Chinese Professor Builds Li-Fi System With Retail Parts 155
alphadogg writes "The equipment is big and expensive, with the research costs at almost $500,000. But by just using retail components, Chinese professor Chi Nan has built her own Li-Fi wireless system that can use LED lights to send and receive Internet data. "I bought the lights from Taobao," she said, referring to the Chinese e-commerce site. The professor from Fudan University showed off the technology on Tuesday at the China International Industry Fair in Shanghai. Unlike traditional Wi-Fi routers that use radio signals, Chi's system relies on light to send and receive data wirelessly. Others scientists, especially in the U.K., have also been researching the technology, and dubbed it "Li-Fi". But rather than develop specialized hardware, Chi bought off-the-shelf retail parts to create her system."
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
"must be within three meters" (Score:3, Informative)
Because it is dependent on light, the technology can't penetrate walls or work in complete darkness. In Chi's case, the Li-Fi receiver must be within three meters of the router, and placed under the LED bulbs so that the sensor can read it.
Am I missing something here? If it can't work in total darkness, and the receiver has to be within 3 meters, what's the application for this? We have a whole bunch of other solutions, like bluetooth for example, that's low power, invisible, and go way further than that.
Sounds like a fun project, but doesn't seem more useful than building a cnc machine out of legos.