Wi-Fi, from a futuristic technology, swiftly became widely spread all over the globe as a fast and comfortable wireless internet technology. Almost all smartphones and laptops nowadays have Wi-Fi built-in; it gives them possibility to connect to the Internet wirelessly in one of the many existing Hot Spots - places where the Wi-Fi Access Points are placed. However, requirements in access points limit the spreading of Wi-Fi, mainly because they must be purchased, manually placed and configured. Scientists from Boston University worked on this problem and found a solution - to unite LED light bulbs with wireless internet access points!Wi-Fi, as many other wireless communication services, depends on radio-frequency signals. Researchers from Boston believe that this is old-fashioned now, and offer another signal bearer - light! LED in lamps will be multifunctional - it will serve as a source of light and as an access point for wireless Internet - both functions will be done simultaneously. This opens a wide range of possibilities to be connected to Internet everywhere you go - every lamp will provide your PDA or smartphone with Internet connection. This project is revolutionary mainly because there it can work on the existing power lines with no need for investments in an expensive infrastructure. Just imagine that all devices in your office will no longer need cords and wires - all data will be managed via illumination lamps! With speed up to 10 Mbps, it is a real alternative to Wi-Fi - all you need to have is a source of energy and a special lamp, that's all.
This is not a first try of using light as data carrier. It is used in optic cables for awhile, so advantages of light are widely known. However, combining it with illumination lamps has its disadvantages too. First - it needs in direct visibility between LED and sensor. Second - the flickering of light may be harmful to our eyes. Scientists believe that these problems can be fixed and are working on the solutions. US National Science Foundation already granted them 18.5 million dollars, so this project was considered very promising. If it will be finished, it can bring wireless connectivity to a whole new level.
