Technology
Li-Fi: Is It Better Than Wi-Fi? And Proper Substitute?
Wireless Fidelity, or simply Wi-Fi, standardized under IEEE 802.11, revolutionized the way we connect and access the internet. It allowed ubiquitous connectivity and a declining dependence on wired Ethernet connections and modems.
Wi-Fi has become an integral part of our life with our houses, workplaces, leisure centers, even public transportation facilities, among others, equipped with dedicated access points that allow us to connect to the internet wherever we are. The broad range of electronic devices, from smartphones all the way to electric home appliances, are currently equipped with dedicated chips and transmitters, allowing seamless connections among them.
Wi-Fi has also constituted a complementary technology for cellular wireless communication standards such as 5G. It provided a seamless coverage extension, particularly allowing proper connectivity in indoor and underground spaces where the signal received from transmission towers is relatively weak. The two wireless transmission technologies were even used concurrently to increase the download speeds providing mobile subscribers with a better user experience without the need to upgrade the network or their data plan.
Given all this, we clearly can’t live in this era without being connected to our surroundings, and in particular, it is fair to say, we clearly can’t live without Wi-Fi. Therefore, would it be easy for a new technology to score a win in a market largely dominated by Wi-Fi? It is certainly an uphill task, yet not unfeasible if it can match Wi-Fi in terms of the holistic experience it provides to the users.
A New Promising Technology
Wi-Fi has solved a known problem for many households, that of guaranteeing the last mile connection to the end-user. However, a new technology emerged, taking cues from its older sibling but utilizing a different medium for transmission. Dubbed light fidelity or Li-Fi, the new technology tries to make use of installed lighting systems to transmit data back and forth to the users, ensuring the required two-way connectivity. The concept was introduced by Prof. Harald Haas from the University of Edinburgh in a TEDGlobal talk in 2011.
The research idea soon matured enough and entered into commercialization through the first dedicated company PureLiFi, established by Haas himself. The company now offers a myriad of products that allow connectivity through light sources using practically any device. Their latest offering, Kitefin, enables solutions for the defense. The technology is gaining worldwide momentum, and the Li-Fi market is expected to achieve a staggering compound annual growth rate of 69.7 percent over a period of five years and potentially exceed USD 8 billion by 2030.
The working mechanism of Li-Fi is relatively simple. Instead of using radio waves, the Li-Fi transmitter tries to change some properties of the emanating light wave according to the data being sent, a process known as modulation. For example, the data could be encoded in the intensity of light. By changing the intensity of the light, at a rate the eye cannot perceive, data can be sent to the intended receiver. Several other transmission schemes are present such as using an array of light sources to encode the data or even using a certain color combination from red, green, and blue light-emitting diodes (in general, any color can be generated through a red, green, and blue combination).
Although not to the extent of Wi-Fi, Li-Fi allows mobility as multiple light sources can be added to a single network enabling the user to move around without losing connectivity.
Obviously, the light should always be on for Li-Fi to work. Well, not exactly. As a matter of fact, light can be dimmed to a certain extent that will appear dark and still be used to transmit data.
But Why Li-Fi?
The benefits of using Li-Fi are numerous. The properties of this technology iron out several problems resulting from the use of Wi-Fi networks.
- Spectrum
Why Li-Fi and why it should replace Wi-Fi is a recurrent question, yet, the first obvious answer is a spectrum, the most expensive resource for communication systems. The radiofrequency (RF) spectrum, which is between 3 kHz and 300 GHz, has been lately suffering from a severe crunch. The available resources are certainly not enough to accommodate an increasing number of users and wireless technologies. The frequency allocation map used by regulatory agencies around the world is devoid of empty spaces, pushing entities working on the development of future wireless standards to look for new avenues.
Li-Fi relies on visible light communication (VLC) concepts, that is, as the name implies use visible light for transmission. The available spectrum for use is then around 6 THz, that is, around 12000 times the size of the crowded RF spectrum. This paves the way to tremendous new opportunities in developing new technologies and accommodating a larger number of users while guaranteeing an impressive quality of experience with high data rates and significantly low latencies.
- Safety
A large debate in the medical field relates to the effects of RF electromagnetic transmission on the health of mobile subscribers who are constantly exposed to radiations originating from nearby transmission stations. Wi-Fi, among others, uses the same transmission technique, and related users are exposed to the same issues. Li-Fi, on the other hand, relies on the much safer VLC paradigm.
As mentioned earlier, data is encoded by varying the properties of light signals, an extremely safe approach as per the general consensus (especially that illumination changes are very fast to induce a perceivable flickering). The safety of Li-Fi systems makes it an excellent candidate for critical environments such as hospitals. PureLiFi conducted a joint project with collaborators in Italy to use Li-Fi technology in the healthcare industry providing wireless connectivity and a data management platform through the existing lighting infrastructure. The safety of Li-Fi has also made it an excellent candidate to be used in the aviation industry.
Unlike the big hustle caused by the potential interference between the newly deployed 5G network in the USA and the altimeters used by airplanes, Li-Fi would blend in perfectly, mainly because visible light systems won’t interfere with radio wave-based radars.
- Security
Wi-Fi networks have, in general, been prone to security breaches with attackers and hackers exploiting vulnerabilities to perform denial of service attacks or gain access to critical data by eavesdropping on less secure Wi-Fi connections. Intrinsically, Li-Fi systems provide a high level of security as the data transmission is confined to the illumination range of the light source. Furthermore, light cannot go beyond the room where it is emanating from as it cannot traverse thick walls. Hence, any unauthorized access should come necessarily from the same location where communication is taking place.
- Interference
Another problem with Wi-Fi and RF-based wireless technologies, in general, is interference. The spectrum crunch has led to inevitable interference between wireless technologies and among users using the same technology. The issue stems from the reuse of the limited resources to accommodate a large number of users. Another inherent property of Li-Fi is the significantly reduced interference due to the confined transmission area.
Towards a Synergistic Convergence?
The confrontation between light and wireless fidelities shouldn’t, in fact, be pictured as a survival battle where Li-Fi would potentially overhaul Wi-Fi. The developed synergy between cellular wireless technologies such as 4G or 5G and Wi-Fi and the gains obtained from such coexistence give all the plausible reasons to further integrate Li-Fi with these technologies. In addition to providing last-mile connectivity, mainly indoor, Li-Fi could provide a highly coveted load balancing solution where a load of subscribers can be optimally and equitably distributed between different technologies. It could also contribute to satisfying the performance requirements of constraining use cases such as gaming, high-resolution video streaming, or even more critical applications related to the tactile internet (e.g., remote surgery).
Summary
It is very hard to say whether Li-Fi or Wi-Fi is better as each technology has its pros and cons. However, it is relatively easy to conclude that ensuring a proper synergy among different wireless technologies is crucial for the viability of future wireless networks.
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What is biometric identification? It is the process through which unique biological characteristics are used in biometric identification to recognize and validate a person. These characteristics can be found in facial traits, eye structures, DNA, fingerprint patterns, and even handwriting. All this data that can be gathered on an individual inevitably brings up the ethical issues in biometrics that need to be addressed.
Facial recognition and fingerprint scans were previously the domain of security, and they were utilized for identification and law enforcement. However, increasingly more business and civil applications are using biometrics authentication. Due to this increased use, it is crucial to address the moral and ethical issues in biometrics when used in the creation of new application and technology.
Applied biometrics and corporate ethics have received little empirical study despite the widespread use of biometric technologies. As a result, there is plenty of room for future study to help us better comprehend the moral consequences of adopting this technology.
This article examines the ethical concerns associated with the use of biometric technology on the use of biometrics for non-security applications as well as the moral ramifications for business.
Ethical Issues in Biometrics and Privacy
Biometric data takes privacy concerns to a whole new level that typical data gathering only touches on. Digital identities can be forged, and anonymity on the web can be maintained to a degree if you know how. Also, digital data can be deleted – if we forget that Meta (Facebook) has been revealed to store deleted data, which is an ethical concern in itself.
The problem with biometric data is that it is unforgeable, unconcealable, and permanent, You can’t change your eye structure, your fingerprint, or your facial features. Big tech companies already have your face, fingerprints, and your voice recorded and stored via current biometric authentication systems – mainly used for unlocking your phone. That data will be there forever, and there is little that people can do about it besides avoid it In the first place.
While many companies still give users the option of using a good old fashion passcode to unlock their phones, as technology as a whole tends to do, the biometric alternative is slowly gaining more traction, and will one day become the norm, as it is hard to argue its convenience and security. You can’t accidentally leave your eyeball at home or forget your fingerprint. But in the same sense, you can’t change it. If your childish curiosity while browsing the web put a black spot on your record, there’s no changing that.
Therein lies the question of who if anyone should have access to such data. Today’s tech giants have all our data in their hands, that won’t change with the spread of biometric verification methods. Indeed, it will only increase targeting capabilities.
While the collection of biometric data on its own does not necessarily mean it will be shared, monetized, or abused in any way, it never the less requires clear and strict guidelines and regulations to be implemented around it. There are too many things that can be abused by the wrong party when the ethical issues in biometrics are not taken seriously, and if such limitations are not applied stringently.
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The Reno line of smartphones has always had a fantastic camera and an attractive design. The Reno 8 and 8 Pro include a 120Hz AMOLED display, the newest Dimensity chipsets, 80W fast charging, a 32-megapixel front camera, and triple 50-megapixel back cameras, among other notable features that make the Oppo Reno 8 and Reno 8 Pro high-quality yet affordable option for anyone.
Here we compare the two latest Oppo phone series iterations and see what to expect from the flagship Oppo smartphone, and how the Oppo Reno 8 and the Oppo Reno Pro stack up against each other.
Oppo Reno 8 Specifications
The Oppo Reno 8 has a smaller 6.43-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with a resolution of 1,080 by 2,400 pixels, a 90Hz refresh rate, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It also runs Android 12 with ColorOS 12.1 on top. Additionally, the display has an 800 nits maximum brightness and a 20:09 aspect ratio. An octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 1300 SoC, up to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage are all found within the Oppo smartphone.
The Reno 8 has a triple back camera configuration for pictures and movies, with a 50-megapixel main sensor and an f/1.8 lens as its focal point. Additionally, there is a 2-megapixel macro camera with a 112-degree field of view and an 8-megapixel sensor coupled with an f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens.
The Reno 8 offers 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.3, GPS/A-GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C connector as connection options. An accelerometer, light, gyroscope, magnetometer, and a proximity sensor are among the sensors on board. For biometric verification, the phone also has a fingerprint sensor hidden behind the display. A 4,500mAh battery inside the Oppo Reno 8 supports 80W Super Flash Charge quick charging. The phone weighs 179 grams and has dimensions of 160 x 73.4 x 7.67mm.
Oppo Reno 8 Pro Specifications
A 6.7-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,412) AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection is included with the Oppo Reno 8 Pro. Running on top of Android 12 is ColorOS 12.1. Additionally, the display supports HDR10+ and is certified by Netflix HD, Amazon HDR, SGS Low Motion Blur, and SGS Low Blue Light. The MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max SoC, which has eight cores, and up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM power the smartphone. Storage on the Oppo Reno 8 Pro is UFS 3.1 capable of up to 256GB.
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro boasts a triple rear camera arrangement with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 main sensor and an f/1.8 lens, an 8-megapixel sensor and an ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture and a 112-degree field of view, and a 2-megapixel macro camera with an f/2.4 aperture. Along with the MariSilicon X NPU, the phone’s camera will offer generally better performance in both bright and dim light. It has a 32-megapixel front-facing camera sensor with an f/2.4 lens for taking selfies and making video calls.
The phone has 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.3, GPS/A-GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C connector as connectivity options. An accelerometer, a light meter, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, and a proximity sensor are among the sensors built into the phone. For biometric authentication, the phone also contains a fingerprint sensor underneath the touchscreen. The smartphone has a 4,500mAh battery that supports rapid charging at 80W Super Flash Charge. The phone weighs 183 grams and has dimensions of 161 x 74.2 x 7.34mm.
Both the Oppo Reno 8 and Reno 8 Pro are prime smartphones that can fit any user’s preferences and can be considered premium smartphones on the cheaper side. If you like photography, you will be satisfied with the level of quality overall, but keep in mind that neither phone is particularly water resistant, so be careful where you take it.
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Many prefer the rumbling ‘vroom’ of a gasoline car to the soft hum of an electric vehicle, while others would rather just be satisfied in the knowledge that they are lessening their carbon footprint. Let’s look at the cold hard facts however, and compare electric cars vs gas cars
Electric Cars vs Gas Cars: Components
The amount of moving components is an important distinction between electric and gasoline-powered automobiles. While a gasoline-powered car contains hundreds of moving components, an electric vehicle just has one, the motor. Another significant distinction is that the electric car has fewer moving components. The electric car is more dependable and needs less routine maintenance. The maintenance needed for a gasoline-powered car ranges from routine oil changes, filter replacements, tune-ups, and exhaust system repairs to less frequent component replacements including water and fuel pumps, alternators, and so on.
Electric Cars vs Gas Cars: Maintenance
The expenses associated with maintaining an electric car are reduced since there are less maintenance requirements. The shaft, the only moving component of the electric motor, is extremely dependable and needs little to no maintenance. The controller and charger are electrical devices that require minimal to no maintenance because they have no moving components. Modern sealed lead acid batteries are maintenance free and utilized in electric cars nowadays. However, these batteries have a finite lifespan and will eventually need to be replaced. New batteries are being developed to increase the range of electric cars as well as the battery pack’s lifespan, perhaps eliminating the need to replace the battery pack throughout the course of the vehicle’s lifespan.
Electric Cars vs Gas Cars: Efficiency
In addition to being simpler and less expensive to repair than gasoline-powered vehicles, electric vehicles are also more cost-effective to run. The electric car will drive roughly 43 miles for $1 based on the efficiency of 3 miles/kwhr and the cost of power at 7 cents per kwhr. The gasoline-powered car will go roughly 18 miles based on the average gas mileage of 22 miles per gallon and the price of gasoline at $1.25 per gallon. As a result, an electric car may drive more than twice as far on a dollar’s worth of petrol.
Where Electric Falls Behind
There are still a number of difficulties for the owner of an electric car despite the fact that it will be less expensive to operate and maintain.
The primary issue is the restricted range offered by existing battery technology. The amount of driving distance possible utilizing the current batteries is between 50 and 150 miles. These ranges are being extended by new battery technologies, and prototypes of these batteries have shown ranges of up to 200 miles between recharging. Solar powered charging stations are being implemented in numerous places to decrease range anxiety towards electric vehicles
The lack of qualified service professionals to repair and maintain electric cars is another issue that faces their owners. A two-year associate degree program has been developed to train high school graduates to become proficient electric vehicle technicians, and training programs are being developed and made available to upgrade the conventional automotive technician with the skills needed to maintain an electric vehicle.
Infrastructure to recharge the batteries is also required. The most important component of the infrastructure for recharging already exists: electric power is accessible practically everywhere. To support the electric car, it is still necessary to guarantee that charging stations with the right sorts of service (i.e., maximum voltage and current) are placed in important areas. Plans must also be made.
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Ian Terblanche, Global Strategic Sales & Channel Director at Sigfox
