When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn Li-Fi, which uses visible light to transmit signals wirelessly, is an emerging technology poised to compete with Wi-Fi.
Advantages of Li-Fi technology include:
- Efficiency: Li-Fi works on visible light technology. Since homes and offices already have LED bulbs for lighting purposes, the same source of light can be used to transmit data. Hence, it is very efficient in terms of costs as well as energy. Light must be on to transmit data, so when there is no need for light, it can be reduced to a point where it appears off to human eye, but is actually still on and working.
- Availability: Wherever there is a light source, there can be Internet. Light bulbs are present everywhere – in homes, offices, shops, malls and even planes, meaning that high-speed data transmission could be available everywhere.
- Security: One main advantage of Li-Fi is security. Since light cannot pass through opaque structures, Li-Fi Internet is available only to the users within a room and cannot be breached by users in other rooms or buildings.
Disadvantages of Li-Fi technology include:
- Internet cannot be used without a light source. This could limit the locations and situations in which Li-Fi could be used.
- Because it uses visible light, and light cannot penetrate walls, the signal's range is limited by physical barriers.
- Other sources of light may interfere with the signal. One of the biggest potential drawbacks is the interception of signals outdoors. Sunlight will interfere the signals, resulting in interrupted Internet.
- A whole new infrastructure for Li-Fi would need to be constructed.
