Remember when DSL was first introduced on the market? It was incredibly fast and made it possible to load web pages faster and stream video instead of waiting for long download times. There is another new technology which can expand and improve internet accessibility even more than DSL did for Dial up—LED bulbs. That’s right; LED bulbs can be used to transmit data.
The way it works is through complex mathematics that allows the lights to pulse rapidly while still appearing to just be on like normal. This varying of intensity of the light lets it transmit data, and since LEDs are semiconductors and thus programmable. This capability opens a lot of doors for internet access. Without changing basic infrastructure or needing special equipment, suddenly the internet is available everywhere, as long as there is a light source. And since light can’t pass through solid objects, it is possible to secure data in one room without anyone being able to access it from the outside. What’s more, the speed will be able to reach up to 1 GB/s in the future; currently, it sits at about 10 MB/s. Access would also be much cheaper. Devices with LED lights in them, such as smart phone screens or traffic lights, can also act as data transmitters. There is also no need to clutter the landscape with transmission towers, meaning more open (and green) space. This is just one more benefit of switching to LED bulbs, and helps them become the new standard in lighting.
