IT and society: Data transmission technology via ceiling lights discovered

Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute in Germany (a part of the PRIME concern, founded by the German government), have developed a technology of data transmission via LED lights. Information is generated in the flickering of ordinary ceiling or standard lamps, whereas a reverse transmission from computers is organized through LED (light-emitting diode). During the experiments the average speed of data transmission ranged from 100 to 230 Mbits/s. Highspeed data transmission rate was of 500 Mbit/s.

Visible Light Communication (data transport over visible light) is license-free means of transmission, thus offers a viable alternative to a radio-frequency Wi-Fi connection. Moreover, visible lights are restricted by room walls, thus they are not influenced by crosstalk and protected from Wi-Fi hackers, considers Jelena Vučić and her colleagues of the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, informs Mignews.

The light flickering can be billions times more frequent than the human eye can detect.  Thus LEDs, connected to Internet will continue performing its general function. Incandescent and fluorescent bulbs can’t fulfill the function of transmitters: they can’t flicker fast enough, so all the lights would have to be LEDs, which are becoming more and more popular in home lighting.