technology is base on LEDs for transfer of data. The transfer of data can be with the help
of all kinds of light can belong to the invisible, ultraviolet or the visible part of the spectrum.
The speed of internet is incredibly high and we can download movies, games, music etc in just a
few minutes with the help of this technology. Also, this technology removes limitation that has
been put on the user by the Wi-Fi. We don’t need to in a region that is WI-FI enabled to have
access to the internet. We can simply stand under any form of light and surf the internet as the
connection is made in case of any light presence. There cannot be anything better than this
technology.

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 Economic value

 A free band that does not need license.

 High installment cost but very low maintenance cost.
 Cheaper than Wi-Fi.
 Theoretical speed up to 1 GB per second : Less time & energy consumption.
 No more monthly broadband bills.
 Lower electricity costs.
 Longevity of LED bulb: saves money.
 Light doesn't penetrate through walls: secured access.

Limitations

The main problem is that light can't pass through objects, so if the receiver is
inadvertently blocked in any way, then the signal will immediately cut out. "If the
light signal is blocked, or when you need to use your device to send information --
you can seamlessly switch back over to radio waves", Harald says.
Reliability and network coverage are the major issues to be considered by the
companies while providing VLC services. Interferences from external light
sources like sun light, normal bulbs; and opaque materials in the path of
transmission will cause interruption in the communication. High installation cost of
the VLC systems can be complemented by large-scale implementation of VLC
though Adopting VLC technology will reduce further operating costs like
electricity charges, maintenance charges etc.

Application area of LI-FI technology

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It can be used in the places where it is difficult to lay the optical fibres like
hospitals. In operation theatre Li Fi can be used for modern medical
instruments.

 Airways:-

Whenever we travel through airways we face the problem in

communication media, because the whole airways communication
are performed on the basis of radio waves.
To overcome this drawback on radio wave, li-fi is introduced.

 Green information technology:-

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 Green information technology means that unlike radio waves
and other communication waves affects on the birds, human body etc.
Li-Fi never gives such side effects on any living thing.

 Free From Frequency Bandwidth Problem:-

Li-fi is a communication media in the form of light, so no
matter about the frequency bandwidth problem. It does not require the
any bandwidth spectrum i.e. we don’t need to pay any amount for
communication and license.

 Increase Communication Safety:-

Due to visual light communication, the node or any terminal
attach to our network is visible to the host of network.

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  Multi User Communication:-
Li-Fi supports the broadcasting of network; it helps to share
multiple things at a single instance called broadcasting.

 Lightings Points Used as Hotspot in Smart Homes

and Offices:.

Any lightings device is performed as a hotspot it means that the light device like
car lights, ceiling lights, street lamps etc area able to spread internet connectivity
using visual light communication. This helps us to low cost architecture for
hotspot. Hotspot is a limited region in which some amount of device can access the
internet connectivity.

 Smarter Power Plants:-

Wi-Fi and many other radiation types are bad for sensitive areas. Like
those surrounding power plants. But power plants need fast, inter-
connected data systems to monitor things like demand, grid integrity and
(in nuclear plants) core temperature. The savings from proper monitoring

30
at a single power plant can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Li-
Fi could offer safe, abundant connectivity for all areas of these sensitive
locations. Not only would this save money related to currently
implemented solutions, but the draw on a power plant’s own reserves
could be lessened if they haven’t yet converted to LED lighting.

 Undersea Awesomeness:-

Underwater ROVs, those favourite toys of treasure seekers and James

Cameron, operate from large cables that supply their power and allow them
to receive signals from their pilots above. ROVs work great, except when
the tether isn’t long enough to explore an area, or when it gets stuck on

31
something. If their wires were cut and replaced with light — say from a
Submerged, high-powered lamp — then they would be much free to
explore. They could also use their headlamps to communicate with each
other, processing data autonomously and referring findings periodically
back to the surface, all the while obtaining their next batch of orders.

It Could Keep You Informed and Save Lives

Say there’s an earthquake or a hurricane. Take your pick — it’s a wacky

city. The average people may not know what the protocols are for those
kinds of disasters. Until they pass under a street light, that is. Remember,
with Li-Fi, if there’s light, you’re online. Subway stations and tunnels,
common dead zones for most emergency communications, pose no
obstruction. Plus, in times less stressing cities could opt to provide cheap
high-speed Web access to every street corner. It can be used in petroleum

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 or chemical plants where other transmission or frequencies could be
hazardous.

Traffic Signals
In traffic signals Li Fi can be used which will communicate with the LED
lights of the cars and accident numbers can be decreased. Thousand and
millions of street lamps can be transferred to LiFi lamps to transfer data.

Challenging Problems
 Connectivity while moving

 Multiuser support

 Dimming

 Shadowing

Solutions to Challenging problems

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  Solution for connectivity

This problem is similar to the connectivity problem in cellular network when you
move from one area of the city to another area while speaking with cell-phone. The
solution is called “handover”, using which the user is transferred from one BS to
another Handover is done in the area that two BS’s have common coverage.
Similar solution can be used in signal processing domain for VLC. The user can be
transferred from one light source to another in the area that is under the coverage
of both

Solution for multiuser support

In this problem one solution is time division multiplexing (TDM). Each frame is
divided into equal time slots. Each user transmits data in one time slot in a
predefined order. The other solution is code division multiple access (CDMA).
Codes are assigned to users. Each user transmits its data using the assigned
signature pattern. It is used in 3G and 4G cellular networks. CDMA has been
adopted and developed for optical systems. Optical orthogonal codes (OOC) are
used as signature pattern for users.

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  Solution for shadowing

As shown before, the impulse response in VLC systems has two parts. When the
line-of-sight (LOS) part (which is received via direct path) is blocked, the impulse
response is only the second part. Then the data can be recovered using the second
part which is indeed the received data from the indirect paths (multipath signal)

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 CONCLUSION
The possibilities are numerous and can be explored further. If his technology
can be put into practical use, every bulb can be used something like a Wi-Fi
hotspot to transmit wireless data and we will proceed toward the cleaner, greener,
safer and brighter future. The concept of Li-Fi is currently attracting a great deal of
interest, not least because it may offer a genuine and very efficient alternative to
radio-based wireless. As a growing number of people and their many devices
access wireless internet, the airwaves are becoming increasingly clogged, making

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it more and more difficult to get a reliable, high-speed signal. This may solve
issues such as the shortage of radio-frequency bandwidth and also allow internet
where traditional radio based wireless isn’t allowed such as aircraft or hospitals.
One of the shortcomings however is that it only work in direct line of sight.

References:-

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li-Fi
2. teleinfobd.blogspot.in/2012/01/what-is-lifi.html
3. technopits.blogspot.comtechnology.cgap.org/2012/01/11/a-lifi-world/
4. www.lificonsortium.org/
5. the-gadgeteer.com/2011/08/29/li-fi-internet-at-thespeed-of-light/
6. www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/entries/Li-Fi.html
7. dvice.com/archives/2012/08/lifi-ten-ways-i.php
8. Will Li-Fi be the new Wi-Fi?, New Scientist, by Jamie Condliffe, dated 28 July 2011

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9. http://www.digplanet.com/wiki/Li-Fi
10. ”Visible-light communication: Tripping the light
11. fantastic: A fast and cheap optical version of Wi-Fi is coming”, Economist, dated
28Jan 2012

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