4. Laser communication

Lasers can be used as a communication system. Unlike the tiny LEDs used in fibre-optic communication, this method uses high power laser beams to transmit light signals.

It is sometimes called a 'free-space' laser system because the beams travel directly through the air. For example, setting up a high bandwidth data link between two line-of-sight buildings can make use of a free-space laser system.

There are commercial systems available that offer Gigabit Ethernet connection speed up to 3 kilometers

One disadvantage of this kind of system is that it is affected by the weather. Fog or haze can block the beams. On the other hand it can be set up very quickly, and easily, making it ideal for setting up a video feed to cover outdoor events at a sports arena.

Laser communication is also used to exchange data between satellites. In space the beams remain strong and tighly focussed offering speeds of up to 10 Gbps

Uses

  • Campus wide communication
  • Emergency data links (disaster relief etc)
  • Outdoor events requiring high speed data feeds
  • Building - to - Building communication
  • Satellite to Satellite communication
  • Backup network in case main cabled network fails

 

Advantages
Disadvantages
Wide bandwidth compared to infrared Affected by weather (at least on Earth)
Can be set up quickly (compared to laying cable) Requires line-of-sight to work

 

 

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Click on this link: Laser communication