In certain places, like at airports and in hospitals, using radio frequency to communicate or for devices can interfere with important devices working in the background.
That's why scientists developed Li-Fi years ago, but it hasn't had much use until now.
Images courtesy: Signify
Signify, the company behind the Philips Hue smart bulb lineup, has announced a new range of Li-Fi lights called Truelifi. Li-Fi's name is a play on the WiFi you know, because it's basically a system of transmitting data using light waves rather than the radio signals used by 4G and WiFi.
In this case, Truelifi can transmit data to devices like laptops at speeds of up to 150 Mbps using light. All you'd need is to plug in an access key to the computer to enable this. The line also includes transceivers you can integrate with existing lighting, or you can just wireless connect two points with Li-Fi for transfer speeds of up to 250 Mbps.
Signify is currently targeting the likes of businesses and hospitals with its technology, and it might be some time before consumers start using this kind of thing on the regular.
The technology itself has been around for years, and one company even demonstrated a working prototype at CES last year. There hasn't been much demand for it however, partly because simply casting a shadow on the receiver device can block the Li-Fi communication.
However, it will come in handy at hospitals for instance, where radio signals could interfere with sensitive machines. Additionally, because the data transfer is light-based and therefore limited ?in reach, it also means network operators can control exactly who is accessing the network and from where.
The plug-in receiver for laptops
It's incredibly handy from a security perspective, and who knows how much more valuable that could become as hackers get more proficient?