An indoor hybrid WiFi-VLC internet access system

Sihua Shao, Abdallah Khreishah, Michael B. Rahaim, Hany Elgala, Moussa Ayyash, Thomas D.C. Little, Jie Wu

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

87 Scopus citations

Abstract

Visible light communications (VLC) is emerging as a new alternative to the use of the existing and increasingly crowded radio frequency (RF) spectrum. VLC is unlicensed, has wide bandwidth, supports new levels of security due to the opacity of walls, and can be combined to provide both lighting and data communications for little net increase in energy cost. As part of a lighting system, VLC is ideal as a downlink technology in which data are delivered from overhead luminaries to receivers in the lighting field. However, realizing a symmetric optical channel is problematic because most receivers, such as mobile devices, are ill-suited for an optical uplink due to glare, device orientation, energy constraints. In this paper we propose and implement a hybrid solution in which the uplink challenge is resolved by the use of an asymmetric RF-VLC combination. VLC is used as a downlink, RF is used as an uplink, and the hybrid solution realizes full duplex communication without performance glare or throughput degradation expected in an all-VLC-based approach. Our proposed approach utilizes a software defined VLC platform (SDVLC) to implement the unidirectional optical wireless channel and a WiFi link as the back-channel. Experiments with the implemented prototype reveal that the integrated system outperforms conventional WiFi for crowded (congested) multiuser environments in term of throughput, and demonstrate functional access to full-duplex interactive applications such as web browsing with HTTP.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings - 11th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Ad Hoc and Sensor Systems, MASS 2014
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages569-574
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781479960354
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 6 2015
Event11th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Ad Hoc and Sensor Systems, MASS 2014 - Philadelphia, United States
Duration: Oct 28 2014Oct 30 2014

Publication series

NameProceedings - 11th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Ad Hoc and Sensor Systems, MASS 2014

Other

Other11th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Ad Hoc and Sensor Systems, MASS 2014
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPhiladelphia
Period10/28/1410/30/14

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Computer Networks and Communications

Keywords

  • Heterogeneous Network (HetNet)
  • Hybrid system
  • Internet
  • LiFi
  • Optical Wireless (OW)
  • Software Defined Radio (SDR)
  • Visible Light Communications (VLC)
  • WiFi

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