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Wi-Fi May Be Running Out of Time After Development of New Data Transmission Technology That Promises to Be 100 Times Faster.
Wi-Fi has been in the market for about 25 years, and now there is a promise to replace it with a superior technology. There is a new technology in particular that reaches up to 100 times more speed and its data transmission is completely different, being done through light.
Discover the Advantages and Disadvantages of the New Technology That Will Replace Wi-Fi
Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) uses visible or infrared light for data transmission, unlike the Wi-Fi we currently know, which uses data waves. A few days ago, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) approved the 802.11bb standard, which leverages the use of Li-Fi for conventional use. Among the advantages of Li-Fi is its speed, which is up to 100 times greater, reaching over 220 GB/s.
Its bandwidth is greater because the light spectrum is much larger than that of Wi-Fi, which is through radio waves, meaning more devices can connect at the same time without a reduction in speed. Since the new data transmission technology does not extend through walls, its security is higher because it is difficult to intercept its data.
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The chances of interference from electromagnetic devices are also lower. Its use can easily be authorized in environments where radio waves are prohibited, such as airplanes, nuclear plants, and some hospitals.
Among the disadvantages of the new technology is that it requires direct line of sight with the device, knowing that a simple obstacle, such as an object or wall, will cease the connection. Additionally, its range is only a few meters.
New Technology Promises to Hit the Market Soon
Obviously, the disadvantages of the Wi-Fi substitute are significant enough that the technology has not yet been popularized; however, this does not mean that it won’t happen in the future. The high speed and stability could be used together with Wi-Fi in some way.
Of course, radio waves are more useful in crowded, larger environments with walls; however, there is the possibility of using Li-Fi in specific situations, such as work or uploads or downloads of large files.
Areas that require more security can also utilize the data transmission technology. Li-Fi is not yet ready for widespread use, but it should not be dismissed, as business or government use is not out of the question. Furthermore, nothing prevents creative ways to apply the new technology in daily life through products or for Li-Fi to have its range expanded.
Importance of Li-Fi for Global Communication
Li-Fi technology is set to revolutionize wireless communication by enabling faster and more secure data transfer than traditional Wi-Fi. Although it operates similarly to Wi-Fi, using light instead of radio waves for data transmission, the new technology has a much greater bandwidth capacity, making it ideal for use in densely populated urban areas.
The wireless data consumption is expanding by 60% each year. This means that the radio frequency space is slowly becoming saturated, which can lead to a phenomenon called spectrum crisis.
This phenomenon refers to the potential lack of sufficient wireless frequency spectrum necessary to support a growing number of consumer devices, along with various government and private sector uses of radio frequencies within a broad spectrum allocated for various types of wireless communications.
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