Light as Data Transmitter Has Crushed Record Speeds of WiFi

Recently, the record for wireless data transfer was broken at Siemens research project, when light of white LEDs (light-emitting diodes), but not radio waves were used to transmit data. The previous record made 200Mbps and Siemens researchers managed to achieve speed of 500Mbps.
Ostar light-emitting diodes, one of the leading and brightest LEDs on the lighting market, ware used during the experiment. To achieve high speed required for data transfer, the mentioned lights were modulated at a special frequency. The researchers also used a photodetector to receive light signals and to transform them into electrical pulses.
Siemens named the innovative data transfer method as VLC or Visible Light Communication. The company says, such kind of communication would be a perfect solution where WiFi networks interfere with each other, for example, in a building with huge WiFi network.
Additionally, VLC data transfer can be extremely helpful to secure the data transfer as flow of light should be received with a photodetector opposed to radio waves, which can be easily caught by eavesdroppers.
More one application field includes transportation. Stoplights with integrated light-emitting diodes can transmit information to the going cars or trains. Also, Siemens informed that the company used five LEDs to transfer data over “longer distances” at rates up to 100Mbit/s, though the “longer distances” were not mentioned.
The company hasn’t informed about other important properties of the described data transfer method, like how other kinds of light sources can affect the transmitted data and how long distances affect the speed of data transfer.