Imagine if a single light bulb provided not only light, but also high-speed Internet access. Li-Fi technology is viable and closer than we think.
Today, the vast majority of devices we use at home or work access the Internet via Wi-Fi—a wireless technology slightly over 20 years old that many of us could not live without, despite the benefits of 4G (and, in the future, 5G). Curiously, both technologies share the same foundation: the electromagnetic spectrum, albeit at different frequencies.
Although upcoming Wi-Fi 6 and 5G technologies promise simultaneous connections for a greater number of devices than current standards, the electromagnetic spectrum dedicated to these wireless technologies is finite—meaning it will inevitably saturate sooner or later. The solution? Turning to alternative technologies like Li-Fi.
Li-Fi, short for Light Fidelity, is a technology introduced in 2011 that already features highly mature projects available on the market. In simple terms, Li-Fi aims to deliver wireless connectivity through light. Despite being a very young technology, it has already achieved connections that are faster, more stable, and more secure than Wi-Fi (since, unlike Wi-Fi, Li-Fi signals are confined to a specific physical space, making them much harder to intercept or interfere with).
It will still take a few years for Li-Fi to compete on equal terms with Wi-Fi. Currently, most major projects are targeted at large companies and industries, primarily due to cost and the required infrastructure. In any case, below are some practical examples of Li-Fi products currently available on the market.
Trulifi by Signify
The Dutch company Signify—formerly Philips Lighting—has its own line of Li-Fi products under the brand name Trulifi, currently available for businesses, industrial sectors, and public organizations.
Its first Li-Fi product, Trulifi 6001, was launched in 2018. It offers speeds of 30 Mbps with a coverage radius of 2 meters and comes integrated into a ceiling LED panel. Since 2019, two new products have been available: Trulifi 6002 and Trulifi 6013. The former offers speeds of up to 150 Mbps at a range of 2 meters, while the latter delivers 250 Mbps at a distance of up to 8 meters.
In all cases, the only requirements are the transmitting device and a receiver unit that connects to any device via USB. In addition to the speeds mentioned above, these systems feature AES 128-bit encryption.
LiFiMAX, GEOLiFi, and MyLiFi by Oledcomm
From France comes Oledcomm, a company offering several Li-Fi products, including lamps, light bulbs, and accessories.
Its LiFi Discovery Kit, for example, includes a router, a flexible lamp, a mobile app, a desk lamp with a USB receiver, and a ceiling panel—also with its own receiver. Its newer product, the MyLiFi bi-directional desk lamp, provides 13W lighting alongside a connection speed of 23 Mbps. It includes a USB receiver compatible with both USB-A and USB-C.
Additionally, its business-oriented LiFiMAX line supports simultaneous access for up to 16 users with download speeds reaching up to 100 Mbps.
