Back around 2011, professor Harald Haas demonstrated his vision of wireless communications using LED lights.  (see the TED Talks video below).   He used the term “Li-Fi” to describe his vision,  a term that describes how the use of the visible light spectrum, can be used,  instead of radio frequencies, to enable wireless data communication.   Since that introduction several years ago, that vision has become reality.  Haas created a company called “PureLiFi”.  The description on his website explains “PureLiFi provides ubiquitous high-speed wireless access that offers substantially greater security, safety and data densities than Wi-Fi along with inherent properties that eliminate unwanted external network intrusion. In addition, the integration of illumination and data services generates a measurable reduction in both infrastructure complexity and energy consumption.”

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One of the exciting benefits to this type of technology how it can provide added security measures to areas in Hospitals, Banks, and Government buildings etc…  The lights do not travel through walls, and because LED lights form natural beams, it is easier to create separate upload and download channels (which is more secure).  In addition specific content can be delivered ONLY to specific areas within a building or even a single room.

It is exciting to consider all the possibilities, and it doesn’t seem that they are too far off.  So maybe we don’t yet know exactly what the future of Li-Fi holds, but imagining a beautifully integrated LED light, that not only provides as source of  energy efficient light, but network communication, is just right around the corner!