Do the incredible speeds offered by Google Fiber sound like a dream come true to you? If yes, you might want to steady yourself before you read this: Li-Fi might just be 10 times faster.
Li-Fi is short for light fidelity, and it is the newest breakthrough in data transfer technology which could completely transform internet connectivity as we know it. Whilst the idea of light-based internet connections has been talked about by scientists for years, it is only recent developments which are bringing the idea closer to becoming a reality.
The latest development in Li-Fi internet connections comes from a team of researchers from the universities of Cambridge, Oxford, St Andrews, Edinburgh, and Strathclyde, who claim to have reached a transmission speed of 10.5 Gbit/s. If you’re keeping count, that’s over 180 times faster than the national average broadband speed in the United States.
The emerging technology could completely change the way we connect to the internet in coming years. Professor Harald Haas, one of the project leaders from the University of Edinburgh, stated that with Li-Fi technology, every light bulb could become a connection hub through the implantation of a small microchip. Thanks to Li-Fi, we could be receiving our internet connection via our street lights or bedside lamps within a matter of years.
