What is Signal to Noise Ratio

Visible light communication (VLC) is a promising research topic that aims at utilizing the visible light spectrum for data communication, which in turn off-loads the heavily utilized wireless radio spectrum. VLC can take advantage of the increased use of light emitting diodes (LED) for lighting purposes in different fields, such as automotive headlights, traffic signals, advertising, aviation, and general lighting. Utilizing solid-state LEDs for lighting purposes not only saves energy but also can be used for data communication since LEDs can be easily modulated by switching the light on and off in frequencies above the human eye perception. This data can be transmitted in addition to the main lighting functionality of these devices. VLC is relatively easy to implement and safe, as it does not have potential side effects like the radio signals. As such, this new technology has a great potential for adoption in several applications. This chapter will briefly introduce the technology and discuss some potential indoors and outdoors applications.