INTRODUCTION

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 transceiverfitted 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.

More sophisticated techniques could dramatically increase VLC data rates.

Teams at the University of Oxford and the University of Edinburgh 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.

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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 fibre out of fibre 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, smartphones, 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 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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 LITERATURE SURVEY
[1] A visible light image transmission approach was proposed by
Mahendran:

He used an ARM microcontroller with serial communication capabilities for

data transfer. His image transmission using LiFi technology was also
discussed by Mohit Vasuja, A.K. Mishra. The authors used infrared (IR) light
for image transmission and a photodiode for image reception. The selected
image is first converted to black and white format and scaled to fit the size
of the graphical liquid crystal display (GLCD). The microcontroller converts
the image data into binary format using OOK modulation technique. IR-LED
transmits the binary data received from the photodiode. Then in the decoding
unit the microcontroller converts the binary data and displays the image on
his GLCD. Performance is evaluated by calculating bit error rate (BER) and
bit rate (76,800 bps). Enables vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication
using the headlights and taillights of cars running on the road. By using V2V
communication, it can detect emergency vehicles such as ambulances, fire
engines, and police cars, send warning messages to traffic lights, and help
control traffic.

[2] SOMESH KUMAR SINGH & SAKAR GUPTA, Dept. of Computer

Science and Engineering, Poornima College of Engineering, Jaipur:

The possibilities are numerous and can be explored further, this technology
is in manufacturing process to produce every bulb to become a Wi-Fi hotspot
to transmit wireless data and we will proceed towards the cleaner greener
,safer and brighter future without radio wave ,because radio waves create a
harmful effect for living thing ,but Li-Fi is the optical wireless
communication for data ,audio and video streaming in LEDs, this type of
new invention can be encouraged to produce a safe and green technology. Li-
Fi may not be able to replace conventional radios altogether, but it could
turbo charge the development of wireless television and make it easier to
throw a wireless signal across an entire house. At present, finding the ideal
position for a wireless router is something of a divine art. If the signal could
be passed via VLC from Point A to Point B inside a home, small local routers
at both points could create local fields with less chance of overlapping and
interfering with each other. Large scale areas that are saturated with radio
signals or that doesn’t permit them for security reasons could use LiFi as an
alternate high-speed wireless network solution.

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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.

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 How Li-Fi Works?

Li-Fi is typically implemented using white LED light bulbs at the downlink
transmitter. These devices are normally used for illumination only by
applying a constant current. However, by fast and subtle variations of the
current, the optical output can be made to vary at extremely high speeds. This
very property of optical current is used in Li-Fi setup. The operational
procedure is 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. Hence all that is required is
some LEDs and a controller that code data into those LEDs. All one has to
do is to 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 one can download a full high-definition film in
just 30 seconds.

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 How it is different?

Li-Fi technology is based on LEDs for the transfer of data. The transfer of
the data can be with the help of all kinds of light, no matter the part of the
spectrum that they belong. That is, the light can belong to the invisible,
ultraviolet or the visible part of the spectrum. Also, the speed of the internet
is incredibly high and you can download movies, games, music etc in just a
few minutes with the help of this technology. Also, the technology removes
limitations that have been put on the user by the Wi-Fi. You no more need to
be in a region that is Wi-Fi enabled to have access to the internet. You 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.
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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 Advantages of LI-FI

• Li-Fi can solve problems related to the insufficiency of radio frequency

bandwidth because this technology uses Visible light spectrum that has still
not been greatly utilized.

• High data transmission rates of up to 10Gbps can be achieved.

• Since light cannot penetrate walls, it provides privacy and security that Wi-
Fi cannot.

• Li-Fi has low implementation and maintenance costs.

• It is safe for humans since light, unlike radio frequencies, cannot penetrate
human body. Hence, concerns of cell mutation are mitigated.

Disadvantages of LI-FI

• Light can't pass through objects.

• A major challenge facing Li-Fi is how the receiving device will transmit
back to transmitter.

• High installation cost of the VLC systems.

• Interferences from external light sources like sun, light, normal bulbs,
opaque materials.

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 Applications of Li-Fi Technology

• You Might Just Live Longer:

You Might Just Live Longer For a long time, medical technology has
lagged behind the rest of the wireless world. Operating rooms do not
allow Wi-Fi over radiation concerns, and there is also that whole lack
of dedicated spectrum. Li-Fi solves both problems: lights are not only
allowed in operating rooms, but tend to be the most glaring fixtures
in the room. And, as Haas mentions in his TED Talk, Li-Fi has 10,000
times the spectrum of Wi-Fi.

• Airlines:
Airline Wi-Fi. Ugh. Nothing says captive audience like having to pay
for the "service" of dialup speed Wi-Fi on the plane. And don’t get me
started on the pricing. Li-Fi could easily introduce that sort of speed
to each seat's reading light.

• 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 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.

• It Could Keep You Informed and Save Lives:

Say there’s an earthquake in New York. Or a hurricane. Take your pick
—it’s a wacky city. The average New Yorker 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 stresssing
cities could opt to provide cheap high speed Web access to every street
corner.

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 CONCLUTION

• The possibilities are numerous and can be explored further if this

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 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] Xu Bao • Guanding Yu • Jisheng Dai • Xiaorong Zhu(2015). Li-Fi: Light

Fidelity-A Survey. _ Springer Science + Business Media New York.

[2] Shinichiro Haruyama Graduate School Of System Design And

Management, Keio University (2012). Advances In Visible Light
Communication Technologies. IEEE Publications Optical Communications
(Ecoc), 38th European Conference And Exhibition.

[3] Hany Elgala And Thomas D. C. Little (2014). OFDM Spectral And
Energy Efficient OFDM for Optical Systems. IEEE 25th International
Symposium On Personal, Indoor And Mobile Radio Communications.