Appendix C: Wireless Optics 427

Appendix C
Wireless Optics

The wireless optics holds great potential for fixed wireless communications as well as for other
wireless applications. In spite of all other technology developments, wireless optics has promised an
economical alternative to last mile connection solution in the wireless domain. The concept of wireless
optics was originally developed over few decades ago by the military. An optical wireless technology,
also known as free space optics (FSO) technology, provides broadband data communication links
between line-of-sight (point-to-point) locations.
Wireless optics (sometimes called fibreless optics) is an optical, wireless, line-of-sight, point-to-
point, broadband technology. It basically uses infrared transmission instead of RF in the unlicensed
higher frequency spectrum above 300 GHz. FSO signals are transmitted using low-power infrared
beams (invisible) through free space, thereby limiting the coverage range. Another constraint on its
usage is that the radiated power under any circumstances must not cross the specified limits in order
to avoid any visual impairment to the human eye.
Wireless optics transceivers are generally installed in the middle or upper floors, or on an open
roof of the building so that a clear line-of-sight transmission path between two stations is available.
However, in some applications, these transceivers can be mounted behind a window in an existing
office/home building.
In short, we can say that wireless optics is a matured technology based on line-of-sight propagation
which uses optical light for transmission of user information such as voice, data, image, or video
in open space. It allows optical connectivity without the use of optical fiber cables. Wireless optics
system requires a light source such as LED or a LASER at the transmitter end which is capable of
emitting a highly-focused light beam. The LASER beams are preferred in wireless optics because
of its advantages as offered in optical fiber communications. Obviously, the only difference is the
transmission medium – free space (unguided) as compared to optical fiber (guided). We know
that the light travels all the way through air only at a much faster speed than through the optical
fiber cable. Wireless optics, also referred to as open-air photonics or optical wireless or free-space
photonics (FSP), deals with propagation of modulated optical beams in visible infrared (IR) range
over air to provide broadband wireless communications. Typically, line-of-sight ranges from 100 m
to a few kilometres can be obtained at throughput bandwidths up to 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 155 Mbps
and 1250 Mbps with a possible speed up to 10 Gbps in future with the help of Wavelength Division
Multiplexing (WDM) technology. Deployment cost of wireless optics infrastructure is very less as
compare to fiber and it takes few days for its installation.

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 428 Appendix C: Wireless Optics

Issues and Challenges of Wireless Optics Links

LEDs and Infrared lights are used as a source for indoor communication link which are usually free
from environmental degradations like snow, rain, fog, etc. In Indoor environment, wireless optics
system is affected by only free space. There are two types of techniques used in Indoor wireless
optics link: Direct line-of-sight and Diffused optical beam. The direct line-of-sight transmission
requires proper alignment of transmitter and receiver without any reflection. This type of system has
low multipath dispersion; higher power efficiency; less propagation path loss and higher data rate.
However, it has certain drawbacks such as degradation of system performance due to shadowing effect
and harmful for human eyes. Whereas diffused optical beam configuration does not necessitate any
line-of-sight requirement. The optical signal is propagated from transmitter to receiver after passing
through so many reflections. But it suffers from increased propagation path loss, thereby requiring
more transmitting power levels. There is another limitation due to multipath dispersion phenomenon
because transmitted optical signal follows different paths due to reflections from nearby objects,
electrical appliances, walls, etc.
In Indoor optical wireless systems, intersymbol interference problem becomes more predominant
at higher data rate. Ambient light is the main source of noise which is a combination of incandescent
and fluorescent light and several other sources of noise. In indoor optical wireless systems, shadowing
effect, background interference, and eye safety are the main concerns.
In Outdoor wireless optics link, absorption of transmitted optical signal takes place due to
weather conditions and atmospheric factors like snow, rain, fog, presence of water droplets, etc. The
scattering of light beam depends upon the operating wavelength and the size of scattering elements.
The availability of channel and bandwidth vary randomly with time. So, it is required for receiver
to make the possible changes so that it can cope up with the channel variations. Another solution is
to use the Fractal modulation in which the spectral efficiency is kept constant over a wide range of
ratio of data ret and bandwidth ratios while using fixed transmitter configurations. In order to solve
the misaligned problem in between transmitter and receiver, an array of detectors can be used to
achieve high signal-to-noise ratio. Adaptive equalizers can be used to reduce multipath scattering.
The problem of misalignment between transmitter and receiver due to obstacles like buildings, birds,
wind, earthquake etc. can be improved by using beam diverging, auto tracking capabilities and by
increasing transmitted power at the input. Scintillation is a type of fluctuation which causes due to
the heated air that rises from the earth, sun-rays or man-made structures including heating ducts.
However, its impact can be minimized by using larger photodiode at the receiver to ensure that the
signal is properly received. It also reduces the wave front distortion of optical signal which is caused
by the scintillation.

Advantages of Wireless Optics

• Lower cost. The installation cost of wireless optics infrastructure is significantly less as compared
to that of fiber-optic cables or even leasing lines from a local service provider.
• Faster Installation. The wireless optics infrastructure can be installed in few days or weeks,
compared to months or sometimes years for installation of fiber-optics cables.
• Flexible data transmission speed. The data transmission speeds can be appropriately scaled as
per the user’s needs, ranging from 10 Mbps to 1.25 Gbps. This enables the potential users not

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 Appendix C: Wireless Optics 429

to pay high premium for unused capacity, if high data transmission speeds are not required for
his application.
• High data security. Since IR transmissions cannot be as easily decoded or interpreted as RF
transmissions, the wireless optics technology offers distinct advantage in providing reasonably
high data security.

Disadvantages associated with Wireless Optics

• Atmospheric conditions like snow and fog can have an adverse impact on wireless optics
transmissions. In regions of heavy and frequent fogs, the range is sometimes limited to 200-500
meters only.
• Signal interference caused by may be due to birds flying through IR beam and blocking it.
• Towers and tall buildings and can sway due to thunder-storms, seismic activity such as
earthquakes, and so on, which may affect the direction of the IR beam.

Applications of using Wireless Optics Technology

• Last mile connection – The last mile connection is the communication link between a
potential user and service provider. The wireless optics can be deployed in high-speed wireless
communication data links between existing telecommunication networks such as the Internet
service providers (ISPs) and the end-users.
• LAN connections – The wireless optics devices can be easily installed to offer a viable solution
for interconnecting segments of LAN that are housed in different buildings of a corporate house
or university campus.
• Fiber-optic backup – The wireless optics can be deployed as a back-up fiber-optic cables in
case of temporarily break-down.
• Backhaul – The wireless optics can serve the purpose of carrying cell-phone traffic from cell-
site antenna towers (base stations) to existing wired facilities offered by the public-switched
telecommunications network.

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