100x Quicker Than Wi-Fi: Meet Li-Fi

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has introduced 802.11bb as a standard for light-based wireless communications, known as Li-Fi. Li-Fi businesses, including pureLiFi, Fraunhofer HHI, and the Light Communications 802.11bb Task Group, welcome the standard as it will accelerate the adoption and implementation of this data-transmission technology.

Li-Fi proponents emphasize the advantages of using light instead of radio frequencies (RF), claiming that Li-Fi offers faster, more reliable wireless communications with superior security compared to Wi-Fi and 5G. The release of the IEEE 802.11bb Li-Fi standard is expected to address interoperability between Li-Fi and Wi-Fi systems.

Li-Fi is not intended to replace Wi-Fi, 5G, or wired networks entirely. Instead, it aims to complement existing technologies by leveraging its unique advantages. Li-Fi systems can use a building’s lighting infrastructure for data transmission in the infrared spectrum, without visibly blinking or flashing lights.

Li-Fi’s strengths lie in its high speeds, reliability, low latency, and security due to its exclusive optical spectrum. It prevents wall penetration, reduces jamming and eavesdropping risks, and enables precise indoor navigation due to light’s line-of-sight propagation.

With the publication of the IEEE 802.11bb standard, manufacturers can confidently integrate Li-Fi technology into their devices. For example, pureLiFi has already developed the Light Antenna ONE module, a small component for connected devices. The company promotes Li-Fi as preferable over Wi-Fi for handling multiple connections without congestion, providing greater security and privacy, and handling high-bandwidth tasks effectively.

The introduction of the IEEE 802.11bb standard is expected to lead to a broader range of Li-Fi network devices and user devices that support the standard in the coming months, with significant progress anticipated by the time of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February.