The optical communication technology jointly proposed by the Scottish technology company pureLiFi and Fraunhofer HHILiFiIt has been approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and will use IEEE802.11bb as the name of this technical standard. It will become part of the Wi-Fi application ecosystem and will be used as a short-distance, low-latency and high-speed wireless transmission standard.
However, since it uses optical transmission, it has more interference factors than traditional Wi-Fi, and it also lacks penetration. It must be transmitted in a fan-shaped diffusion manner when sending, and will not function properly in the absence of light. It will mainly be used as an auxiliary application of current wireless transmission technology, or in environments where radio wave transmission is not possible, such as medical institutions, laboratories, etc. to avoid causing radio wave interference.
According to the specifications, LiFi must operate in an environment with a brightness of at least 60 Lux and transmit through a dedicated spectrum channel to reduce latency, improve data transmission reliability, and avoid unnecessary overlapping. It also reduces signal interference and the risk of eavesdropping by lacking penetration.
In addition to data transmission, LiFi can also be used for indoor positioning and navigation, or as a signal relay. For example, LiFi technology can be used to extend network coverage through mirror reflection, or it can be used as an auxiliary positioning device for virtual reality headsets.
