IEEE welcomes Lifi with the 802.11 standard

IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for wireless networks that are usually called Wifi. For example, 802.11ax is called Wifi 6 and the old 802.11n was renamed Wifi 4 in 2018. Previously, all 802.11 standards used radio to transmit data, but it is now being expanded to also include infrared light.

In June, the IEEE approved the new standard 802.11bb Which became the standardization group’s technical name for “Lifi” – wireless infrared networks, a technology that had been developed for many years and used, among others, by Philips Hue and the company Pure Lifi, which with Fraunhofer was the driving force behind the standardization.

802.11bb specifies different frequencies and channel sizes just like Wi-Fi, promising speeds between 10Mbps and 9.6Gbps.

By being included in 802.11, Lifi becomes complementary to Wifi on a physical level and it can be easier to develop solutions that include both. Cablelabs has already experimented with networking where connected devices automatically switch between radio and infrared for optimal speed and minimal interference, with good results, he writes. the edge.

Pure Lifi has just launched a new Lifi “antenna” called Light Antenna One which is compatible with the new standard and must handle speeds above 1Gbps, but is limited to a maximum distance of three meters from the base station to connected devices. With a field of view of only 24 degrees, the receiver must also be mounted pointing almost straight at the base station.