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Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) connection could replace wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) in the coming years. The light-based internet is cheaper and 100 times faster than Wi-Fi but it cannot pass through walls or be used outdoors under daylight.

Many Internet users around the world complain about sluggish internet connections. A new internet technology using the speed of light could finally solve the problem of slow connection. Light fidelity, or Li-Fi, could become the next generation of Wi-Fi which uses an LED light bulb to encode and transmit signals at 1,000,000,000 bits per second.

The concept of Li-Fi was first introduced in a TED talk by German professor Harald Haas of the University of Edinburgh in 2011. "What if every light bulb in the world could also transmit data?" said the video description of Haas' talk. Haas estimates that Li-Fi could enter the consumer market and households in the two or three years, reported Quartz.

The Li-Fi technology has already been applied by an Estonian tech company known as Velmenni. According to India Today, Velmenni used Li-Fi to cut down on energy and increase profit. The company found out that Li-Fi is 100 times faster than Wi-Fi connection and allows over 224 gbps internet speed.

Li-Fi can also be used inside airplanes since it does not obstruct with radio signals unlike Wi-Fi. However, one of the major limitations of Li-Fi is that it cannot penetrate through walls. Since Li-Fi needs an LED light source to function, users should be close enough to the light source for better connectivity.

The Science Technology Gist (STGIST) reported that Li-Fi cannot be outdoors used under the sun because the sun's radiation will interrupt light signals. Li-Fi could be best used in workplaces and industrial settings where lights should be turned on most of the time.

Chief of Velmenni Deepak Solanki estimates that Li-Fi could enter the market within three to four years but a new infrastructure for Li-Fi should be created first. "It is very difficult to create a whole new infrastructure for Li-Fi so somehow we need integrate our system with the current system," said Solanki.