Updated: Tuesday, 28 Dec 2010, 8:45 AM CST Published : Monday, 27 Dec 2010, 10:01 AM CST By CHRIS WILLIAMS / Associated

Press, Video report by Erik Runge / FOX 9 News ST. CLOUD, Minn. - Flickering ceiling lights are usually a nuisance, but in city offices in St. Cloud, they will actually be a pathway to the Internet. The lights will transmit data to specially equipped computers on desks below by flickering faster than the eye can see. Ultimately, the technique could ease wireless congestion by opening up new expressways for short-range communications. The first few light fixtures built by LVX System, a local startup, will be installed Wednesday in six municipal buildings in this city of 66,000 in the snowy farm fields of central Minnesota. The LVX system puts clusters of its light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, in a standard-sized light fixture. The LEDs transmit coded messages -- as a series of 1s and 0s in computer speak -- to special modems attached to computers. A light on the modem talks back to the fixture overhead, where there is sensor to receive the return signal and transmit the data over the Internet. Those computers on the desks aren't connected to the Internet, except through these light signals, much as Wi-Fi allows people to connect wirelessly. LVX takes its name from the Latin word for light, but the underlying concept is older than Rome; the ancient Greeks signaled each other over long distances using flashes of sunlight off mirrors and polished shields. The Navy uses a Morse-coded version with lamps. The first generation of the LVX system will transmit data at speeds of about 3 megabits per second, roughly as fast as a residential DSL line. Mohsen Kavehrad, a Penn State electrical engineering professor who has been working with optical network technology for about 10 years, said the approach could be a vital complement to the existing wireless system. He said the radio spectrum usually used for short-range transmissions, such as Wi-Fi, is getting increasingly crowded, which can lead to slower connections. "Light can be the way out of this mess," said Kavehrad, who is not involved in the LVX project. But there are significant hurdles. For one, smart phones and computers already work on Wi-Fi networks that are much faster than the LVX system. Technology analyst Craig Mathias of the Farpoint Group said the problems with wireless congestion will ease as Wi-Fi evolves, leaving LVX's light system to niche applications such as indoor advertising displays and energy management. LVX Chief Executive Officer John Pederson said a second-generation system that will roll out in about a year will permit speeds on par with commercial Wi-Fi networks. It will also permit lights that can be programmed to change intensity and color.

For the city, the data networking capability is secondary. The main reason it paid a $10,000 installation fee for LVX is to save money on electricity down the line, thanks to the energy-efficient LEDs. Pederson said one of his LED fixtures uses about 36 watts of power to provide the same illumination that 100 watts provides with a standard fluorescent fixture. Besides installation costs, customers such as St. Cloud will pay LVX a monthly fee that's less than their current lighting expenses. LVX plans to make money because the LED fixtures are more durable and efficient than standard lighting. At least initially, the data transmission system is essentially a bonus for customers. Pederson said the next generation of the system should get even more efficient as fixtures become "smart" so the lights would dim when bright sunlight is coming through a window or when a conference room or hallway is empty. Because the lights can also change color, Pederson said they could be combined with personal locators or tiny video cameras to help guide people through large buildings. The lights could show a trail of green lights to an emergency exit, for instance. While Kavehrad and Mathias credited LVX for being the first company in the United States to bring the technology to market, Kavehrad said it trails researchers and consumer electronics companies in Japan and Korea in developing products for visible-light networks. Pederson's previous company, 911 EP, built high-powered LED roof lights for squad cars and other emergency vehicles. He said he sold the company in 2002. He said the visible-light network grew out his interest in LEDs that goes to the mid-1990s. The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which pays for 24-hour lighting and replacing fluorescent bulbs on high ceilings, is considering an LVX system, said Jeffrey W. Hamiel, executive director of the Metropolitan Airports Commission. The system might include mounting cameras on the light fixtures to bolster the airport security system, but the real attraction is the savings on electricity and maintenance. "Anything we can do to save costs is worth consideration," he said. Michael Williams, the city administrator in St. Cloud, said the city had been considering LVX for some time. "It's pretty wild stuff," he said. "They have been talking about it with us for couple of years, and frankly it took a while for it to sink in."

LED lights to double as wireless networks

Oct. 9, 2008 (9:35 am) By: Matthew Humphries

The advent of LED lighting may not just mean we have another way of saving power when lighting our homes. Researchers at Boston University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the University of New Mexico, are currently working together on a new form of wireless communication that utilizes visible lights instead of radio waves. The idea behind the research is to replace our current need for a separate wireless router with lighting access points while reducing the power required to run a wireless network. Instead of having to wire in network cables, or figuring out where to place a router to get you a signal anywhere in your house, you would instead just turn the light on in any room and you are connected. The research initiative is being carried out at the Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center and has received the backing of the National Science Foundation through a grant of US$18.5 million. Speaking of the technology Thomas Little, Professor of Engineering at Boston University said: Imagine if your computer, iPhone, TV, radio and thermostat could all communicate with you when you walked in a room just by flipping the wall light switch and without the usual cluster of wires This could be done with an LED-based communications network that also provides light all over existing power lines with low power consumption, high reliability and no electromagnetic interference. Ultimately, the system is expected to be applicable from existing illumination devices, like swapping light bulbs for LEDs. As well as potentially simplifying wireless network creation the system is also thought to offer increased security out of the box. As data is being transmitted via visible light it cannot penetrate through walls meaning the potential for others to gain access to that transmission is greatly reduced. There are no details of when we can expect to see this technology come to market, but the research is planned to continue over the next 10 years. The current goal is to achieve a 10Mbps wireless connection, but also to scale that speed up to the point where it surpasses what radio waves currently

offer. Read more at the Boston University press release, found via ITProPortal.com Matthews Opinion This technology sounds like it ticks all the boxes for a wireless network solution. Low power consumption, access in any room just by changing a light bulb, increased security due to the reliance on visible light, and potentially much greater transmission speeds. I would certainly welcome the ability to get a wireless connection in a room just by turning on the light. It would mean an energy saving not only because of the use of LED light, but because when you leave the room you can turn it off. Wireless routers are left running all day and night in most homes for convenience, this new system is convenient without that requirement. It could be many years before we see this commercially, but at least it has been identified for its potential and has the funding to become a usable system and product.

http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/led-lights-to-double-as-wireless-networks-2008109/

New LED ceiling lights transmit data using visible light

Jan. 17, 2011 (5:30 am) By: Doug Osborne

We all know that light is an efficient way to transfer data. Just take a look at the incredible amounts of data we can push around with fiber optics and devices like Blu-ray players and recorders. One company, though, is trying to combine the energy efficiency of LEDs but also use their light as a way to transfer information wirelessly without using radio waves. The company is called LVX, and recently they installed their first ceiling based optical communication systems in government offices located in St. Cloud, Minnesota. These lighting systems use special LED lights that have the capability of transferring data by oscillating their luminescence. Special modems attached to computers below the lights can pick up this light data, much like computers now pick up Wi-Fi using wireless network devices. But dont expect offices to be lit up like raves. The oscillation of light is so fast that the human eye cant register the modulation of data. Current LVX lighting communication systems can transfer data at a rate of 3Mbs per second, comparable to a residential DSL circuit. In addition, the LVX can also offer savings with smart technology that could adjust lighting levels for room occupancy. So not only are these LED lights intelligent, but they are also efficient. It certainly beats the heck out of your standard CFL tube. http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/new-led-ceiling-lights-transmit-data-using-visible-light-20110117/

About Technology System of Companies

What is Visible Light Communication? http://www.lvx-system.com/pages/WhatisVisibleLightCommunication/

LVX visible light communication involves two-way communication using the medium of light. Photons, which can be seen by the human eye, carry an embedded signal, which is unseen. This 'signal within a signal' is the foundation of LVX's patent protected technology and separates LVX technology from other one-way lighting technologies which do not both communicate and provide visible light. A significant attribute of LEDs is their ability to switch on and off thousands of times per second. No other lighting technology has this capability. This switching occurs at ultra-high speeds, so far beyond what the human eye can detect, that the light appears to be constantly on. Amazingly, the technology can transmit a signal even when the light appears off. These embedded signals are emitted from the LEDs in the form of binary code; 'off' equals zero and 'on' equals one. When LVX equipment and devices are placed throughout a building of geographical area, a comprehensive wireless communication network can be created.