Abstract :

Current wireless communication technologies, such as wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) and

Bluetooth, use radio waves as the basic medium in transferring information. Even though
these technologies are widely spread, the need of exploring alternatives to transmit data
wirelessly and more efficiently is a must. The reason behind that relies on the current
limitations of the radio frequency (RF) band, which include overcrowding and interference
with other RF applications. To explore alternatives, much research has been conducted to
prove the possibility of using visible light as a wireless medium for transferring data. As a
result, a new technology was presented by a German physicist Harald Haas, called light-
fidelity (Li-Fi), which is a wireless technology that utilizes visible light as a communication
medium instead of using the basic radio wave. Recently, Li-Fi technology has attracted the
research community.

Wireless technology has bloomed to a great extent that it require wireless technology to
transmit a lot of data every day. Nowadays, wireless communications has become
important in communication process. The main way to transmit wireless data is by using
electromagnetic waves i.e. radio waves. However, radio waves can support less bandwidth
because of compact spectrum availability and intrusion. Solution to this is data transmission
using Visible Light Communication (VLC). Wi-Fi deals with wireless coverage within
premises, whereas Li-Fi is perfect for high compactness wireless data coverage in defined
area and for mitigating radio interference issues. In Li-Fi basically we focus to transmitting
multimedia data between two terminals using LED's.

We are witnessing a drastic increase in the need for reliable communication and high speed
data transmission as years pass by. In this paper a Li-Fi prototype is presented which
allows us to look at the feasibility of implementing Li-Fi technology which is both high speed
and reliable. The prototype presented is a small (7.5 χ 5.5 cm square) and portable device
which can transmit and receive data at high speed. It is based on two USB to UART
converters and we use led or laser as per the requirement of the application to transport the
information through amplitude variation in the light (D-light). In receiver we use a photodiode
with low dark current, low rise and fall time. Transfer of data within the line of sight has been
shown where the transmitted and received pulses and texts are shown to be the same.
 INTRODUCTION

Over the past few years there has been a rapid growth in the utilization of the RF region
of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is because of the huge growth in the number of mobile
phones subscriptions in recent times. This has been causing a rapid reduction in free spectrum
for future devices. Light-fidelity (Li-Fi) operates in the visible light spectrum of the
electromagnetic spectrum i.e. it uses visible light as a medium of transmission rather than the
traditional radio waves.

Li-Fi stands for Light-Fidelity. Li-Fi is transmission of data using visible light by sending
data through an LED light bulb that varies in intensity faster than the human eye can follow. If
the LED is on, the photo detector registers a binary one; otherwise it‟s a binary zero. The idea
of Li-Fi was introduced by a German physicist, Harald Hass, which he also referred to as “Data
through Illumination”. The term Li-Fi was first used by Haas in his TED Global talk on Visible
Light Communication. According to Hass, the light, which he referred to as „DLight‟, can be
used to produce data rates higher than 1 Giga bits per second which is much faster than our
average broadband connection.

The high speed achievement of Li-Fi can be explained using frequency spectrum of
Electromagnetic Radiations. From the electromagnetic spectrum we can see that the frequency
Band of the visible light is in between 430THz to 770THz and that of Radio Frequency Band is in
between 1Hz to 3THz, Hence the Frequency Bandwidth of the visible light is about 400 Times
greater than the Radio Frequency Bandwidth. So more Number of bits can be transferred
through this Bandwidth than in the radio frequency bandwidth. Hence Data rate will be higher
in the Li-Fi and higher speed can be achieved. Using Li-Fi we can transmit any data that can be
transferred using conventional Wi-Fi network. That can be Images, Audio, Video, Internet
connectivity, etc.. but the advantages over the Wi-Fi Network are High speed, Increased
Security, More Number of Connected Devices, and Less cost. In coming years number of devices
that support Li-Fi will hit the Market. It is estimated that the compound annual growth of Li-Fi
market will be of 82% from 2015 to 2018 and to be worth over $6 billion per year by 2018.
1
 Fig. 1.1 Electromagnetic Spectrum

This Mini Project discusses the implementation of the most basic Li-Fi based system
to transmit Sound signal from one device to another through visible light. The purpose is to
demonstrate only the working of the simplest model of Li-Fi with no major consideration
about the data transfer speed. This model will demonstrate how the notion of one-way
communication via visible light works, in which Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are employed as
the light sources or Transmitter antennas. The model will transmit digital signal via direct
modulation of the light. The emitted light will be detected by an optical receiver. In addition
to the demonstration purpose, the model enables investigation into the features of the
visible light and LEDs incorporated in the communication model.

Literature

Wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi), and many other wireless communication technologies used

meanwhile, operate in the radio frequency (RF) band. However, due to the crisis of the
overcrowded RF band, which ranges from interference, limited bandwidth to fear for human
safety, exploring efficient alternatives is a must
The RF band is just a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum available for data
transfer. A German physicist Harald Haas proved the possibility of using the visible light
band for data transmission. He introduced the technology of light-fidelity (Li-Fi), which is
based on the visible light communication (VLC) technology. It is a short-range wireless
communication system that leverages the light generated by light emitting diode (LED) bulbs
as the data transmission medium
Li-Fi can contribute much more than the existing technologies using RF as a signal carrier
(e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and radio frequency identification). It is a preceding technology with
high data transmission rates, safety for human use, and security . Moreover, the integration of
illumination and communication services from the same source reduces the infrastructure
complexity and energy consumption significantly
Recently, the Li-Fi technology has attracted the research community, addressing the
promising potential of the integration of Li-Fi into basic lightings. Many studies have been
conducted to improve the technology and allow it to be used by people.
The Li-Fi industry is expected to grow drastically in the coming years. Many global lighting
solution manufacturers are shifting their business to more service-oriented lighting solutions
instead of basic off-the-shelf products.

Wireless technology has bloomed to a great extent that it require wireless technology to
transmit a lot of data every day. Nowadays, wireless communications has become important
in communication process. The main way to transmit wireless data is by using
electromagnetic waves i.e. radio waves. However, radio waves can support less bandwidth
because of compact spectrum availability and intrusion. Solution to this is data transmission
using Visible Light Communication (VLC). Wi-Fi deals with wireless coverage within
premises, whereas Li-Fi is perfect for high compactness wireless data coverage in defined
area and for mitigating radio interference issues. In Li-Fi basically we focus to transmitting
multimedia data between two terminals using LED's. Li-Fi is a transmission of data through
illumination, in which data can be sent through a LED light bulb that varies in intensity faster
than human eye can follow. The light which we are using in our daily life is not only used for
providing light but also for communication by illumination. Transmission of image through
LiFi technology is done.

Using visible light for data transmission including many advantages and eliminates the
disadvantages of transmission of data through electromagnetic waves.

Li-Fi technology is a VLC technology that employs LED bulbs for illumination and data
transmission.
VLC is a version of data communication systems that leverages visible light for
communication. It occupies the band from 380 nm to 750 nm in the electromagnetic
spectrum, which corresponds to a frequency spectrum of 430–790 THz. Since the visible
light spectrum is 10,000 times larger than the RF spectrum, VLC is regarded as a solution to
RF bandwidth limitations.
Component specification:

1. Atmega328p Controller or Arduino UNO :

2. An Arduino board consists of an 8-bit Atmel AVR microcontroller with
complementary components to facilitate programming and incorporation into other
circuits. An important aspect of the Arduino is the standard way that connectors are
exposed, allowing the CPU board to be connected to a variety of interchangeable
add-on modules known as shields. Official Arduinos have used the megaAVR series of
chips, specifically the ATmega8, ATmega168, ATmega328, ATmega1280, and
ATmega2560. A handful of other processors have been used by Arduino compatibles.
Most boards include a 5-volt linear regulator and a 16 MHz crystal oscillator (or
ceramic resonator in some variants), although some designs such as the Lily Pad run
at 8 MHz and dispense with the on-board voltage regulator due to specific form-
factor restrictions. An Arduino's microcontroller is also pre-programmed with a boot
loader that simplifies uploading of programs to the on- chip flash memory, compared
with other devices that typically need an external programmer. Chip flash memory,
compared with other devices that typically need an external programmer.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46. Fig 2: Arduino UNO pinout and Parts
47.
48.
49.
50.
51. ~9~
52.
53. ATmega328 Micro Controller –
54.
55.
56.
57. The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328
(datasheet). It has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM
outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, an
ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the
microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with a AC-
to-DC adapter or battery to get started. The Uno differs from all preceding boards in
that it does not use the FTDI USB-to-serial driver chip. Instead, it features the
Atmega8U2 programmed as a USB-to-serial converter.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.

Fig 3: Atmega328p microcontroller

Technical Specification-
Microcontroller ATmega328

Input Voltage 5V

Input Voltage (recommended) 7-12V

Digital I/O Pins 14 (of which 6 provide PWM output)

Analog Input Pins 6

DC Current per I/O Pin 40 mA

DC Current for 3.3V Pin 50 mA

Flash Memory 32 KB of which 0.5 KB used by bootloader

EEPROM 1 KB

Clock Speed 16 MHz

Feature –

High Performance, Low Power Atmel ® AVR® 8-Bit Microcontroller Family

• Advanced RISC Architecture

– 131 Powerful Instructions

– Most Single Clock Cycle Execution

– 32 x 8 General Purpose Working Registers

– Fully Static Operation

– Up to 20 MIPS Throughput at 20MHz

– On-chip 2-cycle Multiplier

• High Endurance Non-volatile Memory Segments

– 32KBytes of In-System Self-Programmable Flash program
Memory

TRANSMITTER CIRCUIT

Fig.3.1.1 Li-Fi Audio Transmitter Circuit

3.2 CIRCUIT WORKING

The above figure depicts the transmitter circuit of the Li-Fi circuit. We know that
carrier waves can take signals along destinations, so this is simple concept when we put
photons with speed of light by source to destination it can also carry signals of low frequency
to destination. so we build a circuit which can modulate light with low frequency signals.

Take input from an audio device, the input will be very low audio signals of 20Hz to
20KHz. These signals paces through C1 (100nf) where DC (Direct Current) components are
filtered and removed. Through R3 100kΩ which is a current limit for comparator µA741 (Op-
Amp) to protect it from the high current which cause destruction of the Op-Amp. Through R1
100kΩ and R4 100kΩ, voltage at the inverting terminal of the Op-Amp limit to 5v/2 = 2.5v.
Input signal at pin 3 of op-amp and compare with pin 2 of Op-Amp and output will be present
at the Pin No 6 of the Op-Amp IC. 470kΩ pot or feedback gain controller to control volume at
output of the Op-Amp If there is no input is fed to the Comparator, a Positive DC wave will
present at pin 6 of Op-Amp, which make transistor Q1 keep alive and LED starts to glow

6
Continuously. The Capacitors C3, C4 (Both are 470µF) are filters to reduce AC components
spike in circuit.

Whenever signals interrupt through pin 3 of op-amp (input from Audio device). The
Comparator compares the input signal with the Reference Voltage and produce an Pulse
wave output at the Pin 6. The width of the pulse wave is controlled by the Input signal
Frequency. The Pulse signal is equivalent to the ON/OFF Signal which control the intensity of
the Light Source aka LED (D1). The Pulse wave is further Amplified and Modulated using
Transistor BC548 (T1), which is an Amplifier Modulator having high current gain. The
transistor will act as a Lamp Driver and drives the LED. LED emits light according to the pulse
wave form and make VLC (Visible light communication) alive. Since the blinking of the LED is
controlled by the input signal, it will take place in Nano Seconds (ns) it cannot detect by
Human eyes.

3.3 CIRCUIT COMPONENTS

The Basic Components of the Transmitter Circuits are

 
 Power Supply (5V Supply)

 
 Capacitors

 
 Resistors

 
 Op-Amp IC - µA 741

 
 Potentiometer (Audio / Feedback Controller)

 
 Transistor – BC 548

 
Light Source – LEDs

3.3.1 POWER SUPPLY

 The power supply is the most indispensable part of any project. IC Regulators are
versatile and relatively inexpensive and are available with features such as current/voltage
boosting, internal short circuit current limiting, thermal shutdown and floating operation for
high voltage applications. The regulated circuit is used to maintain constant output level.
The regulator IC here used is LM 7805. It provides regulated 5V to the Circuit. Its maximum
input voltage is 35V and minimum voltage is 8V.Output is Constant 5V.

The Pin out diagram of LM 7805 IC is given below LM

7805 Have several Features, they are listed below.

7
 Fig.3.3.1.1 LM7805 – Regulator IC

Features of LM 7805 Regulator are

 
 Output current is up to 1.5A

 
 Output Voltage of 5,5.2,6,8,8.5,9,12,15,18,24V

 
 Thermal overload Protection

 
 Short circuit Protection

 
 Output Transition SOA Protection

 
Maximum input Voltage = 35V


 

We can also use 5V DC Cell for the power supply of the circuit.
Lifi Communication :
The Visible Light Communication interest group, certified by the IEEE, with its standard approved in 2011
by IEEE as IEEE 802.15.7 is the most active one. The standard of VLC (IEEE 802.15.7) specifies VLC
consisting of mobile-to-mobile (M2M), fixed-to-mobile (F2M) and infrastructure-to-mobile (I2M)
communications. The main purpose of VLC standard is to focus on medium-range communications for
intelligent traffic systems at low-speed and on short-range mobile to mobile and fixed to mobile
communications at high speeds to exchange data.
 Data rates are supported up to 1 Gbps using various modulation schemes. IEEE 802.15.7 defines
physical layer (PHY) & media access control (MAC) layer for VLC/Li-Fi. The MAC layer supports 3 multi-
access technologies: peer-to-peer, star configuration and broadcast mode. It also handles physical layer
management issues such as addressing, collision avoidance and data acknowledgement protocols. The
physical layer is divided into 3 types: PHY I, II, III and employ a combination of different modulation
schemes.

 The PHY I was established for outdoor application and works from 11.67 kbps to 267.6 kbps.

 The PHY II layer permits reaching data rates from 1.25 Mbit/s to 96 Mbit/s.

 The PHY III is used for many emissions sources with a particular modulation method called colour shift
keying (CSK). PHY III can deliver rates from 12 Mbit/s to 96 Mbit/s. The modulation formats recognized
for PHY I and PHY II are on-off keying (OOK) and variable pulse position modulation (VPPM). The
Manchester coding used for the PHY I and PHY II layers includes the clock inside the transmitted data by
representing a logic 0 with an OOK symbol "01" and a logic 1 with an OOK symbol "10", all with a DC
component. The DC component avoids light extinction in case of an extended run of logic 0's. There are
also two Japanese standards for VLC networking (JEITA CP-1221 and CP-1222).

Voice modul (isd17xx):

Lifi modul
transmitter tranmitter

arduino
IMPUT
Let array
voice
transmitter
 Led reciver
speaker

arduino

Receiver

On transmitter side, we have white Bright LED and a battery which are connected to 3.5mm jack and
jack will be connected to audio source. Here we are using battery to power up the LEDs because
there is less power coming from the audio source which is not enough to power the LEDs.
Connections are shown below in the circuit diagram:

On receiver side, we are using Solar panel and a speaker which is connected by an Aux cable. You
can also make you own amplifier circuit for receiving end, which has been explained later in this
article.

In transmitter side, when we connect 3.5mm jack to audio source LED will glow but there is no
fluctuation in the intensity of light when the audio source is OFF. As soon as you play the audio, you
will see that there is frequent change in intensity of light. When you increase the volume, LED’s
intensity is changing faster than the human eye can follow.
Solar panel is so sensitive that it can catch small intensity change and correspondingly there is
change in the voltages at output of solar panel. So, when the light of LED falls on the panel,
voltages will varies according to the intensity of light .Then voltages of solar panel is fed into
amplifier (Speaker) which amplifies the signal and giving the audio output through the speaker
connected to the amplifier.
Output will come as long as solar panel is in contact of LED’s. You can put the LED’s at max. 15-
20cm distance from the solar panel to get the clear audio output. You can further increase the range
by increasing the area of solar panel and higher wattage Power LED.

Hardware system design:

2 CAPACITORS

Fig.3.3.2.1 Capacitor
 A capacitor is a two-terminal, electrical component. Along with resistors and
inductors, they are one of the most fundamental passive components we use. What makes
capacitors special is their ability to store energy; they‟re like a fully charged electric battery.
Caps, as we usually refer to them, have all sorts of critical applications in circuits. Common
applications include local energy storage. Capacitance is its Unit. Not all capacitors are
created equal. Each capacitor is built to have a specific amount of capacitance. The
capacitance of a capacitor tells you how much charge it can store, more capacitance means
more capacity to store charge. The standard unit of capacitance is called the farad, which is
abbreviated F. It turns out that a farad is a lot of capacitance, even 0.001F (1 milli farad –

1mF) is a big capacitor. Usually we‟ll see capacitors rated in the Pico- (10-12) to microfarad

(10-6) range.

3.3.3 RESISTORS

Fig.3.3.3.1 Resistors

Resistors are the most commonly used component in electronics and their purpose
is to create specified values of current and voltage in a circuit. The unit for measuring
resistance is the OHM. (The Greek letter Ω - called Omega). Higher resistance values are
represented by "k" (kilo-ohms) and M (Mega ohms). For example, 120 000 Ω is represented as
120k, while 1200000 Ω is represented as 1MΩ. The dot is generally omitted as it can easily be
lost in the printing process. In some circuit diagrams, a value such as 8 or 120 represents a
resistance in ohms. Another common practice is to use the letter E for resistance in ohms. The
letter R can also be Resistor Markings.

9
 Resistance value is marked on the resistor body. Most resistors have 4 bands. The first
two bands provide the numbers for the resistance and the third band provides the number of
zeros. The fourth band indicates the tolerance. Tolerance values of 5%, 2%, and 1% are used.

The following table shows the Color Code used to identify resistor values.

COLOR DIGIT MULTIPLIER TOLERANCE TC

Silver x 0.01 W ±10%

Gold x 0.1 W ±5%

Black 0 x1W

Brown 1 x 10 W ±1% ±100*10-6/K

Red 2 x 100 W ±2% ±50*10-6/K

Orange 3 x 1 kW ±15*10-6/K

Yellow 4 x 10 kW ±25*10-6/K

Green 5 x 100 kW ±0.5%

Blue 6 x 1 MW ±0.25% ±10*10-6/K

Violet 7 x 10 MW ±0.1% ±5*10-6/K

Grey 8 x 100 MW
 White 9 x 1 GW ±1*10-6/K

Table 3.3.3.2 Resistor Color Codes

3.3.4 Op-Amp IC - µA 741

Fig.3.3.4.1 Op-Amp IC - µA 741

10
 An operational amplifier (op-amp) is a DC-coupled high-gain electronic voltage
amplifier with a differential input and, usually, a single-ended output. In this configuration, an
op-amp produces an output potential (relative to circuit ground) that is typically hundreds of
thousands of times larger than the potential difference between its input terminals.

Operational amplifiers had their origins in analog computers, where they were used to
do mathematical operations in many linear, non-linear and frequency-dependent circuits. The
popularity of the op-amp as a building block in analog circuits is due to its versatility. Due to
negative feedback, the characteristics of an op-amp circuit, its gain, input and output
impedance, bandwidth etc. are determined by external components and have little
dependence on temperature coefficients or manufacturing variations in the op-amp itself.

Op-amps are among the most widely used electronic devices today, being used in a
vast array of consumer, industrial, and scientific devices. Many standard IC op-amps cost only
a few cents in moderate production volume; however some integrated or hybrid operational
amplifiers with special performance specifications may cost over $100 US in small quantities.
Op-amps may be packaged as components, or used as elements of more complex integrated
circuits. The op-amp is one type of differential amplifier. Other types of differential amplifier
include the fully differential amplifier (similar to the op-amp, but with two outputs), the
instrumentation amplifier (usually built from three op-amps), the isolation amplifier (similar
to the instrumentation amplifier, but with tolerance to common-mode voltages that would
destroy an ordinary op-amp), and negative feedback amplifier (usually built from one or more
op-amps and a resistive feedback network).

Features of Op-Amp IC

  Short-Circuit Protection

  Offset-Voltage Null Capability.

  Large Common-Mode and Differential Voltage Ranges.

  No Frequency Compensation Required and Latch up

  A-741is general Purpose operational amplifier.

  The device exhibits high stability.

 It can be configured in inverting and Non-Inverting Mode


 It can be used to implement comparators, Astable, Monostable Multvibrators.
Amplifiers, etc..

11
3.3.5 POTENTIOMETER

Fig.3.3.5.1 Potentiometer

A potentiometer, informally a pot, is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding or rotating

contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used, one end and
the wiper, it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat.

The measuring instrument called a potentiometer is essentially a voltage divider used

for measuring electric potential (voltage); the component is an implementation of the same
principle, hence its name.

Potentiometers are commonly used to control electrical devices such as volume

controls on audio equipment. Potentiometers operated by a mechanism can be used as
position transducers, for example, in a joystick. Potentiometers are rarely used to directly
control significant power (more than a watt), since the power dissipated in the potentiometer
would be comparable to the power in the controlled load.
3.3.6 TRANSISTOR – BC 548

Fig.3.3.6.1 BC 548 Transistor

12
 It is general purpose silicon, NPN, bipolar junction transistor. It is used for
amplification and switching purposes. The current gain may vary between 110 and 800. The
maximum DC current gain is 800.Its equivalent transistors are 2N3904 and 2SC1815. These
equivalent transistors however have different lead assignments. The variants of BC548 are
548A, 548B and 548C which vary in range of current gain and other characteristics. The
transistor terminals require a fixed DC voltage to operate in the desired region of its
characteristic curves. This is known as the biasing. For amplification applications, the
transistor is biased such that it is partly on for all input conditions. The input signal at base is
amplified and taken at the emitter. BC 548 is used in common emitter configuration for
amplifiers. The voltage divider is the commonly used biasing mode. For switching
applications, transistor is biased so that it remains fully on if there is a signal at its base. In the
absence of base signal, it gets completely off.

3.3.7 LIGHT SOURCE – LED

Fig.3.3.7.1 LED
 The most important requirement that a light source has to meet in order to serve
communication purposes is the ability to be switched on and off repeatedly in very short
intervals. By utilizing the advantage of fast switching characteristics of LED‟s compared with
the conventional lightning, the LED illumination is used as a communication source. Since the
illumination exists everywhere, it is expected that the LED illumination device will act as a
lighting device and a communication transmitter simultaneously everywhere in a near future.

Typically, red, green, and blue LEDs emit a band of spectrum, depending on the material
system. The white LED draws much attention for the illumination devices. Comparing the LED
illumination with the conventional illumination such as fluorescent lamps and

13
incandescent bulbs, the LED illumination has many advantages such as high efficiency,
environment-friendly manufacturing, design flexibility, long lifetime, and better spectrum
performance.

LEDs emit light when energy levels change in the semiconductor diode. This shift in
energy generates photons, some of which are emitted as light. The specific wavelength of the
light depends on the difference in energy levels as well as the type of semiconductor material
used to form the LED chip. Solid-state design allows LEDs to withstand shock, vibration,
frequent switching (electrical on and off shock) and environmental (mechanical shocks)
extremes without compromising their famous long life typically 100,000 hours or more.

The basic LED consists of a semiconductor diode chip mounted in the reflector cup of a
lead frame that is connected to electrical (wire bond) wires, and then encased in a solid epoxy
lens. The architecture of LED is shown in Fig.

Fig.3.3.7.2 LED Architecture

Flow chart:
Interface: