800Mbps Wireless Network Made Using LED Flashes

Scientists in Germany have developed a method to create a wireless network using white LED light bulbs. The up side of this? It can transfer data at speeds of up to 800Mbps using only light for transmission. The down side? Because it’s light, it can be blocked by something as simple as something blocking the transmission path, such as someone walking in front of the LED.

“The fundamentals of visible light communication (VLC) were developed together with the industry partners Siemens and France Telecom Orange Labs. [It] means that we [can transfer] four videos in HD quality to four different laptops at the same time. “For VLC the sources of light – in this case, white-light LEDs – provide lighting for the room at the same time they transfer information. With the aid of a special component, the modulator, we turn the LEDs off and on in very rapid succession and transfer the information as ones and zeros. The modulation of the light is imperceptible to the human eye. “A simple photo diode on the laptop acts as a receiver. The diode catches the light, electronics decode the information and translate it into electrical impulses, meaning the language of the computer.”