This full-text paper was peer-reviewed and accepted to be presented at the IEEE WiSPNET 2017 conference.

New Strategy in Wireless Communication

Li-Fi for Delivery of Broadband and Media Content in Aircraft Without Intrusion

Anitha Vijayalakshmi1 and Nesa Sudha2

1
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Kings Engineering College, Chennai, India
2
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Karunya University, Coimbatore, India
Email: 1 anithaneil@yahoo.co.in 2 nesasudha@Karunya.edu

Abstract—Wireless communication (Wi-Fi) has created a TABLE I

volatile crash in the society. It helps everyone to make use of the
internet without getting knotted with wires. On the other hand,
Li-Fi, a new-fangled method which is getting ready to match
up with Wi-Fi is faster, safer and much more competent. Li-
Fi mitigates the possibilities of hacking, loss of communication,
and facilitates high-speed data connectivity through consistent
lighting solutions for every passenger in aircraft. It permits
connectivity at all times, without electromagnetic interference
(EMI) with responsive radio equipment on the flight deck. This
paper centers on vulnerabilities of Wi-Fi in concern with the
deliverance of broadband and media content in aircraft.
Index Terms—Li-Fi, hacking, lighting, interference, visible
spectrum.
I. I NTRODUCTION
As the demand for data communication has increased dra-
matically over the past few years, several innovative methods
have been attempted to meet the ever-growing demand. An
application domain where wireless networks are significantly
used is in aircraft. In commercial aviation, the key objective
is to supply in-flight internet connectivity to passengers. Li-
Fi employing LED can provide connectivity through constant
lighting. LEDs consume less power compared to other sources
and have a remarkable life span and chromaticity properties.
LEDs can be switched on and off very promptly for the
digital input 1 and 0, which gives excellent opportunities
for transmitting data. In this paper, we are going to look
at some of the key aspects of LED and its advantage over
Wi-Fi, mainly in the field of aviation. The problems like
interferences, threats, hacking and loss of communication in
using Wi-Fi in aircraft are discussed. The highlights about
general architecture of aircraft wireless network using Li-
Fi technology for the deliverance of broadband and media
content inside the aircraft. The calculation of the luminous
flux based on parameters such as luminosity function of the
human eye and spectral power distribution of a LED. Some
of the functional highlights about Li-Fi are given in the below
Table I.
II. L I -F I IN A IRCRAFT
Air travel over many years has been a phone-free, electronic
device-free region. Passengers have no other option than to
watch a movie or read a magazine. As a remedy for this, Li-Fi
technology can be put in for the deliverance of broadband and
media content in aircraft. Li-Fi facilitates faster transmission,
less cabling, and equipment, and is safe and secure. An added
F UNCTIONALITY HIGHLIGHTS OF L I -F I .
S. No Li-Fi Highlights Explanation
1 Higher Internet Speeds Able to transmit data at a speed of
approximately 1 gigabit per second.
2 Better Security Li-Fi signals cannot penetrate
through walls which prevent external
hacking.
3 Makes Smarter Homes Li-Fi lights can provide internet con-
nectivity to appliances like fridge,
coffee maker etc.
4 More Convenience Li-Fi does not interfere with other
radio signals like Wi-Fi. Hence, it
can be used in aircraft, hospitals and
much more.
advantage is that Li-Fi excludes troublesome RF interference
in vital aircraft control systems. Li-Fi is a high-speed, bi-
directional and networked technology. It makes connectivity
available at all times, without producing electromagnetic in-
terference (EMI) with responsive radio equipment on the flight
deck.
“Light waves do not pass all through walls. Hence, protected
wireless communication is possible in cyber-secure spaces”,
explains Haas, German Professor of Mobile Communications
at the University of Edinburgh. Haas has exposed that “a major
aircraft carrier” has been trying the probability of Li-Fi for in-
flight amusement using LED bulb with a line of sight on top
of the head in airlines. The position of the passenger for the
explicit period in flight is regularly a seat with a reading lamp
pointing to his/her position at a detachment of about 1.5 m and
may contain a data device (laptop, tablet or phone) over the
table. This paper throws light on full optical wireless strategy
for passenger connectivity in planes during flight.
III. I NTERFERENCES AND I NTIMIDATION
A. Effect of Electromagnetic Field and Radiation
The interference in wireless communication system evokes
radio frequency interruption and also results in failure of
electronic, communication and information systems. The elec-
tromagnetic contagion and electro smog (E-smog) are the
radiation that affects the environment. The human body is
constantly affected by the presence of electromagnetic radi-
ation in the environment. The overwhelming exercise of elec-
tricity and wireless technologies have progressively increased
the exposure to electromagnetic field (EMF) [1]. A human

978-1-5090-4442-9/17/$31.00 2017
c IEEE 1838
 This full-text paper was peer-reviewed and accepted to be presented at the IEEE WiSPNET 2017 conference.
Fig. 1. Airline network topology.
body is uncovered to an intricate mix of EMFs at various
frequencies throughout lifespan [2]. The adverse effects of
EMF are tiredness, sleep disturbances, facial itchiness, burning
sensations, rashes, pains and aches in muscles, hazy thinking
and sadness [4].
B. Problem of Hacking and Loss of Communication
The antennas are installed on the belly of an aircraft to pick
up signals from land-based cell towers to get connected to Wi-
Fi. The aircraft commences to choose dissimilar cell towers
and consent to users within the plane to begin sending and
receiving signals. Wi-Fi services are prevented in the aircraft,
as it is possible to be taken over by hackers on land who
might use it as a missile or by hijackers on board captivating
instructions from their handlers. And furthermore, there will
be a loss of communication so that pilot will not be able to
acquire the information about the distance among aircraft and
their comparative positions and speed as well as he/she won’t
be able to transfer information to Air traffic control (ATC).
In such cases, the loss of communication may be considered
a security threat. Pilot workload may be considerably greater
than before in order to restore usual communicated on.
IV. A IRCRAFT W IRELESS N ETWORK
The common architecture for aircraft services is shown
in Fig. 1 using airline network topology which consists of
three basic sections: an aircraft, a satellite link, and a ground
station. On the aircraft, a wireless access point can be used
to make available connectivity to travelers. The satellite link
connects to the ground station, which in turn is coupled to the
Internet. The data link over wireless communication utilizes
free-space for broadcast and is subjected to interference and
signal disruption from other sources. It is difficult and almost
impracticable to separate the transmission media from the
sources of electromagnetic interference, hacking and loss of
communication. A general threat examined here aims to find
a method to facilitate aircraft’s wireless network to be more
practical and competent.
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Fig. 2. Model for wireless communication in aircraft.
V. O PTICAL W IRELESS C OMMUNICATION M ODEL
Visible light communication can be used in industries where
radio frequency can’t be used. Eg., Aircraft, hospitals and more
locations. A proposed model for wireless communication in
aircraft is shown in Fig. 2 in which an LED with a restrained
change in intensity produces an optical output depending on
the input 0 and 1. Intensity modulation which is implemented
in transmitter produces instantaneous optical power in ac-
cordance with the transmitted signal. The optical power of
the LED depends on the forward current through the LED
which in turn controls its radiant intensity. The direct detection
method is employed at the receiver’s end. The receiver has a
photodiode that converts the incident optical power into its
equivalent current.
A. Optical Quantities
A LED transmitter gives away twin purposes of illumination
and communication. As a consequence, it is indispensable to
comprehend the relevant optical quantities such as photomet-
ric, colorimetry and radiometric parameters. These parameters
help out in calculating the luminous Flux, which is the trans-
mitted power of a LED transmitter. Photometric parameters
evaluate the characteristics of light such as brightness, color
etc. as professed by the human eye. It makes us be attentive
to the illumination aspects of LEDs. Radiometric parameters
estimate the characteristics of the radiant electromagnetic
energy of light. It finds out the communication associated
properties of LEDs.
The photopic vision of human eye permits humans to
distinguish different colors, making it a crucial factor in de-
signing lighting technology. Human’s photopic vision exhibits
different levels of sensitivity to different wavelengths of the
visible light spectrum. This aspect is shown in Fig. 3 using the
luminosity function V (λ) [5]. The function is an evidence for
that human eye can see the colors within the range of 380 nm
to 750 nm with the maximum sensitivity at a wavelength of
555 nm of the yellow-green region. The visual perception of
color by the human eye will be known by colorimetry, which
provides a quantitative and qualitative depiction of color. Every
color is a grouping of the three primary colors red, green and
blue.
The calculation of the luminous Flux [5]—using spectral
integral or using spatial integral depends on parameters such
as luminosity function of the human eye and spectral power
 This full-text paper was peer-reviewed and accepted to be presented at the IEEE WiSPNET 2017 conference.
Fig. 3. Luminosity function in the visible spectrum.
distribution of a LED. The P (λ) of a LED is the function
representing the power of the LED at all wavelengths in the
visible light spectrum. V (λ) is the sensitivity of the human
eye to diverse wavelengths. The constant 683 lumens/W is the
maximum luminous efficiency.
 750 nm
F = 683 (lumens/W) P (λ)V (λ)d(λ).
380 nm
The luminous flux can be calculated by integrating the
luminous intensity function over the entire beam solid angle
Ωmax .
 Ωmax
F = Lo g(θ)d
0 (ICTON), pp. 1–6, 2015.
where g(θ) is the normalized spatial luminous intensity distri-
bution. Axial Intensity (Lo) is defined as the luminous intensity
in candelas at 0◦ solid angle.
The photodetector receives signals from multiple LEDs, the
received optical power [5] of the receiver can be calculated by
summing the received power of each Line of Sight (LOS) link
within receiver’s field-of-view (FOV) can be expressed as,
M
 no. 1, Feb. 2013.
PR (total) = P (j)
j=0
where M is the total number of LEDs and P (j) is the received
optical power from LOS link of jth LED.
VI. C ONCLUSION AND F UTURE O UTLOOK
With the help of Li-Fi, passengers can get internet
admittance in aircraft and airlines will be able to channelize
and distribute movies, games, and other content to
passenger’s screens. Li-Fi eliminates wiring, reduces weight,
1840
and eliminates the risk of RF interference with avionics
in airlines. Airlines will show more interest because of its
flexibility. Li-Fi could soon hit upon its first potential boon in
commercial use.
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