No one’s really heard of Li-Fi, but it sounds amazing.
And it sounds like it could be part of the way your iPhone communicates with the rest of the world.
A study of recent iOS code from iOS 9.1 and beyond has found references to Li-Fi, an experimental high-speed wireless networking protocol that uses pulses of light to transmit data and is being marketed as a long-term replacement for Wi-Fi.
Beginning with iOS 9.1, the operating system’s library cache file makes mention of “LiFiCapability” alongside other hardware and software capability declarations. The change was spotted by Twitter user Chase Fromm.
Li-Fi’s functionality is similar to that of an infrared remote control. Data is transmitted by rapidly modulating a light source, and received with a light sensor before being reassembled into an electronic signal.
Unlike your television remote, Li-Fi uses visible light and the modulation happens in a manner imperceptible to the human eye: that means the same bulb that lights your hallway can act as a data access point. It’s also much faster, with theoretical throughput capacity of up to 224 gigabits per second.
As of now, Li-Fi is still in the experimental phase, but a number of companies have begun working with the technology and India-based Velmenni, has already begun real-world testing.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and Twitter