Li-Fi has been around for more than ten years (we were already talking about it in 2012!), this wireless communication standard using infrared light waves, and there are even products that take advantage of it . But until today Li-Fi is rare, not enjoying the same popularity as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, due to technical limitations and lack of integration.
Li-Fi, protocol certified by the IEEE 802.11 standard
And this could soon change with a new step recently taken by the IEEE 802.11 standard which governs the evolution of Wi-Fi. Thus, as of June 2023, the IEEE 802.11 standard officially accepts Li-Fi as an additional layer to Wi-Fi. -Fi for local networks, allowing it to be complementary and non-competitive. In other words, if equipped accordingly, the user can easily switch from one protocol to another according to his needs. in smartphones
And that's good because - funny coincidence, but which is perhaps not one - the company PureLiFi launched at the beginning of the year the Light Antenna One, a Li-Fi module small enough to be integrated into a smartphones. It can offer a speed of up to 1 Gb/s at less than 3 meters with an angle of use of 24° (yes, light transmission has its limits, we specified this above). Thus, Li-Fi integration can be achieved on a large scale for the first time in its existence. This is just the beginning and maybe in a few years the term Li-Fi will be used as casually as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
