LiFi vs WiFi : Difference between LiFi and WiFi Technologies
The introduction of LiFi which is yet an another wireless technology of 21st century which created the buzz since 2011 and many of us has many questions related to this technology.
So What is LiFi?
Is it better than the existing wireless technology WiFi?
Here we will talk about is it better or not. After this, you decide is it worth to upgrade from the existing technology?
Before starting if you don’t know what is LiFi and WiFi please refer to my article where I have given a brief understanding of the two things.
As coming to the Topic well we can say the LiFi is better than the WiFi in many aspects(but it has some downsides also).LiFi is said to be 100 times faster than the wifi as per the laboratory tests.
Here the key reasons why it is better?
- It is more energy-friendly
- More Secure
- Consecutive Speed and Performance
- Does not require password protection
- An integrated communication solution(Using lighting and communication systems)
So for the clear understanding below are the key differences between the LiFi and WiFi
LI-Fi vs WI-Fi Differences
light is blocked by the walls, therefore more secured on data transferFor RF signal, dry walls are transparent, therefore need to employ techniques to achieve secure data transfer.Works in less dense environment due to interference related issues
| Feature | LiFi | WiFi |
| Full form | Light Fidelity | Wireless Fidelity |
| Operation | LiFi transmits data using light with the help of LED bulbs. | WiFi transmits data using radio waves with the help of WiFi router. |
| Interference | Do not have any interference issues similar to radio frequency waves. | Will have interference issues from nearby access points (routers) |
| Technology | Present IrDA compliant devices | WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad standard compliant devices |
| Applications | Used in airlines, undersea explorations, operation theaters in the hospitals, office and home premises for data transfer and internet browsing | Used for internet browsing with the help of WiFi kiosks or hotspots |
| Advantages | Interference is less, can pass through salty sea water, works in dense region | Prone to interference, can‘t pass through sea water, works in less dense region |
| Privacy | ||
| Data transfer speed | About 1 Gbps | WLAN-11n offers 150Mbps, About 1-2 Gbps can be achieved using WiGig/Giga-IR |
| Frequency of operation | 10,000 times frequency spectrum of the radio (In the Tera Hz range) | 2.4GHz, 4.9GHz , and 5GHz
|
| Data density | Works in high dense environment | |
| Coverage distance | About 10 meters | About 32 meters (WLAN 802.11b/11g), vary based on transmit power and antenna type |
| System components | Lamp driver, LED bulb (lamp) and photo detector will make up complete LiFi system. | requires routers to be installed, subscriber devices (laptops, PDAs, desktops) are referred as stations |
So, below are the Technology Parameters Comparison Between LiFi and WiFi, which gives a clear understanding more about LiFi and WiFi
| Parameters | Li-Fi | Wi-Fi | Ethernet |
| IEEE Standards | 802.15.17 | 802.11b | 802.3 |
| Frequency Band | 100 X Tera HZ | 2.4 GHZ | |
| Cots | Cheap | Expensive | Medium |
| Data Trans. Medium | Light | Radio Spectrum | UTP-STP- O.F. |
| Network Topology | Point-to-Point | Point-to-Point | Bus-Star |
| Speed | 1-3.5Gbps | 54-250Mbps | 10-1000 Mbps |
| Range | 10 Meters | 20-100 meters | (100-185) meters |
| Security | High | Medium | High |
| Power Energy | Available | less available | Available |
| QoS | |||
| Data rate | High(low-power models available for battery application | High power over Ethernet | |
| Wireless spectrum reliability | 2.4GHZ 5GHZ | None | |
| Reliability | High | High | Very High |
| Release Date | 2011 | 1990 | 1980 |
For more on LiFi, read:
Check What is LiFi? 5 Things You Want To Know About LiFi also.
