Headline from Tomorrow: Internet Hack Triggers Epileptic Fits

Windhawk

I like the plant in the picture: data (water me)

MrBlahBlah

So you have to have the lights on to watch a movie or access the internet?

WaldoMacrotainer

RPI is my alma mater and our mascot is the Engineer. I'm sure there joke to be had about how many engieers it takes to screw in a germanium light emmitting diode. Not quite sure what it is though.

Optimus-Prime

This MUST be the best thing since sliced bread. The InterWebs will be everywhere.

Next up: the Sun will be one big router and our Mars colony will have free internet porn.

Shodan

Let there be light, er... file transfer, er... internet access, er... ARGGHHHHH!!!

siville

What a great idea. The clock is networked too? The Plant I can accept, but a wall clock?

tamoko

how long before people try to link wi-fi with cancer clusters?

wanago

how does the light bulb receive data back? i understand the flickering light but there should be a receiver.

rurena

@Geisrud: Well you can get 100 mbps transfer speeds from an IR remote (which is basically what these things are), so you should be golden. Those of us in the internet age will make do with 10 Mbps.

WMyers

I don't use lights less than 100mbps

Geisrud

Do the lights have to be on? I have the lights off most of the time since natural light is usually enough, and too much light, especially office light, causes migraines.

Curves

Just think of this as a v1.0 proof of concept kind of thing. If it catches on, wouldn't be surprised to see new bulbs come out with diodes for each independently or some way to do without the visible light (non-visible spectrum). The possibilities could be endless. In 5 years imagine every light in a city hooked to a central wi-fi access that could stream data to your car, phone, or what have you instantly without having to drive on the sidewalk next to every Starbucks that you see... not that anyone would do that...

Ramsay101

This will never take off... here's why.

Of all the computer folks I have ever worked with, like 90% of them like working with the lights off, most because the perceived flicker of office fluorescent bulbs is annoying to them. Now you're saying we're going to have other lights that flicker at an imperceptible rate? Please.

It's a neat idea, but if you can't sell the geeks on the high-tech idea, good luck getting wide adoption. :)

Derek Balling

Very interesting idea! I can't wait to see it working.

RE-L

E = M(PORN)squared

VideoVampire

@Optimus-Prime: It's a trick question, since it's a soldered connection.

Gann

transfer at the speed of light... 10Mbs !!!

prouted

@Optimus-Prime: The Engineer? [tuvw.bokunic.com]

auslander

@Gojulas:
I should add, our hockey team is pretty good, and our mascot is an amped up Boston Terrier named Rhett.

Gojulas

so basically we've gone from 100gbit laser fiber optics....to 1900 maritime morse code by flashing lights between two ships?

krystar

BU doesn't have a football team. It was disbanded years ago.

Gojulas

@krystar:
As long as they don't start rating the speed in baud rate, then we should be fine.

Darkest Daze

@MrBlahBlah: and the encryption light switch

Rodime

@tamoko: Fast, easy way to ensure the correct time. And also a great way to randomly screw with your cow-orkers (at 4:30 slow down the second hand to 25% speed).

Toshie

will it cause epilepsy?

Ariel_Wollinger

@Ariel_Wollinger: Will it blend?

mrtallbones

@Derek Balling: They could use a higher frequency of PWM. It wont be noticeable.

For One way traffic like broadcast (wall clocks, thermostat, HD TV) it is technically possible. Yet, it will fail, because where is the return traffic route? :)

Remember the old IR days, some laptops and mobiles still have these. it's always been a two way module where both ends have IR LED for transmission and a PhotoDiode for reception.

CPFReviews.com

The concept looks very similar to the infrared that we used to use a decade ago. You will need to have a 'line of sight' to work. Imagine a co-worker sitting over the table or the shadow of monitor over the pot

The bulbs will use the same diode for lighting the room and providing the network connection, flickering, as the Register put it, "like tremendously fast signal lights."

basically, they will serve as transmitters. So how do we have a 2 way communication? Like lets say user sitting on a table to access internet needs a two way access, what? he will shine a flashlight? :) Quite possible, today we have some programmable flashlights that have processors up to 20 MHz with some memory... perhaps we will stick Arc6 LED Flashlight over the monitor aimed at the light source in the hall sending a beam back for two way communication.

CPFReviews.com

The people developing this are way smarter than me, I'm sure, but I don't think this will take off, despite the fact that on the surface it seems like a great idea. I think they're proposing to have this in offices mostly, which would eliminate the "the lights have to be on?" concerns from most people.

But 10Mbs per second? I guess office workers trading documents, reading emails, and goofing off with a little browsing wouldn't need much more than that, but I know that a lot of business connections are potentially much faster than that. And some residential cable plans are getting as high if not higher than 10Mbs.

Also, the flickering? Has anybody taken a look at a set of LED Christmas lights? Maybe they're not all as bad as the ones I'm thinking of, but mine flicker oh so slightly, to the point that I wouldn't want them creating the majority of my reading light.

Finally, does this mean that offices everywhere are going to have to install new network blinky-light WiFi receivers? Is line-of-sight going to be a problem?

karmaghost

@siville: Hey thats pretty nifty i can use my ipod touch's internet near a lightbulb the thing is i just need to get me a desk where there is er..light LOL

sean123456

BU doesn't have a football team....did I miss something?

thedoctah

I thought the point of using LEDs was to conserve energy. If they're constantly pulling current to power the diodes, how much are you really saving? I guess if you consider the power savings of not having to run lights and access points, but I guess that depends on how many access points you have. Besides, my workplace doesn't even have wifi.

GTgeek

Old idea being re-born. This was done my modulating the ballast for fluorescent lights last decade. I think the company was called Indalla.

brutek