Post 3b - Wireless Network with LED Room Lights

I guess there’s justification for the high price of LED lights?

German researchers have demonstrated how regular LED lights can be turned into an optical LAN (OLAN) with only a few additional components.  With the aid of a special modulator the LEDs are turned off and on in very rapid succession and transfer information as ones and zeros.  As such, LEDs can actually provide light for a room and transfer data at the same time.  The system works because the modulation of the light is imperceptible to the human eye.  Special diodes catch the light and translate the information into electrical impulses (the language of the computers).  In testing, the OLAN actually provided enough throughput to allow four people in a room to watch a film from the Internet on their laptops, in HD quality.  While rigging a system to turn LEDs into a transfer medium may not require many components, sending data over light waves is not without challenges.  For example, whenever an object (like a hand) comes between the light and the photo diode the transfer is impaired.  Researchers stress that the OLAN is not intended to replace other networks, but rather serve as an additional and low-invasive option in environments where radio transmission networks are not desired or not possible, such as hospital surgical rooms.

Well, I’m off to HomeDepot to buy some LED light bulbs.  Do you think they sell OLAN diodes and modulators?  Seriously, just think of the OLAN market potential… 

Rick S.