Though Wi-Fi is the most preferred mode for internet usage, it gets very irritating as the data transfer speed gets slowed down if more people access to the same router. Well, researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology in Netherlands have come up with game changing solution, which not only fixes this teething issue, but also increase internet speed by several hundred times.
The new Wi-Fi technology is developed over the five years of study titled "BROWSE". It is spear headed by Ton Koonen, professor of broadband communication technology, and is funded by the European Research Council.
During the tests, Eindhoven University's researchers were able to eliminate loss of Wi-Fi bandwidth during multiple sharing of source and also reached super fast internet speed for up to 43gbps data download capability.
How the new revolutionary Wi-Fi technology works?
The newly developed system uses infrared light as the primary medium to transfer data to smart devices. It has wide wavelength of more than 1500 nanometers and frequency range of 200 terahertz, several thousand times bigger that of the current Wi-Fi systems. With such capacity, a single light ray can carry huge load of data at astronomical speed.
During the tests, the scholars were able to reach a staggering 42.8 gbps speed over a distance of 2.5 meters.
This is far more superior compared to the current Wi-Fi systems, which use radio signals that too, they work under just two 2.5GHz and 5GHz frequency range. Even under the best conditions, it is only capable of reaching 300mbps speed.
Interesting thing to note about the Eindhoven university's project is that, every device using the new Wi-Fi system gets its own ray of light, thereby eliminating bandwidth shortage and loss of internet speed. This will also help routers to support more devices.
Only problem in the new Wi-Fi technology is that it requires multiple installations of infrared light antennas at each room of the house (or the company), as it cannot travel in-between walls.
[Note: Current Wi-Fi routers use radio signals, which can travel in-between doors and walls of the house/office.]
The researchers have also come up with a workaround to avoid disconnection of internet. The new Wi-Fi system is programmed to allow interaction between multiple antennas installed in the building, so that there is no breakage of internet connection when moving across multiple rooms.
For instance, if the user who has commenced downloading an app or streaming a video from internet and moves out of the Wi-Fi antenna's line of sight, then another light antenna takes over. The network is capable of tracking the precise location of every wireless device using its radio signal transmitted in the return direction.
Some might say installing new Wi-Fi might be a costly affair as it has to be installed in every room of the house or an office building. But, the benefits of the new Wi-Fi systems outweighs this one negative aspect, as it requires is a onetime investment, less maintenance and guess what, it needs no power.
The antennas contain a pair of gratings that radiate light rays of different wavelengths at different angles ('passive diffraction gratings'). All the user needs to do is connect the internet cable to main hub interconnected to antennas in the house.
When will the new Wi-Fi technology become reality?
Professor Eindhoven expects the new Wi-Fi technology to hit homes and offices in around five years.
It is believed that the new Wi-Fi systems need to be tested more and there is space for improving internet data transfer efficiency.
Eindhoven university's PhD scholars are still working on the technology that tracks the location of all the wireless devices as well as on the essential central fiber-optic network connecting the light antennas to improve its efficiency.
