At the moment there are pretty much only two ways that internet can be delivered to your computer. One is through WiFi, and the other is through a cabled connection direct to your computer. There are pros and cons of either connectivity method, but the folks at Oledcomm are suggesting another way – through the use of light.
The company has developed a table lamp called MyLiFi which transmits internet through light beams. Oledcomm unveiled the technology at CES 2018 earlier this year and have recently launched their project on Kickstarter where they’re hoping to raise enough money to make MyLiFi a reality.
The idea of using light does seem a bit novel, but on paper it does sound like a pretty good idea. It has also been suggested that it is more secure than traditional WiFi, simply because unless the hacker has direct line of sight to the light bulb, they won’t be able to hack onto your network. It also means that it does away with the limitations of WiFi, namely range, where as long as there is light, there will be internet.
In terms of speed, tests have found that it will be able to transmit data as fast as 23Mbps, while lab tests have shown that it could hit theoretical speeds of up to 224Gbps. That being said, MyLiFi does not come cheap at 699 euros which is already a 22% discount on the retail price of 899 euro, but if you think that this has potential and merits your investment, head on over to its Kickstarter page for the details, or watch the video above.
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