Getac brings integrated LiFi technology to rugged mobile computing market

Getac Technology Corporation (Getac), a globally renowned company in rugged computing and IT solutions, has announced that it is bringing integrated LiFi (Light Fidelity) technology, powered by PureLiFi, to the rugged computing and IT software market for the first time ever.

Integrated Light Fidelity technology

The announcement means customers across a wide range of professional sectors will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of fully rugged reliability and innovative LiFi connectivity in a single device, unlocking a host of powerful new applications and use cases.

Previously, users wishing to capitalise on the benefits of LiFi technology had to rely on a USB dongle plugged into the side of their device. This approach is highly vulnerable to even the slightest knock or drop, making it unviable in many working environments, especially including those found in the defence, public safety, automotive, industrial, energy and manufacturing sectors.

With this Getac announcement, users across these sectors will be able to purchase a fully rugged solution with LiFi technology fully integrated into the device. The first Getac device to offer integrated LiFi capability will be the recently launched UX10 fully rugged tablet.

LiFi technology: Secure, high quality, light-based connectivity

LiFi technology uses light to transmit data rather than radio frequency

LiFi (Light Fidelity) technology uses light to transmit data rather than radio frequency, which is the case with traditional technologies, such as WiFi, LTE, 4G and 5G technologies, to name a few.

This innovative approach has a number of benefits over traditional RF-based technologies. The positives include:

• Improved privacy and security: Light can be more easily contained than radio waves, and secured in a physical space. As a result, it is much less vulnerable to hacking or hijacking, while giving greater control over network localisation, asset tracking and user authentication.
• Superior connection quality: LiFi technology offers a thousand times the data density of RF-based networks, resulting in enhanced reliability and interference free communications. LiFi technology also does not interfere with RF signals, meaning both networks can be run simultaneously in the same physical space.
• Extremely low latency: Light-based data connections have significantly lower latency than RF-based technology, which can radically enable innovation, automation and the use of advanced applications, including Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).

Unlocking powerful new applications across many sectors

The combination of rugged reliability and LiFi connectivity unlocks a series of powerful new applications across a range of sectors. These include:

• Defence: Inherently secure, fully rugged communications solutions that can be rapidly deployed in the field, thanks to minimal cabling requirements.
• Public safety: Lightning fast on-scene data collection and transmission in emergency response scenarios, aided by high quality, low latency LiFi connectivity.
• Automotive: Fast, uninterrupted data downloads for upgrading vehicle firmware in highly physical factory or workshop environments.
• Manufacturing and energy: LiFi (Light Fidelity) technology can help turn old system infrastructure into IoT (Internet of Things) devices, aiding digital transformation in areas where there are concerns over RF-based equipment interfering with safety-critical operations.

Expansion of LiFi connectivity across rugged devices

“At Getac, we work with a huge range of customers across multiple sectors, many of whom have very specific technology requirements and challenges,” said Chris Bye, President of Getac Technology Corporation UK Ltd. (Getac).

Chris Bye adds, “Today’s announcement once again demonstrates our commitment to solving these challenges by combining powerful new technologies, such as LiFi (Light Fidelity) technology with our proven rugged devices, to create industry-renowned solutions that excel in even the most adverse operational environments.”