INSTALLATION OF Li-Fi SYSTEMS
In order to enable Li-Fi service in any building or exterior
application, the utility front end internet service equipment
is still required. Once service is provided at a building
and the high-speed connection is established, the
Li-Fi network can be utilized to distribute internet service
by using PoE or power line communications (PLC).
All Li-Fi compatible drivers that power LED lighting
need to be connected via minimum Cat 6A cabling or
optical fiber to the head-end telecommunications equipment
(e.g., patch panel, router, modem) depending on
the number of lights that will provide the data signals
to the drivers, which will then transmit the information
to users in high-frequency.
Category 5e and higher cables may also be used for
the cabling structure between the utility provided signal
equipment and the LED lights. However, the recommendation
in TIA TSB-162 and the minimum requirement
in ANSI/BICSI 008-2018, Wireless Local Area Network
(WLAN) Systems Design and Implementation Best Practices
is one Category 6A cable. Optical fiber cabling (OM3
or higher) or two balanced twisted-pair cables (Category
6A or higher) are recommended to support speeds higher
than 10 Gb/s.
WIRING INSTALLATIONS
FOR Li-Fi NETWORKS
There are three solutions for providing the cabling
infrastructure for Li-Fi wireless communications:
• Currently, PoE is the optimal solution for driving
the network cabling structure and, therefore, the
preferred option for new installations.
• Power line communications is the preferred option
for retrofit installations. PLC can be used for
sharing the available capacity between lamps
attached to any given circuit ring.
• The “Cloud RAN” architecture can also help
alleviate the pressure on the cabling infrastructure.
However, the long-term cabling infrastructure
is resolved by using PoE in new offices, which is proving
to be more efficient for smart buildings and lighting.
22 I ICT TODAY
The highest quality of lighting
controls can be achieved
by creating a network
of addressable lighting.
Some projects completed in Europe indicate numbers
as high as 25 percent reduction in overall cabling installation
time and a “50 percent installation cost savings than
the equivalent traditional installation.”15
The highest quality of lighting controls can be
achieved by creating a network of addressable lighting.
In order to accomplish this, minimum Ethernet Cat 5e
cable or higher has to be run to each luminaire, although
Cat 6A or higher cabling is recommended for achieving
the higher uplink speeds of at least 10 Gb/s.
The benefits of addressable lighting include the
ability of creating lighting zones, which in turn allows
for creation of lighting scenes, energy savings, and ease
of troubleshooting. If lighting in general is also used
to provide Li-Fi service, all cabling to devices become
obsolete, unless the device is located outside of the
Li-Fi light range where communication outlets may
be provided. For the most part, devices tend to be
in illuminated areas where people are able to see
while they operate them.
Based on this, the projects that would likely reap
the reduction in cabling installation time and overall
costs similar to the European projects would be those
that originally intended to install addressable lighting.
Adding addressable lighting to a project can be very
expensive. It is mainly used in large projects where
lighting addressability brings real value to daily operations,
such as at convention centers, theatres, hospitals,
airports, and large office buildings where new and different
tenants need a different square footage almost every time
they move in. With non-addressable lighting, wiring
modifications are required, which could make the tenant
improvement costs expensive. Addressable lighting would
reduce this process to programming only.