Though most of us make use of radio waves to wirelessly transfer data to and from our work mobile devices and computers, there is another way. Signify – or Philips Lighting as it used to be known – has just launched a new lighting range called Trulifi that leverages light waves to send and receive wireless data throughout the workplace.
Li-Fi technology has been around for a few years, and promises fast and secure data transfer in spaces large or small. It's a particularly good fit for locations where radio frequency-based wireless systems struggle or are not allowed, such as industrial plants and hospitals, as well as easing the load for congested Wi-Fi networks in offices.
Signify says that the Trulifi system's optical transceiver can come already built into new lighting, or can be retrofitted into existing Philips lights. The technology is able to facilitate wireless connectivity at up to 150 Mbps throughout the office or boardroom for both uploads and downloads, which is faster than radio signal setups like Wi-Fi, wireless mobile networks or Bluetooth.
For more demanding applications, a fixed point-to-point system is available as part of the range, which could see wireless transfer speeds of 250 Mbps up and down being possible.
The setup makes use of an energy-efficient LED lighting and optical wireless transceiver technology, it uses AES 128-bit encryption and Signify also says that the system works whether the lights are on, dimmed or off.
Until such a time as business hardware supports Li-Fi technology out of the box, end users will need to plug a USB access key into a laptop in order to make use of the Trulifi system.
Source: Signify
