Light bulb networks could be the next WiFi

If researchers at Boston University's College of Engineering have their way, light bulbs of the future may be the highway your data gets carried along. A team at the school is working on low-power LEDs which could utilize an optical communication system to carry data wirelessly. Using a technique which rapidly switches the LEDs on and off data transmissions could be made via imperceptible -- yet undoubtedly brain-scrambling -- flickering patterns, and each light would be its own network entry point at speeds of 1 to 10Mbps. The concept is more secure than current RF techniques because it requires linked devices be in line-of-sight, and the technology would draw far less energy than conventional radios. Says professor Thomas Little, "Imagine if your computer, iPhone, TV, radio and thermostat could all communicate with you when you walked in a room just by flipping the wall light switch and without the usual cluster of wires." Yes... and talk about you behind your back. And plot your "accidental" death after taking out a large life insurance policy on you. You won't get away with this LED network!

[Thanks, Travis]

[Jensh @ Oct 7th 2008 6:04AM]

Huh, thats odd. I thought that would be big news. There seems to be a absent on Edgaget of a certain ornithological piece. A headline regarding mass awarness of a certain avaion variety. Oh, have you not heard? It was my understanding that everyone had heard.

[Jimbo @ Oct 7th 2008 6:35AM]

What? The bird is the word.

[iceman2929 @ Oct 7th 2008 7:05AM]

ba-ba-ba-ba-bird bird bird, bird is the word

[j_g_puff @ Oct 7th 2008 7:03AM]

If this ever goes commercial, I would hack the crap out of it. Just think how easy it would be to kill people's houseplants by overwatering.

[Reader @ Oct 7th 2008 7:16AM]

Are you talking about magpies being self-aware? If so, what does that have to do with gadgets?

[Stiv @ Oct 7th 2008 8:18AM]

Win! +1

[j_g_puff @ Oct 7th 2008 8:21AM]

They also fail to explain how the uplink works. Either you resort to other radio technology (thereby loosing all the 'advantages' of the LED system) or your computers, phones and pot-plants require big LEDs on pointing at a suitable receptor.

[meist3r @ Oct 7th 2008 8:50AM]

@Reader: You're CLEARLY not following the Incredible Adventures of Peter "The Family Guy" Griffin.

[Grammar freak @ Oct 7th 2008 11:13AM]

Worst episode in a long time... Too bad, the premiere was really funny.

[meist3r @ Oct 7th 2008 1:00PM]

@Grammar freak: I agree but the meme character of that song is undisputable.

[Sam @ Oct 7th 2008 3:32PM]

B-b-b-bird bird bird, the bird is the word!

[Saad @ Oct 7th 2008 5:27PM]

I for one welcome our LED overlords.

[loosely_coupled @ Oct 7th 2008 7:16PM]

BIRD IS THE WORD! HAHAHHAHA

[Jonathan-DBOSS @ Oct 7th 2008 6:12AM]

What if there's a massive power outage?

[zomg0t @ Oct 7th 2008 6:25AM]

Current wireless networks don't work without power. Unless you're using a mobile device and WWAN, power outages will have the same affect.

[amnigo @ Oct 7th 2008 6:26AM]

This would be affected differently than your conventional wireless routers how?

[fh @ Oct 7th 2008 7:00AM]

Both RF and light require electricity, but a household RF router consumes about 6-10W, while LED lightbulbs ring in from 9-15W (and you would forseeably need more than one to cover a large area). If you had a UPS, the battery would drain faster with the lights than with the regular RF router. Factor in 802.11g+ speeds and there's no comparison.

The concept is nice, but frankly, didn't we already go through this with infrared?

[Ryan @ Oct 7th 2008 8:56AM]

'Watt's' electricity? Get it?!

[atimchula @ Oct 7th 2008 6:12AM]

Immature jerks are going to have a field day screwing with people with the light switch. Or open an umbrella inside over your coworker's desk and cut him off from the world...muahaha

[fh @ Oct 7th 2008 7:02AM]

Thinking about it the other way, tinfoil hats might actually become useful.

[Down @ Oct 7th 2008 6:13AM]

This is assuming the dude sitting down on the left is using an all-in-one pc.

And that light bulbs are on at all times, even in the morning!

[SimonHL @ Oct 7th 2008 6:17AM]

Sounds like they just invented the wireless network all over again. Except that a normal wireless network is faster, cheaper, easier to install and doesn't require that you turn the lights on.

[Bufsabre @ Oct 7th 2008 6:20AM]

i think we are missing the bigger part of this story, the plant now has wifi.

[Byron Jacob @ Oct 7th 2008 8:27AM]

Funny as...
if it has a bad day it can send an e-mail.

To: Plant Owner
Subject: OI!!

OI - stop humming that song and get me some bloody water!!

Everything will have the power to talk!!

[Bufsabre @ Oct 7th 2008 9:12AM]

cool but where do i get the plant with the accent?

[Eric @ Oct 7th 2008 4:10PM]

@Bufsabre

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_fluminensis

[allislost @ Oct 7th 2008 6:23AM]

TRALED; The Rebellion Against L.E.D, has been aware of such actions by this well know menace. In response to this blog, WE, have decided to go public and is currently seeking member to join the cause,

...So who wants to join? we got cake!
.

[Jimbo @ Oct 7th 2008 6:36AM]

If you want people to come, you have to promise punch and pie.

[adam @ Oct 7th 2008 9:58AM]

Dare I trust a man with a pentagram as his display picture.....cake.....I'm in!

[Plothole @ Oct 7th 2008 6:50AM]

That depends... what kind of cake are we talking about here?

[eggothewaffle @ Oct 7th 2008 6:56AM]

Allislost, you better not be lying.

[EndGamE @ Oct 7th 2008 6:59AM]

the cake is a lie! have none of you played portal? ohh, the nerve gas...

[Phil @ Oct 7th 2008 7:17AM]

For the record, and to aid in the explanation of your acronym, L.E.D. stands for Laser Emitting Dolphins.

Just thought I would clear up any confusion.

[BradS @ Oct 7th 2008 7:43AM]

Dolphins with frickin' laser beams on their heads!

[allislost @ Oct 7th 2008 8:05AM]

TRALED; The Rebellion Against Light Emitting Diodes, has heard and understood the public outcry do to concerns over cake types and flavors. So WE, have instituted new rules...

*Members can choose one cake type and flavor per month
*Members may not change cake and/or flavors unless any ingredient in the chosen cake and/or flavors causes illness
*Members may not use their cake for any other use other than for consumption through chewing and swallowing

...I have chosen chocolate cake, next month I will go coconut!

[Byron Jacob @ Oct 7th 2008 8:31AM]

Can it be Victorian sponge cake with that layer of jam in the middle afterwards?
OOOOOH CHOCOLATE!!!!

[Zorque @ Oct 7th 2008 11:17AM]

Can we please go one mention of cake without a damn Portal reference. I'm really starting to hate that game, which is a shame.

[Ben @ Oct 7th 2008 4:56PM]

Don't want cake......Got Pie??

[Cj @ Oct 7th 2008 6:40AM]

This would make the "how many _____ does it take to change a lightbulb" to a whole new level

[Reader @ Oct 7th 2008 7:17AM]

42.

[pball_inuyaha @ Oct 7th 2008 7:30AM]

how many network engineers does it take to change a lightbulb?


None cause people would just use wifi instead.

[Quito @ Oct 7th 2008 6:35AM]

Great, so in addition to cancer from radio waves we're going to become epileptics as well.

[ahdok @ Oct 7th 2008 6:43AM]

This also brings a whole new level to the complaint "you're standing in my light!"

[Jensh @ Oct 7th 2008 9:20AM]

"You are standing in my Wi-Fi"?

[EricR @ Oct 7th 2008 2:25PM]

more like "Li-Fi"

[LongKnight @ Oct 7th 2008 6:51AM]

Well they seem to miss saying that it would be very annoying. It wouldn't be a simple flick of the switch since the line-of-sight is strick and would most likly require acrobatics to link up in the long run.

Also why would it only be limited to iPhone? Maybe that is the problem inventors don't have a big picture view of things.

[Vince @ Oct 7th 2008 11:01AM]

No one said it would be limited to the iPhone. That's simply the scenario case the designers gave. Obviously, if this scheme were to work (which I think it will not), then anything could be outfitted with the proper hardware to utilize the tech.

[WoodlandSpirit @ Oct 7th 2008 6:55AM]

Giving the nature of how light works, although it might be more secure with needing direct line of sight but to me it just seems all so very impractical with needing to have devices pointing to the light at all times and the lights on all day long.

[Backlin @ Oct 7th 2008 3:38PM]

If we could hook the Sun up with WiFi, WiMAX will be defeated, until nightfall.

[Loban @ Oct 7th 2008 5:14PM]

If the moon was out that night, you would still get your data, though the SNR would fall significantly.