| Transmitting Data Through LED Light Bulbs |
| Written by Hank Green | ||
| Thursday, 09 October 2008 | ||
|
Because LEDs can cycle on and off millions of times per second, they can, in effect, become wireless routers for information transport. So, as long as your device is in a well-lit area of the office, it will automatically have high-speed internet streaming into it. The advantages are fairly obvious...no need for a separate router consuming extra energy. The LED bulbs would actually consume less energy (by cycling off a portion of the time) and the quality of the light would not change perceptibly. Of course, the disadvantages are also pretty obvious...the biggest one being shadows. Unlike RF transmission, light can't transmit through walls..or even sheets of paper. So you would always have to make certain that you were in a well-lit area when working. This also means that the lights would always have to be on...fine for large buildings, but not necessary in offices with large windows. Via GoodCleanTech
Comments
(6)
LED Lights for the Home
written by Rob , October 09, 2008
So Hank, is LED lighting for my home affordable yet?
...
written by Clinch , October 10, 2008
I'm not Hank, but I'll answer your question anyway, and the answer is "depends what you mean by affordable", and in my opinion, they are.
And if you take in to account their lifetime compaired to other bulbs, they work out cheaper than both incandescents and CFLs. As for replacing wireless routers with LED bulbs, I can't see it being effective, and you would still be the issue of receiving outgoing data (as LED lights can't act as receivers, only transmitters [or can then? {no they can't}]).
Yes led can act as receivers !
written by Martoni , October 10, 2008
«As for replacing wireless routers with LED bulbs, I can't see it being effective, and you would still be the issue of receiving outgoing data (as LED lights can't act as receivers, only transmitters [or can then? {no they can't}]).»
Yes led can act as receiver. According to this paper, a simple LED can be a light sensor if used in reverse mode. I tested it with a simple red-led branched on FPGA and that work - not well but, that work -.
Funny
written by Kyle , October 12, 2008
You're in my net, Ted.
Question
written by NJCynic , October 12, 2008
It is my understanding that LED lites lose efficiency over time (they grow dimmer). I know this is the case with battery operated LEDs, but is it also true with home current? And if so, what is the actual, peak lifetime of a $150 LED bulb?
Answer
written by Clinch , October 14, 2008
As far as I'm aware, the lifetime they quote for LEDs (should be on the packet or something) is what you refer to as the "peak lifetime", with the actual lifetime being longer but with the brightness falling below acceptable levels.
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LEDs are a fantastic technology. They are more efficient and less polluting than compact fluorescent light bulbs, and come with a host of other advantages. But one advantage that is certainly new to us is the possibility of using them to transmit data.Or at least, so says the 
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