Feature | Li-Fi | Wi-Fi |
Full Form | Light Fidelity | Wireless Fidelity |
Operation | Li-Fi transmits data using light with the help of LED bulbs. | Wi-Fi transmits data using radio waves with the help of Wi-Fi router. |
Interference | Do not have any interference issues similar to radio frequency waves. | Will have interference issues from nearby access points(routers) |
Technology | Present IrDA compliant devices | WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad standard compliant devices |
Applications | Used in airlines, undersea explorations, operation theatres in the hospitals, office and home premises for data transfer and internet browsing | Used for internet browsing with the help of Wi-Fi hotspots |
Merits (advantages) | Interference is less, can pass through salty sea water, works in dense region | Interference is more, cannot pass through sea water, works in less dense region |
Privacy | In Li-Fi, light is blocked by the walls and hence will provide more secure data transfer | In Wi-Fi, RF signal cannot be blocked by the walls and hence need to employ techniques to achieve secure data transfer. |
Data transfer speed | About 1 Gbps | WLAN-11n offers 150 Mbps, About 1 - 2 Gbps can be achieved using Wi-Gig/Giga-IR |
Frequency of operation | 10 thousand times frequency spectrum of the radio | 2.4 GHz, 4.9 GHz and 5 GHz |
Data density | Works in high dense environment | Works in less dense environment due to interference related issues |
Coverage distance | About 10 meters | About 32 meters (WLAN 802.11b/11g), vary based on transmit power and antenna type |
System components | Lamp driver, LED bulb (lamp) and photo detector will make up complete Li-Fi system | Requires routers to be installed, subscriber devices(laptops, PDAs, desktops) are referred as stations |