A Proof-of-Concept Demonstration of Hybrid Li-Fi/Wi-Fi Network on a Prototype Testbed

The increasing demand for extensive data requirements in indoor wireless communication has become a center of attention. In response, Light-Fidelity (Li-Fi) technology has emerged as a viable alternative to Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi), offering a multitude of benefits. These include higher data rates, access to a wide unlicensed spectrum, and a secure and environmental friendly communication system. However, Li-Fi has limited coverage. In contrast, Wi-Fi has better coverage albeit with lower data rates. The judicious utilization of both Li-Fi and Wi-Fi can provide higher throughput with broad coverage. In this work, we develop a realistic experimental setup for a hybrid Li-Fi/Wi-Fi network (HLWN) to showcase the performance of HLWN superiority over a Wi-Fi-only network in terms of network throughput and coverage. The results validate the potential of HLWN to meet the increasing demands of indoor wireless communication, particularly for scenarios with multiple users and mobility requirements. This research contributes to the advancement of HLWN technology and paves the way for its practical implementation in real-world scenarios. Through these evaluations, we measured the average throughput performance of HLWN. This metric provides valuable insights into the network’s ability to efficiently transmit data and seamlessly handle device transitions between Li-Fi and Wi-Fi access points.