How easy would it be to transfer information just by turning your lamp on? Moving data through the medium of light – sounds amazing. But visible light communications (VLC) is already a reality, and now the race is on to get this amazing technology out there, so to speak.
The latest newcomers are the creators of a Power over Ethernet (PoE) lamp launched earlier this month, which they say is the first step in their efforts to reach the potential of VLC – technology that has already seen LEDs used to transfer data at 500 Mbit/s.
The ALL PWR LED1 lamp from German telecoms company ALLNET is a flexible gooseneck lamp with a power supply based on PoE technology, with its extremely low power consumption meaning it doesn’t affect the PoE network structure in any way.
ALLNET, which is based just outside of Munich in Germering, says that the lamp is ideal for network engineers working in datacenters because it offers a bright and flexible light which can be plugged in any PoE-supported network port. “Even in home automation scenarios, connected lamps can be controlled and switched via the network,” the firm says.
And here are some of the specifications, as quoted: “The ALLNET PoE lamp offers a standard RJ45 network port and is fully compatible to IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at PoE switches, that assures quick and easy power supply via PoE infrastructure.”
It costs €29 and a list of the places you can buy one can be found at the company’s ‘online shop’.