Investigation of Visible Light Communication in an Indoor Environment: A Case Study of Afe Babalola University’s Communication Laboratory

Abstract

In this paper, the authors used the communications laboratory of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Nigeria as a case study for an indoor VLC broadband communication experiment. For the purpose of experimentation, eight light emitting diodes (LEDs) were symmetrically located on the ceiling (as transmitters) and a photodiode (as a receiver) was located on the floor of the laboratory. This was aimed at determining the degree of illuminance, optical power, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) experienced within the laboratory. MATLAB software tool was used for the computation. Results show that the laboratory receives adequate illumination when the half-power semi-angle (ϕ1/2) of the LED varies from 15° to 65 ° with average of 250 (1x) to 680 (1x), respectively. However, the average optical power of -3dBm and SNR = 0dB at ϕ1/2 = 15° are inadequate for data communication, while the corresponding values of signal power = 28dBm and SNR = 61dB at ϕ1/2 = 65° are quite adequate for wideband communication anywhere within the laboratory.