(Image source from: Technology to boost WiFi bandwidth tenfold})

Researchers at Oregon State University have invented a new technology which can boost the bandwidth of WiFi systems by 10 times, using LED lights to transmit information. The technology can be integrated with existing WiFi systems to reduce bandwidth problems in crowded locations, such as airports or coffee shops and in homes with multiple WiFi devices. The invention will pave way for higher data accessibility and adds more number of users. This will also help to boost the technologies which are dependent on WiFi.

Recent advances in LED technology has made it possible to modulate the LED light more rapidly, opening the possibility of using light for wireless transmission in a "free space" optical communication system. "In addition to improving the experience for users, the two big advantages of this system are that it uses inexpensive components, and it integrates with existing WiFi systems," said Thinh Nguyen, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. "I believe the WiFO system could be easily transformed into a marketable product, and we are currently looking for a company that is interested in further developing and licensing the technology," Nguyen said.

The prototype, called WiFO, uses LEDs that are beyond the visual spectrum for humans and creates an invisible cone of light about one meter square in which the data can be received.

By Premji