PureLiFi today announced it has built a Li-Fi network by turning off-the-shelf LED lights into wireless access points.(Image: pureLiFi)

The company by the fourth quarter plans to begin shipping Li-Flame, a ceiling-mounted unit that can turn an LED light fixture into a multi-user access “atto-cellular” communication system. The Li-Flame moves Visible Light Communication (VLC) past point-to-point and into full wireless network territory, according to a press release.

PureLiFi claims its Li-Fi network can boost capacity 1000x over traditional Wi-Fi networks and could become important for both the Internet of Things and 5G network technology.

The company is touting Li-Fi’s data density is higher than traditional Wi-Fi and that the technology supplies better security and less complicated infrastructure by incorporating existing lighting. The company claims that “a single indicator light in a home appliance can now be turned into a wireless access point.”

The Li-Flame requires a mobile transceiver with an infrared uplink that plugs into the USB of a device.

A Markets and Markets report expects the VLC market to grow to more than $9 billion by 2020.