Internet access from light bulbs

In the future, electric light bulbs will not only have a lighting role, but can also help us access the Internet, communicate with electronic devices in the home.

Remote control devices are using infrared rays to communicate with TVs and DVD players. Turning table lamps and ceiling lights into wireless Internet access points can help you surf the web anywhere.

" We can communicate everywhere, as long as there is electric light ," said Thomas Little, a computer engineer at Boston University (USA).

Of course, the scientific world cannot turn everything light into a wireless network. Thomas and many other researchers are interested in light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs - which consume less energy and have a longer lifespan than traditional light bulbs.

From ancient times people knew how to use light to communicate. Roman fortresses reported to each other by large bonfires. Lighthouse warned ships to stay away from reefs or whirlpools. The US aerospace and military agency has been promoting the use of lasers as a direct and fast media.

However, wireless communication technologies now depend on radio waves but the speed of data transmission of radio waves will be slow as the number of people accessing the Internet and access devices (computers, PDAs, phones) together Dominate an increased bandwidth.

LED bulbs.(Artwork: uk.gizmodo.com)

Light can fix bandwidth congestion because it transmits data directly to each device and user. First, through the power cord, the data will be transmitted from a wireless router to the LEDs (placed at the table or hung on the ceiling). From here the LEDs will transmit data to the device.

Light transmission is more secure, because light cannot penetrate walls like radio waves. A wireless system based on light cannot pass through 4 walls of the room. Neighbors who are psychologically and curious will not be able to take advantage of your system to access the Internet for free, unless they stand outside your window, where light can escape.

Thomas and his colleagues built a test data transmission system from an improved router and LED.

LEDs have appeared quite popular in many areas of life, from computer screens to traffic lights. However, it has not been used as much as a traditional light bulb because of its high cost (from US $ 30 or more). In return, an LED bulb has a life expectancy of more than 50 thousand hours and helps to reduce the amount of electricity each month. Thomas hopes that electric light transmission will become popular in the next 5-10 years when LED lighting costs plummet.