Signify, the new brand name of illumination powerhouse Philips Lighting, has recently announced the launching of its new LiFi system called Trulifi. The Trulifi system makes use of Philips signature lighting systems as its main light source. An optical wireless transceiver is installed into Philips luminaires to facilitate the two-way transfer of data. This makes it easier for consumers to install Trulifi anywhere since their existing lighting infrastructure do not need to be replaced.
As a LiFi-based system, Trulifi makes use of beams of light emitted by a light source (in this case, Philips luminaires) to provide secure, highly-reliable bidirectional transfer of data that take place at speeds far above the prevailing technology.
How Trulifi Works
The Trulifi system has three major components: LiFi-enabled LED lights, a Trulifi-6002 Plug-In Optical Transceiver, and a USB Network Access adapter. LED lights form the main foundation of the system as they supply light waves that act as the medium for the transmission of data. Speeds supplied by Trulifi-enabled luminaires can reach speeds of up to 150 Megabits per second (Mbps) and can be used to transport data over large spaces, which include living rooms and office floors.
On the user side, a USB-access key is plugged into a computer to act as a LiFi transceiver. LiFi signals are received and retransmitted back to the luminaire.
Benefits of Trulifi
Signify has made the following claims in terms of the benefits of using their LiFi system. These include:
Speed
Signify’s Trulifi 6002 series offers speeds of up to 150 Mbps for both downlink and uplink, which are capable of streaming 30 HD movies at 1080p simultaneously without any delays or stoppages in streaming.
The Trulifi 6013 is a more powerful system as it guarantees net data rates of up to 250 Mbps for both uplink and downlink. It is a fixed point-to-point system, wherein it acts like a “wireless” cable and can be used in a variety of environments, including manufacturing factories and hospitals.
Security
Trulifi uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 128-bit encryption, which ensures the protection of sensitive data through data encryption. Information passing through the system will require a USB access key to gain access. This comes in conjunction with light’s inability to pass through opaque walls, adding an extra layer of security. Applications where security is always an issue include government offices, military bases, police stations, financial institutions, corporate buildings, and centers where sensitive data is hosted.
Reliability
Trulifi uses the ITU G.9991 LiFi standard, which provides specifications on the system architecture as well as the physical layer and data link layer specification in order to provide fast and reliable data transmission.
The use of light enables Trulifi to provide a guaranteed bandwidth without any risk of interference from other communication systems that use radio waves. This makes the system perfect in areas where radio communication is restricted, or even prohibited, as it might cause interference, such as industrial plants, airports and aircrafts, schools, and hospitals.
