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Consolite Technology Introduces Military LiFi systems For Naval and Ground Forces Purposes
Credit to Consolite Technology
Consolite Technology
Consolite Technology recently announced on their website the introduction of military LiFi systems for both naval and ground forces use.
LiFi is a rapidly developing technology with many advantages over WiFi, and Consolite is at the forefront of developing ruggedised military applications.
According to their site, Consolite Technology is well established in its field, having started in 1980 with the design and manufacture of cockpit lighting indicators for the UK Sea Harrier programme.
In 1984, Consolite introduced the thumbwheel potentiometer used on the F-16 HUD, and to this day is the sole supplier of this item. The design has been developed for the F-22 fighter and now a mechanical encoder for the Block 60 F-16 HUD and an optical encoder for the Eurofighter Typhoon have been added to the range. A set of variants for the C-17 programme is also produced.
In the mid-1980s Consolite developed a capability in the design and development of NVG-compatible filters for cockpit lighting and so was an early leader in the field. The capability was later extended to full cockpit upgrades for many of the world’s major aircraft types.
More recently the company has achieved great success in the modification and supply of lighting on warships, including complete upgrades to major aircraft carriers and complete lighting systems for new build warships.
Consolite Technology is also a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of night vision lighting technology, including:
NVG compatible lighting systems and filters
NVG compliant modifications to aircraft, warships and military vehicles
NVG lighting consultancy and testing
The strengths of the company have also been recognised by US suppliers, including Korry and Lumitron, who have selected them to stock and sell their products in the UK.
Consolite is a leading producer of advanced warship lighting systems, including:
LED internal lighting
LED external lighting
LED navigation lighting
Their latest development is the design and manufacture of military LiFi communication systems.
They have full capability in the design, development, manufacture and test of night vision lighting systems and other lighting equipment. They provide innovative design and rapid and flexible responses to customer requirements. Consolite can also support its customers with assembly work and with rapid prototyping facilities.
Consolite is located in a modern, spacious facility in southern England with excellent transport links to London and regional airports. The company has a full quality certification to the latest standard of ISO9001.
Ground Forces LiFi System
Providing fast, secure wireless data which is easily transported and quickly deployed, linking each shelter without the need for cumbersome cables. Operators can become connected in the same way as society does. Fast communications, video linking, geo-location, instant access to documents, on-the-job training through augmented reality and fast logging of maintenance activities are just some of the new realities of a secure Command Post.
The connectivity of the medical centre can help medical professionals link with their counterparts at Base Camp to help with complicated procedures and allow real-time support where time is crucial. The addition of augmented reality or head-up video and voice devices like the Microsoft Hololens or Vuzix Blade makes access to information as fast as anywhere in the world.
Credit to Consolite Technology
The following information is taken from the datasheet available on Consolite Technology’s website.
Based on Signify’s highly successful LiFi system, Consolite has re-engineered the technology to be suitable for the Military environment.
Meeting the relevant Def Stans and Mil-Stds this product is developed for use in situations where Wi-Fi is not an option.
The system consists of 3 components:
1 x Access Point to connect power and data
Up to 6 x Transceivers can be connected to the Access Point
Up to 16 x USB Keys can be connected at any time
Credit to Consolite Technology
Access Point (connection for data and power)
The Access Point is the connection point for power and data. The Transceivers are plugged in here with IP65 glands. A WiFi-capable version is available – the WiFi is disabled locally when not required.
Technical Details
Credit to Consolite Technology
Transceiver (detector connected to access point)
The transceiver is designed to be used between 1.2 and 2.8m from the USB key. Data rates are best inside a 60-degree cone. The transceiver is designed to stow data cable wrapped around the transceiver's body.
The exit window is in the central part of the product. The unit is hung with Velcro for easy deployment to cords, cables or poles.
Technical Details
USB Key (for connection to your device)
The USB Key is necessary for the device to communicate with the Transceiver. It is plugged by wire directly into the PC, Laptop, Tablet or Smart Phone.
The format shown below is hooked over the monitor, laptop, the tablet to allow easy removal and storage. It is fitted with impact absorption bump strips to protect against drops and impact in the field. It is resistant to drops in excess of 5m.
As with the Transceiver, other housings and fixing methods can be tailored to different applications and Consolite Technology specialise in customisation
Technical Details
Deployable System
A Rugged case containing the following:
1 x Access Point
6 x Transceivers
6 x USB Keys
Dimensions: 616 x 493 x 220mm
Weight: 13.3kg (net weight 7.1kg)
Naval LiFi System
Providing fast data rates throughout a ship allows connectivity in a way that hasn’t been experienced before. Crew can become connected in the same way as society does. Fast communications, video linking, geo-location, instant access to maintenance documents, on-the-job training through augmented reality, and fast logging of maintenance activities are just some of the new realities of a connected warship.
Shipyard worker connectivity during refit can provide significant time savings – studies estimate at least 20% savings by providing data at the point of need. Imagine a 20% saving in labour during a refit period on an aircraft carrier. Designers and project managers could have access to maintenance documentation and e-mail whilst out of the office as well as a solid phone signal on the lower decks of the ship.
The following information is taken from the datasheet available on Consolite Technology’s website.
ACCESS POINT (CONNECTION FOR DATA AND POWER)
Credit to Consolite Technology
Transceiver (detector connected to access point)
The transceiver is designed to be used between 1.2 and 2.8m from the USB key. Data rates are best inside a 60-degree cone. The transceiver is designed to stow data cable wrapped around the transceiver's body.
Technical Details
Credit to Consolite Technology
Co-location with light sources
As a light manufacturer, Consolite works hard to manage lighting efficiencies, angles, colour temperature, dimming and different lighting modes like red or night vision compatible lighting.
To use LiFi through some (or all) of those other considerations would mean a compromise on light output, data rate, temperature resilience and/or lighting efficiency. The IR modules can be added to suitable light fittings without changing the fitting.
Credit to Consolite Technology
USB KEY (FOR CONNECTION TO YOUR DEVICE)
The USB Key is necessary for the device to communicate with the Transceiver. It is plugged by wire directly into the PC, Laptop, Tablet or Smart Phone.
The format shown below is hooked over the monitor, laptop, the tablet to allow easy removal and storage. It is fitted with impact absorption bump strips to protect against drops and impact in the field. It is resistant to drops in excess of 5m.
As with the Transceiver, other housings and fixing methods can be tailored to different applications and Consolite Technology specialise in customisation
Technical Details
Credit to Consolite Technology
Consolite Technology Contact Details
If you are interested in getting more information about their products or purchasing any of their products for military or navy purposes, you can contact Consolite on the following details:
Phone: +44 (0)1747 840900
Email: sales@consolite.co.uk
Address:
Consolite Technology Limited
St.Martin's Business Park
Bells Lane, Zeals
Wiltshire, BA12 6LY
United Kingdom
Company Registration Number: 1530246 (England & Wales)
Quality Assured to ISO9001:2015
Consolite has worked with military lighting for over 40 years on both Air and Ship platforms. Consolite specialises in advanced lighting design and tests and has become the authority in lighting for Naval applications worldwide. The Consolite Data via Infra-Red system is the next generation of that expertise, taking lighting to a new level.
Consolite’s partnership with the Signify Team has brought the combination of Signify’s huge industrial investment with Consolite specialist military focus. As a team and partners, they are providing connectivity to Naval ship operations which are revolutionising data use at sea.
Signify
Signify is the new brand name of Philips Lighting. The name change occurred in March 2018 to represent the transformation from an analogue lighting company into a digital lighting and Internet of Things (IoT) company. Signify is the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. The company provides lighting solutions for professional segments such as automotive, healthcare, horticulture, office, outdoor, phototherapy, petrol stations, solar, purification, schools, fashion, cinema, and more. These lighting solutions include indoor and outdoor luminaries, lamps, electronics, lighting controls, lighting control software, IoT systems and platforms.
Credit to Signify
Signify has also other brands under its belt such as Philips, Interact, Modular Lighting Instruments, Luceplan, Color Kinetics, ILTI Luce and Philips Hue.
Trulifi system
Signify launched a LiFi system called “Trulifi” back in 2019. Trulifi uses light waves to enable highly reliable, secure two-way wireless communications at speeds far above most conventional workplace wireless technologies.
Trulifi uses optical wireless transceiver technology built, or retrofitted, into Philips luminaires. This means customers do not have to replace their existing lighting infrastructure to receive great quality light and wireless connectivity.
Trulifi 6002 dongle and USB cable - Credit to Signify
The LiFi system comprises of a USB Network Access adapter, LiFi enabled LED lights and a Trulifi-6002 Plug-In Optical Transceiver. The Trulifi-enabled luminaires can provide wireless connectivity at speeds up to 150 Megabits per second (Mbps) over large spaces, such as meeting rooms and office floors. There is seamless handover between each Trulifi-enabled luminaire enabling users to roam around. The speed is fast enough to stream simultaneously 30 1080p HDTV movies. A USB-access key, plugged into a laptop, is needed to receive the LiFi signal and acts as an emitter to send data back to the luminaire.
The Trulifi range also includes a fixed point-to-point system, up to 250 Mbps speed, which acts like a wireless cable. This is ideal for mobile devices connectivity. This LiFi system can also be useful to connect robots or machines in radio frequency (RF) harsh environments like industrial plants, or hospitals where RF communications may not be permitted, or where there’s a need to send and receive large data files securely and quickly. Currently, Trulifi is aimed at professional markets, including offices, hospitality, retail, industry, construction and healthcare.
Benefits of Trulifi
Signify claimed the following three benefits of their Trulifi system:
RELIABLE
Trulifi is ideal for busy areas, such as multi-tenancy buildings, stations, airports and public areas. Network availability and overload are no longer an issue. Trulifi provides guaranteed bandwidth without interference from other radio communication systems.
What’s more, it works in places where radio frequencies are not permitted, restricted or could cause interference – such as in hospitals, some schools, aircraft and industrial plants. It also works where radio frequencies don’t work well or at all.
Trulifi actively coordinates traffic, ensuring good quality of service for all users, at all times. It uses the ITU G.9991 LiFi standard.
The new standard, ITU G.9991, describes the system architecture, physical layer and data link layer specification for ‘high-speed indoor VLC transceivers’, the VLC access points within light bulbs.
SECURE
Trulifi uses AES 128-bit encryption. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a symmetric block cipher chosen by the U.S. government to protect classified information and is implemented in software and hardware throughout the world for the encryption of sensitive data. Information is accessed using a USB access key. What’s more an extra layer of security is built-in, as light waves cannot penetrate walls. This all helps to make Trulifi as secure as wired communication. Perfect for applications where security is paramount:
Financial institutions
Government
Police
Military
Data centres
Corporate organisations
FAST
Trulifi 6002 series has a net data rate up to 150 Mbps for the downlink and the uplink. That’s fast enough to stream simultaneously 30 1080p HDTV movies.
It’s perfect for offices and large spaces as each luminaire transceiver hands off seamlessly to another. And unlike other LiFi systems, it works with the lights on, dimmed or off.
Trulifi 6013 is a fixed point-to-point system. It acts like a wireless cable with a guaranteed net data rate up to 250 Mbps for the downlink and uplink. It can be used in a host of environments – from connecting machines in a factory to sending large image files in a hospital. Trulifi 6013 is available with Blue, Red and Green light.
Li-Fi Conference 2022
The Li-Fi Conference 2022 Edition was a great success. Li Fi Tech News will very soon write articles on the topics treated at the Conference.
What is LiFi?
LiFi, also known as "Light Fidelity" is a wireless optical networking technology, which uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to transmit data. In 2011, professor Harald Haas made a LiFi demonstration at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Global Talk on Visible Light Communication (VLC).
VLC uses light as a medium to deliver high-speed communication like Wi-Fi and complies with the IEEE standard IEEE 802.15.7. The IEEE 802.15.7 is a high-speed, bidirectional, and fully networked wireless communication technology-based standard similar to Wi-Fi's IEEE 802.11.
How does LiFi work?
LiFi is a high speed, bidirectional, and fully networked wireless communication of data using light. LiFi constitutes of several light bulbs that form a wireless network.
When an electrical current goes through to a LED light bulb, a stream of light (photons) emits from the lamp. LED bulbs are semiconductor devices, which means that the brightness of the light flowing through them can change at extremely high speeds. The signal is sent by modulating the light at different rates. The signal can then be received by a detector that interprets the changes in light intensity (the signal) as data. Also when the LED is ON, you transmit a digital 1, and when it is OFF, you transmit a 0.
LiFi Benefits
The primary benefits of LiFi are as follows:
• Security: Provides entirely secure access. Where there is no light there is no data.
• Safety: Does not produce electromagnetic radiation and does not interfere with existing electronic systems.
• Localisation: Allows localisation due to the small coverage area of LiFi access point - localisation can be used for very precise asset tracking.
• Data density: Provides ubiquitous high-speed wireless access that offers substantially greater data density (data rate per unit area) than RF through high bandwidth reuse.
Credit to Oledcomm
LiFi Applications
LiFi can be used for so many applications and the list is increasing every year. You can read our updated list of Li-Fi applications at the following link:
Credit to pureLiFi
LiFi Systems Reviews by LiFi Tech News
OLEDCOMM LIFIMAX KIT REVIEW - ONE YEAR IN
We reviewed the LiFiMax kit produced by the leading French LiFi company Oledcomm. We bought this LiFi kit system at the end of 2020. After over a year of use, we decided to write a review of this LiFi system. We looked briefly at the profile of Oledcomm, a brief history of the LiFiMax system, the Kit box contents, some testing and performance results of this LiFi system, the customer experience and our own verdict (the good and the bad points) of the LiFiMax kit.
You can read the review on this link:
https://www.lifitn.com/blog/lifimaxreview
SIGNIFY TRULIFI 6002.1 STARTER KIT SYSTEM REVIEW
We also reviewed the Trulifi 6002.1 starter kit produced by Signify, the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. We got this LiFi kit system with the help of PCDSI and Signify around August 2021. In a similar fashion done with our previous review of the LiFiMax kit a few months ago, we will look briefly at the profile of Signify, a brief history of the Trulifi 6002.1 kit, the Kit box contents, some testing and performance results of this LiFi system, the customer experience and our own verdict (the good points and the bad points) of the Trulifi 6002.1 kit.
You can read the review on this link:
https://www.lifitn.com/blog/trulifi6002review
In conclusion, if you are also interested to hear more information about the OWNII Coin or enquire about LiFi devices such as the LiFiMax and Trulifi, you can contact us through our chatbot or by sending an email through our contact us form. If you enjoyed this post and would like to hear more updates about LiFi technology, subscribe to our newsletter. Don’t forget to subscribe to our social media accounts. You can also join our Telegram group about LiFi technology on this link:
https://t.me/joinchat/FMzOmsEKyJFrU6Af
In conclusion, if you are also interested to hear more information about the OWNII Coin or enquire about LiFi devices such as the LiFiMax and Trulifi, you can contact us through our chatbot or by sending an email through our contact us form. If you enjoyed this post and would like to hear more updates about LiFi technology, subscribe to our newsletter. Don’t forget to subscribe to our social media accounts. You can also join our Telegram group about LiFi technology on this link:
https://t.me/joinchat/FMzOmsEKyJFrU6Af