An Extensive Comparison of the Next Generation of Wireless Communication Technology: Light-Fidelity (Li-Fi) Versus Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi)

Abstract

Wireless communication technology has changed and expanded at an incredible rate particularly within the last few years. Moreover, the demand for wireless communication services has increased due to the fast growth of wireless technology and new revolutionary applications. Nowadays, Wi-Fi is the technology used by most and is widely deployed in homes, offices, coffee shops and airports, etc. It is also widely used with smart phones, tablets and smart TVs, etc. An emerging technology known as Li-Fi is used to off-load data from existing Wi-Fi networks to provide more capacity or where Wi-Fi is not allowed such as, in hospitals, petrochemical plants and aircrafts. After a comprehensive literature survey, there is no extensive comparison of this revolutionary new wireless technology (Li-Fi) with Wi-Fi. This proposed research compares between Light-Fidelity and Wireless-Fidelity in terms of: Radio channel, data rate, range, network size, multiple access, security and applications. In conclusion, Li-Fi technology provides a large license free bandwidth, higher data rate, more safety and availability with a high level of security and privacy compared to Wi-Fi.