Increasing indoor Li-Fi system efficiency using light reflective materials and lenses

Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) technology can be an alternative to Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) with its high-speed internet access and high bandwidth and can play an important role in wireless network technology. It can be a collaborative technology to offer internet access in places subject to electromagnetic interference, such as hospitals, airplanes, etc. In this research, the implementation and analysis of a comprehensive Li-Fi system was carried out. The system was developed to overcome the disadvantage of existing Li-Fi systems that operate only in direct line of sight. Optical materials such as flat mirror and convex lens are used to direct and focus the light beam emitted from the transmitter to the receiver, respectively. Li-Fi systems, from the simplest to the most comprehensive, were tested for data transfer rate metrics for both in-sight and out-of-sight users. The use of lenses improves system performance by 5 % for direct line-of-sight users. The use of light reflective materials as mirrors enabled Li-Fi connectivity for users outside the line of sight, while the use of lenses increased the data rate by 164.4 %. The obtained performance results show that the distance of the transmitter to the receiver can be handled efficiently by means of optical materials (mirror and/or lens). Thus, the use of mirrors or light reflective materials can effectively extend the distance, and lenses can concentrate the light on the receiver, increasing the data throughput.