A group of researchers at Oxford University are developing an alternative to WiFi by using light to beam information through the air at more than 100Gbps speed.
It is not a new process, as light is used by fibre optic networks at high speed to transmit data.
However, in case of fibre optic networks, the light is guided using total internal reflection which helps in distraction free passing of the information.
According to reports, passing data by beaming light can be more difficult as there is nothing that can guide the signals to its destination.
Photonics engineer Dominic O’Brien has developed systems that use a base station which are installed on the ceiling of a room to pass the light signals from a computer.
Holographic beam steering technology is used to fit the transmitter and receiver that allow the light to reflect in the desired direction.
According to reports from IEEE Spectrum, the technology will be able to work for up to three metres provided it has direct line of sight and the computer is placed in a fixed position.
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Users will get 224 Gb/s with field of view (FOV) of 60° and 112 Gb/s with field of view 36°.
However, according to O’Brien, a tracking system needs to be developed which will allow users to place random spot or an object like a laptop and have the system find it and create a link.
O’Brien is also working on a light-based wireless communications dubbed LiFi that is designed uses light used in a room to transmit data signals.
