A Technical Seminar report submitted on

“Li-Fi TECHNOLOGY”

A partial fulfilment of the requirement for the

Award of the Degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY IN

ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

SUBMITTED By

[Link] (21671A7226)

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

J.B. INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
UGC AUTONOMOUS
(Accredited by NAAC & NBA, Approved by AICTE & Permanently affiliated by JNTUH)
Yenkapally, Moinabad mandal, R.R. Dist-75 (TS) 2020-2024

1
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This is to acknowledgement of the intensive drive and technical competence of many

individuals who have contributed to the success of our dissertation.

I would like to sincerely thank to our internal guide, Fouzia Sulthana, Assistant Professor
who stimulated many thoughts for this seminar and Staff-Members of Department of AI&DS
for their goodwill gestures towards me.

I am very grateful to Dr. Roshan Kavuri , Professor & HOD, AI&DS who has not only shown
at most patience, but fertile in suggestions, vigilant in directions of error and who have been
infinitely helpful.

I wish to express deepest gratitude and thanks to Principal Dr. P.C. KRISHNAMA CHARY for his
constant support and encouragement in providing all the facilities in the college to do the seminar work.

Sincerely Yours

[Link]
(21671A7226)

2
 CERTIFICATE

This Is to Certify That This Technical Seminar Report Entitled

“Li-Fi TECHNOLOGY”

By

[Link] (21671A7226)

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of

Technology in Electronics and Communication Engineering at JB Institute of
Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, during the Academic Year 2024-
2025, is a Bonafide record work carried out by his/her under our guidance and
supervision. The results embodied in this report have not been submitted to any
other university or Institution for the award of any degree.

Mrs. Fouzia Sulthana Dr. Roshan Kavuri

Assistant Professor Professor
Internal guide HOD-AIDS

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 DECLARATION

I declare that this technical seminar report titled “Li-Fi Technology” submitted in
partial fulfilment of the degree of [Link] in (electronics and communication) is
a record of original work carried out by us and has not formed the basis for the
award of any other degree or diploma, in this or any other institution or university.
In keeping with the ethical practice in reporting scientific information, due
acknowledgements have been made wherever the findings of others have been
cited.

[Link]
21671A7226
(21671A7226)

4
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents Page Number
1. Abstract 6
2. Introduction 7
3. Working Technology 9
4. Comparison Between Wi-fi and Li-fi 12
technology

5. How it is different? 13
6. Applications 14
7. Genesis of Li-Fi 16
8. History 18
9. Construction 26
10. Challenges in Li-Fi 31
11. Future Scope 32
12. Conclusion 33
13. Reference 34

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 ABSTRACT

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 have 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.
One germen phycist. Harald Haas has come up with a solution he calls "data through
illumination"-taking the fibber out of fibre optic by sending data through an LED light bulb
that varies in intensity faster than the human eye can follow. It's the same idea band behind
infrared remote controls but far more powerful. Haas says his invention, which he calls
DLIGHT, 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 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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 INTRODUCTION

Li-Fi is transmission of data through illumination by taking the fibre out of fibre 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 metres.

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.

7
 Fig.1 Li-Fi Technology

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.

8
 WORKING TECHNOLOGY

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. 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

9
Communication (VLC), though it's potential to compete with conventional Wi-Fi has inspired
the popular characterization Li-Fi.

Visible light communication (VLC)-"A potential solution to the global wireless spectrum
shortage"

Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) is a fast and cheap optical version of Wi-Fi, the technology of which is
based on Visible Light Communication (VLC). 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 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.

10
Fig 2. Data transmission using LED

11
 COMPARISION BETWEEN Li-Fi & Wi-Fi

LI-FI is a term of one used to describe visible light communication technology applied to high
speed wireless communication. It acquired this name due to the similarity to WI-FI, only using
light instead of radio. WI-FI is great for general wireless coverage within buildings, and li-fi is
ideal for high density wireless data coverage in confined area and for relieving radio
interference issues, so the two technologies can be considered complimentary.

Table 1. Comparison between current and future wireless technology

The table also contains the current wireless technologies that can be used for transferring data
between devices today, i.e. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and IrDA, Only Wi-Fi currently offers very high
data rates. The IEEE 802.11.n in most implementations provides up to 150Mbit/s (in theory the
standard can go to 600Mbit/s) although in practice you receive considerably less than this. Note
that one out of three of these is an optical technology.

How it is different?
12
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 ete 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.

Fig 3. Working and advantages

13
 APPLICATIONS OF LI-FI:-

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. While Wi-Fi is in place in many hospitals, interference from cell phones and
computers can block signals from monitoring equipment. Li-Fi solves both problems: lights
are not only allowed in operating rooms, but tend to be the most glaring (pun intended) fixtures
in the room. And, as Haas mentions in his TED Talk, Li-Fi has 10,000 times the spectrum of
Wi-Fi, so maybe we can, I don't know, delegate red light to priority medical data. Code Red!

Airlines:

Airline Wi-Fi. Ugh. Nothing says captive audience like having to pay for the "service" of dial-
up speed Wi-Fi on the plane. And don't get me started on the pricing. The best I've heard so far
is that passengers will "soon" be offered a "high-speed like" connection on some airlines.
United is planning on speeds as high as 9.8 Mbps per plane. Uh, I have twice that capacity in
my living room. And at the same price as checking a bag, I expect it. 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. 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 power and
allow them to receive signals from their pilots above. ROVs work great, except when the tether

14
isn't long enough to explore an area, or when it gets stuck on something. If their wires were cut
and replaced with light say from a submerged, high-powered lamp then they would be much
freer 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 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 stressing cities could opt to provide cheap high-speed Web
access to every street corner.

USES IN VARIOUS AREAS

Can be used in the places where it is difficult to lay the optical fibre like hospitals. In operation
theatre Li-Fi can be used for modern medical instruments. 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 Li-Fi lamps to transfer
data. In aircraft Li-Fi can be used for data transmission.

It can be used in petroleum or chemical plants where other transmission or frequencies could
be hazardous.

15
 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 Two months later he achieved 123Mbps.

Fig 4. Founder of Li-Fi Technology

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.

16
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.

To further get a grasp of Li-Fi consider an IR remote. It sends a single data stream of bits at the
rate of 10,000-20,000 bps. Now replace the IR LED with a Light Box containing a large LED
array.

Fig 5 Block Diagram of Li-Fi Technology

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 HISTORY

Professor Harald Haas, from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, is widely recognised as
the original founder of Li-Fi. He coined the term Li-Fi and is Chair of Mobile Communications
at the University of Edinburgh and co-founder of pure Li-Fi.

The general term visible light communication (VLC), includes any use of the visible light
portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to transmit information. The D-Light project at

Edinburgh's Institute for Digital Communications was funded from January 2010 to January
2012. Haas promoted this technology in his 2011 TED Global talk and helped start a company
to market it. Pure Li-Fi, formerly pure VLC, is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
firm. set up to commercialize Li-Fi products for integration with existing LED-lighting
systems.

In October 2011, 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. A number of companies offer unidirectional VLC products which is not the same as
Li-Fi.

VLC technology was exhibited in 2012 using Li-Fi. By August 2013, data rates of over 1.6
Gbps were demonstrated over a single colour LED. In September 2013, a press release said.
that Li-Fi, or VLC systems in general, do not require line-of-sight conditions. In October 2013,
it was reported Chinese manufacturers were working on Li-Fi development kits.

One part of VLC is modeled after communication protocols established by the IEEE
workgroup. However, the IEEE 802.15.7 standard is out-of-date. Specifically, the standard fails
to consider the latest technological developments in the field of optical wireless
communications, specifically with the introduction of optical orthogonal frequency-division
multiplexing (O-OFDM) modulation methods which have been optimized for data rates,
multiple-access and energy efficiency have. The introduction of O-OFDM means that a new
drive for standardization of optical wireless communications is required.

Nonetheless, the IEEE 802.15.7 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

18
and multimedia services. It takes into account the optical transmission mobility, its
compatibility with artificial lighting present in infrastructures, the devience which may be

which may be caused by interference generated by the ambient lighting. The MAC layer allows
to use 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 modulation 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 I with an OOK symbol "10", all with a DC component. The
DC component avoids the light extinction in case of an extended line of logie 0.

The first Li-Fi smartphone prototype was presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las
Vegas from January 7-10 in 2014. The phone uses Sun Partner's Wysips CONNECT, a
technique that converts light waves into usable energy, making the phone capable of receiving
and decoding signals without drawing on its battery.

Li-Fi, or light fidelity, refers to 5G visible light communication systems using light from light-
emitting diodes (LEDs) as a medium to deliver networked, mobile, high-speed communication
in a similar manner as Wi-Fi. Li-Fi could lead to the Internet of Things. which is everything
electronic being connected to the internet, with the LED lights on the electronics being used as
internet access points. The Li-Fi market is projected to have a compound of 82% from 2013 to
2018 and to be worth over $6 billion per year by 2018.

Visible light communications (VLC) signals work by switching bulbs on and off within
nanoseconds, which is too quickly to be noticed by the human eye. Although Li-Fi bulbs would
have to be kept on to transmit data, the bulbs could be dimmed to the point that they were not
visible to humans and yet still functional. The light waves cannot penetrate walls which makes
a much shorter range, though more secure from hacking, relative to Wi-Fi. Direct line of sight
isn't necessary for Li-Fi to transmit signal and light reflected off of the walls can achieve 70
Mbps.

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Li-Fi has the advantage of being able to be used in electromagnetic sensitive areas such as in
aircraft cabins, hospitals and nuclear power plants without causing electromagnetic
interference. Both Wi-Fi and Li-Fi transmit data over the electromagnetic spectrum. but
whereas Wi-Fi utilises radio waves, Li-Fi uses visible light. While the US Federal
Communications Commission has warned of a potential spectrum crisis because Wi-Fi is close
to full capacity, Li-Fi has almost no limitations on capacity. The visible light spectrum is 10,000
times larger than the entire radio frequency spectrum. Researchers have reached data rates of
over 10 Gbps, which is more than 250 times faster than superfast broadband. Li-Fi is expected
to be ten times cheaper and more environmentally friendly than Wi-Fi. Short range, low
reliability and high installation costs are the potential downsides.

'Li-fi' via LED light bulb data speed break through

UK researchers say they have achieved data transmission speeds of 10Gbit/s via "li-fi" -
wireless internet connectivity using light.

20
The researchers used a micro-LED light bulb to transmit 3.5Gbit/s via each of the three primary
colours red, green, blue that make up white light.

This means over 10Gbit/s is possible. Li-fi is an emerging technology that could see specialised
LED lights bulbs providing low-cost wireless internet connectivity almost everywhere.

Fig.6 Micro-LEDs can transmit large amounts of digital data in parallel

High speed
The research, known as the ultra-parallel visible light communications project, is a joint venture
between the universities of Edinburgh, St Andrews, Strathclyde, Oxford, and Cambridge, and
funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

The tiny micro-LED bulbs, developed by the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, allow streams
of light to be beamed in parallel, each multiplying the amount of data that can be transmitted
at any one time.

"If you think of a shower head separating water out into parallel streams, that's how we can
make light behave," said Prof Harald Haas, an expert in optical wireless communications at the
University of Edinburgh and one of the project leaders.

Using a digital modulation technique called Orthogonal Frequency Divisional Multiplexing

(OFDM), researchers enabled micro-LED light bulbs to handle millions of changes in light
intensity per second, effectively behaving like an extremely fast on/off switch.

This allows large chunks of binary data a series of ones and zeros to be transmitted at high
speed.

21
Earlier this year, Germany's Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute claimed that data rates of up
to 1Gbit/s per LED light frequency were possible in laboratory conditions. And this month,
Chinese scientists reportedly developed a microchipped LED bulb that can produce data speeds
of up to 150 megabits per second (Mbps), with one bulb providing internet connectivity for
four computers.

'Light fidelity'

Prof Harald Haas has been in the forefront of "li-fi" research for the last 10 years

In 2011, Prof Haas demonstrated how an LED bulb equipped with signal processing technology
could stream a high-definition video to a computer.

He coined the term "light fidelity" or li-fi also known as visual light communications (VLC) -
and set up a private company, Pure VLC, to exploit the technology.

Li-fi promises to be cheaper and more energy-efficient than existing wireless radio systems
given the ubiquity of LED bulbs and the fact that lighting infrastructure is already in place.

Visible light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum and its bandwidth is 10,000 times bigger
than the radio frequency spectrum used by existing communication systems, affording vastly
greater capacity. Another advantage, Prof Haas argues, is that evenly spaced LED transmitters
could provide much more localised and consistent internet connectivity throughout buildings.

22
 Fig.7 Professor Harald Haas

The disadvantage of traditional wi-fi routers is that the signal weakens the further you are away
from it, leading to inconsistent connectivity within offices and homes.

Prof Haas also believes light's inability to penetrate walls makes VLC technology potentially
more secure than traditional wi-fi connectivity.

LED light bulb 'li-fi' closer, say Chinese scientists

If "li-fi" technology takes off, all LED lights could potentially provide internet connectivity.

Wi-fi connectivity from a light bulb or "li-fi" has come a step closer, according to Chinese
scientists.

A microchipped bulb can produce data speeds of up to 150 megabits per second (Mbps), Chi
Nan, IT professor at Shanghai's Fudan University told Xinhua News.

Fig.8 Li-Fi Technology

A one-watt LED light bulb would be enough to provide net connectivity to four computers,
researchers say. But experts told the BBC more evidence was needed to back up the claims.
There are no supporting video or photos showing the technology in action.

Li-fi, also known as visible light communications (VLC), at these speeds would be faster -and
cheaper than the average Chinese broadband connection,

23
In 2011, Prof Harald Haas, an expert in optical wireless communications at the University of
Edinburgh, demonstrated how an LED bulb equipped with signal processing technology could
stream a high-definition video to a computer. He coined the term "light fidelity" or li-fi and set
up a private company, Pure VLC, to exploit the technology.

"We're just as surprised as everyone else by this announcement," Pure VLC spokesman Nikola
Serafimovski told the BBC.

"But how valid this is we don't know without seeing more evidence. We remain sceptical."

This year, the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute claimed that data rates of up to 1Gbit/s per
LED light frequency were possible in laboratory conditions, making one bulb with three
colours potentially capable of transmitting data at up to 3Gbit/s.

Fig.9 Harald Haas Working with Li-Fi LED Blub

Unlimited capacity
Li-fi promises to be cheaper and more energy-efficient than existing wireless radio systems
given the ubiquity of LED bulbs and the fact that lighting infrastructure is already in place.

Visible light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum and 10,000 times bigger than the radio
spectrum, affording potentially unlimited capacity. But there are drawbacks: block the light and
you block the signal. However, this is also a potential advantage from a security point of view.

24
Light cannot penetrate walls as radio signals can, so drive-by hacking of wireless internet
signals would be far more difficult, if not impossible.

Prof Chi's research team includes scientists from the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics at
the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the report says. She admitted that the technology was still
in its infancy and needed further developments in microchip design and optical communication
controls before it could go mass market.

Her team is hoping to show off sample li-fi kits at the China International Industry Fair in
Shanghai on 5 November, the report said.

25
 CONSTRUCTION

INTRODUCTION
LIFI is a new class of high intensity light source of solid state design bringing clean lighting
solutions to general and specialty lighting. With energy efficiency, long useful lifetime, full
spectrum and dimming.

LIFI lighting applications work better compared to conventional approaches. This technology
brief describes the general construction of LIFI lighting systems and the basic technology
building blocks behind their function.

LIFI CONSTRUCTION
The LIFI 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
centre ; this controlled plasma generates an intense source of light. All of these subassemblies
are contained in an aluminium enclosure.

FUNCTION OF THE BULB SUB-ASSEMBLY

At the heart of LIFI is the bulb sub-assembly where a sealed bulb is embedded in a dielectric
material. This design is more reliable than conventional light sources that insert degradable
electrodes into the bulb. The dielectric material serves two purposes; first as a wave guide for
the RF energy transmitted by the PA and second as an electric field

26
concentrator that focuses energy in the bulb. The energy from the electric field rapidly heats
the material in the bulb to a plasma state that emits light of high intensity and full spectrum.

The LIFI 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 micro-controller
used to manage different lamp functions.

Application of Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) Technology

Li-Fi found its application in Airways, Green information technology, multi user
communication, Underwater ROV etc. and has many advantages which are discussed in this
project report. Use this report on Li-Fi only for your study and reference purpose.

The design and construction of the LIFI light source enable efficiency, long stable life, full
spectrum intensity that is digitally controlled and easy to use.

PRESENT SCENARIO:

• We have 1.4 million cellular radio waves base stations deployed.

• We also have over 5 billions of mobile phones.
• Mobile phone transmits more than 600TBb of data.
• Wireless communication has become a utility like electricity & water.
• We use it in everyday life, in our private life, business life.
• Currently wi-fi uses Radio waves for communication.
• It is important to look into this technology which has become fundamental to our life.

Four Issues with Radio Waves:

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1. Capacity:

• We transmit wireless data through radio waves.

• Radio waves are limited, scar and expensive.
• We only have a certain range of it.
• With the advent of the new generation technologies as of likes of 2.5G, 3G, 4G and so
on we are running out of spectrum.

2. Efficiency:

• There are 1.4 million cellular radio base stations.

• They consume massive amount of energy.
• Most of this energy is not used for transmission but for cooling down the base stations.
• Efficiency of such a base station is only 5% and that raise a very big problem.

3. Availability:

• We have to switch off our mobiles in aeroplanes.

• It is not advisable to use mobiles at places like petrochemical plants and petrol pumps.
• Availability of radio waves causes another concern.

4. Security:

• Radio waves penetrate through walls.

• They can be intercepted.
• If someone has knowledge and bad intentions then he may misuse it.

5. Alternative to Radio waves in Electromagnetic Spectrum:

So there are four major concerns i.e., capacity, efficiency, availability, security related with
Radio waves.

But on the other hand we have 40 billions of light box already installed and light is part of
electromagnetic spectrum.

So let's look up at this in context of EM spectrum.

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 Electromagnetic Spectrum

Fig.10 Electromagnetic spectrum

• Gamma rays are simply very dangerous and thus can't be used for our purpose of
communication.
• X-rays are good in hospital and can't be used either.
• Ultra-violet rays are sometimes good for our skin but for long duration it is dangerous.
• Infra-red rays are bad for our eyes and are therefore used at low power levels.
• We have already seen shortcomings of radio waves.
• So we are left with only Visible light spectrum.

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Li-Fi HAS AN UPPERHAND DUE TO PARALLEL DATA
TRANSMISSION

Fig.11 Received Binary Data from the LED Blub

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 CHALLENGES FOR Li-Fi

While Li-Fi is an innovative wireless communication technology with significant advantages

over Wi-Fi, it also faces several challenges that limit its widespread adoption. Here are the five
most critical challenges that need to be addressed:

1. Line-of-Sight Dependency
Li-Fi requires a direct line of sight between the LED transmitter and the receiver for
effective communication. Any obstruction, such as a person moving in front of the light
source, furniture, or walls, can interrupt the connection. This makes it less flexible than
Wi-Fi, which can penetrate obstacles and provide seamless connectivity.

2. Limited Range and Coverage

Since Li-Fi is based on visible light, its coverage is restricted to the illuminated area.
Unlike Wi-Fi, which can cover entire buildings with a few routers, Li-Fi requires
multiple light sources in different locations to ensure continuous connectivity, making
it complex and costly to implement in large spaces.

3. Lack of Uplink Communication

While Li-Fi efficiently transmits data from the light source to the user (downlink), a
major challenge is how devices send data back to the transmitter (uplink). Current Li-
Fi systems often rely on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for uplink transmission, reducing the
effectiveness of a fully optical communication network.
4. Inability to Penetrate Walls
Unlike radio waves used in Wi-Fi, visible light cannot pass through walls or other solid
objects. This means Li-Fi signals are confined to a single room, requiring separate Li-
Fi-enabled bulbs for each space, which adds to infrastructure and maintenance costs.
5. Interference from External Light Sources
Li-Fi signals can be affected by external light sources such as sunlight, streetlights, and
other ambient lighting. Intense natural or artificial light can interfere with data
transmission, making outdoor applications of Li-Fi less reliable compared to traditional
Wi-Fi.

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 FUTURE SCOPE

Li-Fi technology is expected to revolutionize wireless communication with its high-speed, secure, and
interference-free data transmission. Here are the top five future applications where Li-Fi can make a
significant impact:

1. Integration with 5G and Beyond

Li-Fi can work alongside 5G networks to offload data traffic and reduce congestion in high-
density areas like airports, stadiums, and smart cities. By providing an additional layer of
wireless connectivity, Li-Fi can enhance data speeds and improve network reliability.

2. Secure Communication Networks

Due to its inability to penetrate walls, Li-Fi offers enhanced security, making it ideal for
confidential communication in government offices, defense sectors, and banking institutions.
This ensures that sensitive data remains within a confined space, reducing the risk of hacking
and unauthorized access.

3. Healthcare and Aviation Applications

Li-Fi can be used in hospitals to transmit data without interfering with sensitive medical
equipment, ensuring seamless communication in operation theaters and patient monitoring
systems. In aviation, Li-Fi can enable in-flight high-speed internet without affecting navigation
and communication systems.

4. Underwater Communication

Unlike Wi-Fi and radio waves, which do not work efficiently underwater, Li-Fi can enable
high-speed underwater communication for submarines, deep-sea exploration, and marine
research, significantly improving data transfer in aquatic environments.

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 CONCLUSION

The possibilities are numerous and can be explored further. If this technology can be put into
practical use, every bulb can function like a Wi-Fi hotspot, transmitting wireless data and
paving the way for a cleaner, greener, safer, and brighter future. The concept of Li-Fi is
currently attracting significant interest, primarily because it presents a highly efficient
alternative to radio-based wireless communication.

As the demand for high-speed internet access grows with the increasing number of connected
devices, conventional radio-frequency-based networks are struggling with bandwidth
limitations and interference issues. Li-Fi offers a promising solution by utilizing the vast,
unregulated spectrum of visible light, reducing the burden on traditional wireless networks.
This technology has the potential to revolutionize communication in areas where radio waves
are restricted, such as aircraft, hospitals, and underwater operations.

However, despite its advantages, Li-Fi does come with limitations. The requirement for a direct
line of sight restricts its range and adaptability, making it less effective in non-visible or
obstructed environments. Additionally, Li-Fi cannot penetrate walls, necessitating multiple
light sources for uninterrupted connectivity. Future advancements in hybrid networking,
integrating both Li-Fi and Wi-Fi, may help overcome these challenges and make the technology
more practical for widespread adoption.

With ongoing research and innovation, Li-Fi could redefine the way we connect to the internet,
enhancing security, speed, and energy efficiency. As industries and researchers continue to
explore its full potential, Li-Fi may soon complement or even surpass existing wireless
technologies, marking a new era in high-speed, sustainable communication.

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 REFERENCES

[1] International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Vol.7 No.11
Research India Publications, 2012

[2] An article on Li-Fi appeared in The Economist (Jan 28th 2012): Visible-Light
Communication: Tripping the light fantastic – [Link]

[3] Li-Fi Consortium – [Link]

[4] Wireless data from every light bulb Harald Hass, TED Global, Edinburgh, July 2011

[5] Li-Fi Technology – [Link]

[6] ISP Review [Link]

[Link], January 2013

[7] Li-Fi Internet at speed of light [Link]/2011/08/29/Li-Fi-internet-at-the speed-of-

light/

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