Free Space Optics (FSO)

Naveen Krishnan H
Reg No: 00604561
S7 CSE, MG College of Engineering
naveenkrishnanh@gmail.com

Abstract— Free Space Optics or Free Space Photonics is a line of
sight transmission in which modulated visible or infrared beams
are transmitted through the atmosphere to obtain optical
communications. Here the transmission uses lasers to transmit
data, but instead of enclosing the data stream within a glass
fibre, it is transmitted through the atmosphere. The transmission
can be done with invisible or visible beams of light. The data
rates up to 1.25Gbps can be achieved by this. Optical wireless
also eliminates the need to buy expensive spectrum for radio
frequency solutions.
I. INTRODUCTION
Free Space Optics may sound like a new buzz-word-
enabled technology that seems to have very outer-space
connotations, but in reality it is an old technology that was
originally developed by the military over 30 years ago. In
technical terms, Free Space Optics is an optical wireless,
point-to-point, line-of-sight high bandwidth broadband
solution with data rates ranging from 1 Mbps to over 2.5 Gbps
that provides the best solution to the “lastmile” needs of
bandwidth hungry applications created due to the convergence
of telecommunications and data communications. What makes
this technology so special is the compelling economic
advantages and the relative speed and ease of deployment
when compared to typical fibre or copper connectivity.
Most people think that optical communication is only
possible through a fiber. However, light can be made to travel
through air as its medium for a lot less money than with
typical fiber optic deployments.
II. HISTORY
Optical communications, in various forms, have been used
for thousands of years. The Ancient Greeks polished their
shields to send signals during battle. Later on a wireless solar
telegraph called heliograph was developed, that signals using
Morse code flashes of sunlight.
The fundamental concept of FSO was experimented by
Alexander Graham Bell himself, through his invention the
‘photophone’ in 1880s. In 1880, four years after having
invented the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell made his first
wireless optical communication in which the rays of the sun
replaced electric wire.
The basic idea is to focus sunlight onto a flexible reflective
membrane. The user speaks into this membrane. The spoken
word is transmitted in the air by modulating the reflected sun
rays. This modulated reflected light, after its displacement in
the air, is collected by a photoconductive selenium cell
connected to a pile and the ear-phones.
In 1960s it was taken up by the military with the help of
lasers. But it was much later that this technology was tried as
a method for implementing commercially.

Fig. 1 Example of a network employed using FSO Fig. 2 Photophone in action

 The performance is similar between LEDs and LASERs
when used for short-distance networks. But as the distance of
the links increase, LASER becomes far superior.
E. Is Perfectly Eye-Safe
Infrared radiations of wavelength 850nm and above are
used here. They tends not to reach retina but are absorbed by
cornea. Thus FSO is perfectly eye safe. If more power is
required, lasers of greater wavelength can be used (usually
1550nm) and still remain eye-safe. Thus FSO connections
pose little physical harm. That is here class1 lasers are used
and thus pose no physical harm.

TABLE I
LASER CLASSIFICATIONS

Fig 3 FSO implemented to transmit voice

III. FEATURES
The main features of FSO are:-
A. Still a Relatively New Technology
The FSO even though uses the same basic idea devised by
Graham bell in 1880s; implementation of FSO using the IV. COMPONENTS
concept of lasers is still quite new. And the usage of FSO as a
commercial network solution is very new.
FSO does not require added wirings. It just requires the
B. Is a Line of Sight Technology placement of the Transceivers. The transceivers can both send
and receive messages and can thus function in full-duplex
FSO is implemented where the sender can ‘see’ the
mode. Basic transceiver working is shown in Fig.3. The red
receiver. That is there should be a direct visible path between
beam is the transmitted beam, while yellow is the received
the sender and receiver. Also FSO is for short range
beam. Received beam is recognized by the detector present in
communications. The range of FSO networks are within 3 to
the transceiver.
4km between each link. If we want to connect nodes farther
than that, we would have to ‘bounce’ it off in an intermediate
position.
C. Offers Full Duplex Gigabit Ethernet Through-put
Gigabit Ethernets are as the name suggests Ethernet
connections in which the transfer rate is in the rate of Gigabits
per second. In other words Gigabit Ethernet networks can
transmit more than 1 Giga bit of data in one second. FSO can
provide speeds even greater than 1.25 Gbps. That is it can be
used to implement gigabit Ethernet networks. Even though
Gigabit Ethernets can be implemented FSO are also used to
implement cheaper Fast Ethernet connections with speeds of
166Mbps. This is done through LEDs and is thus far cheaper
than the laser versions.
D. Can be Implemented With Cost-Efficient LEDs
As mentioned before we can use cheaper LEDs in place of
laser as well. This is done if the required network contains
Fig. 4 Basic diagram of a Light Pointe transceiver
only short-distant links. At which case we can implement FSO
network using cost efficient LEDs instead of costly lasers.
 V. APPLICATIONS
Free Space Optical Communications have
advantages. They include:-
A. To Implement Wireless Gigabit Ethernet
FSO is a cost effective and quick way of implementing
gigabit Ethernet connections. Here there are a lot of
restrictions like, there should be a visible link between nodes,
and also the atmospheric constraints should be in an
acceptable limit.
The main ways of implementing an FSO network (the
different topologies) are:-
1) Point-to-Point:
Here a dedicated connection is provided between two
computers or nodes. The connection speed between 155Mbps
and 2.5Gbps can be realized. Many companies like Air Fiber
and Terabeam provide with even more speed. The range here
is about 4km.
Fig. 5 Point-to-Point FSO network diagram.
2) Mesh:
Mesh architectures may offer redundancy and higher
reliability with easy node addition but restrict distances more
than the other options.
Fig. 6 Mesh FSO network diagram.
3) Point-to-Multipoint:
Point-to-multipoint architecture offers cheaper connections
and facilitates node addition but at the expense of lower
bandwidth than the point-to-point option. This provides the
same speed as of point-to-point links.
Fig. 7 Point-to-multipoint FSO network diagram.
B. Communication Between Space Shuttles and Satellite
many Constellations
In the mid-1960's NASA initiated experiments to utilize the
laser as a means of communication between the Goddard
Space Flight Center and the Gemini-7 orbiting space capsule.
Thus FSO was and still is a preferred method of implementing
communications between Satellite constellations. FSO here is
not degraded in performance due to the lack of atmosphere
and can provide maximum efficiency.
Fig. 8 FSO link between two satellites
C. In Classified Sites
In military and other sites where there is a high demand of
security. Wireless radio frequency networks are thus prone to
intruder attacks. Also the wired links can also be tampered.
But FSO links are narrow and are very hard if not impossible
to ‘tap’ into. Thus FSO in itself without any need for any
encryption technique is already very secure.
D. In Special Cases
When there are obstacles like motorways, canals etc
between the network stations, we can implement FSO easily.
In these cases laying optical fibers are either too costly or
cannot be physically achieved.
Another Special Case is when there are stricter regulations
in using Radio Frequencies like sites near an airport. Here we
can implement FSO.
E. When There is a Saturation of Radio Operator Links
If we want to use Radio Frequencies to implement wireless
networks, first we want to buy a particular band of frequencies
in-order to avoid cross-talk and noise. But if there are already
a lot of RF networks there, then it will be difficult to get a RF
frequency. FSO can step-in such cases.
F. For Temporary Network Installations
FSO network installation is very simple and quick. It just
requires setting the Transceivers . There is no need for laying
the cable in the case of wired communication. In the case of
wireless RF networks, there is no need for applying for the use
a radio frequency.
 Also once implemented, FSO networks can also be
dismantled just as quickly as it is implemented. Thus FSO is
the suited network solution when the work place tends to shift
periodically.
G. For Quick Restoration of Networks
FSO networks are preferred networks in emergencies like
earthquakes. In the event of earthquakes, there are usually
smaller disturbances known as aftershocks. So using terrestrial
cables is not an intelligent option as they may get damaged
due to these aftershocks. RF links are affected by radio-
magnetic waves and thus they too are not preferred.
Another reason why FSO is chosen is when a new link
needs to be setup. At which case FSO networks can be setup
quickly.
VI. ADVANTAGES
A. Ease of Implementation
As mentioned before FSO links can be setup quickly and
also dismantled just as quickly. There is no need for acquiring
any legal license at present to implement an FSO network.
Thus whole setup process is easy and fast.
Fig. 8 FSO Transceiver placed inside an office
B. Full-Duplex Support
FSO transmitter is equipped with a photo-detector as well.
Thus they are capable of transmitting as well as receiving
information. Thus by setting up an FSO network, we are
implementing a potential Full-duplex network as we can send
and receive messages at the same time.
C. High Bitrates and Low Error Rates
FSO provides gigabit Ethernet connections. Here the
transmission is optic and thus it is not affected by crosstalk,
electromagnetic radiations (not majorly) etc. It has been seen
that FSO networks are about 99.9% accurate when used in
link distances of 500 to 1000 metres. This incredible accuracy
is under normal or recommended conditions. Under adverse
atmospheric conditions it may degrade, but still the amount of
accuracy is still high comparably.
D. High security
In other Ethernet systems we employ security features like
cryptography to secure our data. But in FSO, the data path can
actually be ‘seen’ and is very narrow. Thus it is very difficult
to ‘tap into’. Thus FSO in itself is very secure and thus suited
for transmission of sensitive data.
E. Protocol Transparency
FSO is a layer 1 device, thus they can be used with any
network, both old and new. Also it can be used in all the
Ethernet configurations, namely Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and
Gigabit Ethernet. It also works in SONET, FDDI, ATM etc.
FSO can also integrate easily with other wireless
communications as well namely 802.11 or Wi-Fi.
F. Cost
Air-fiber is a company produces FSO products. It has
prepared a cost model based on deploying an FSO mesh in
Boston. According to its analysis, deployment would cost
about $20,000 per building, with an average link length of 55
meters and a maximum length of 200 meters. The mesh would
also provide full redundancy.
Thus a comparable fiber network costs between $50,000 to
$200,000 per building. Considering the cost of optical fibers
this is very promising. It would take about $50,000 to $80,000
(per kilometer in an urban location) to connect the buildings
alone few thousands more to connect the buildings!
Light Pointe another company proclaims only about $8000
per link!
VII. LIMITATIONS
There is no ‘perfect’ Ethernet solution. All the Ethernet
techniques have their plus and minuses, so does FSO.
The main limitations of FSO are:-
A. Only for Line-of-Sight Communication
Free Space Optical Communication can be done only if the
network stations are visible to each other. That is there should
be possible for a beam of light to intersect the network
stations. This always is not possible. Thus only LAN can be
provided using FSO.
B. Fog, Snow and Rain
Atmospheric adversities are a significant restraint in Free
Space Optical communications. Fog, smog, snow storm, sand
storm, rain etc does degrade the network’s bandwidth and/or
power of the beams.
Fog is the main problem. It is composed of extremely small
moisture particles that act like prisms upon the light beam,
scattering and breaking up the signal.
In the case of rain and snow the network may not be shut
off completely, but far away network stations might degrade
in connectivity (that is signal attenuation is effected).
Most vendors know they have to prove reliability in bad
weather cities in order to gain carrier confidence, especially if
those carriers want to carry voice. So these vendors try to
distinguish themselves by running trials in foggy cities.
Terabeam, for example, ran trials in Seattle, figuring if it
could make it there, it could make it anywhere.
Sand storm and Smog are rare and occur scarcely at high
altitudes. Most of these phenomenons affects Wi-Fi network
also.

Fig. 11 Low clouds

Fig. 9 first picture shows normal condition and second in fog condition and
last one is under snow storm condition. E. Building Motion
There are mainly tree types of motions and are shown in the
C. Scintillations
TABLE II. There are mainly two ways to cope with the
Scintillation is the result of solar energy heating small building movements. They are:-
pockets of air to slightly different temperatures, thereby
creating regions of varying refractive index along the 1) Automatic Pointing and Tracking
propagation path. Here the narrow beam of light is used. The system always
Here the beam from the transceiver is spread when they monitors the communication and aligns the transceivers
pass through these air pockets as shown in Fig 10. This does automatically. But this technique requires additional
not cut off the transmission but can induce errors in the components and added complexities. It is also costly to
transmission. provide this feature.
But this is employed when there is added requirement of
security. Here the beam is directed towards the transceivers
alone and is thus highly directed.
2) Large Divergence
Here the beam is spread out over a larger margin, and there
by nullifying the sway of the building. This is relatively cheap
to employ but the security is compromised here. But we can
over come this by employing added security features.
Even though it degrades security, this approach is often
used due to the low implementation cost.
But the recent surveys conducted in Seattle show that only
15% percentage of building sways more than 4 degrees. Thus
the beam need not be spread out to a large extend.
Fig. 10 Scintillation
TABLE II
BUILDING MOTIONS
D. Low Clouds
This is a case when we are connecting offices in 2 Type Cause(s) Magnitude Frequency
skyscrapers. Here also the beam is scattered due to the small
water particles present in the clouds. Attenuation is effected Tip/tilt Thermal High Once per day
expansion
here as well.
Sway Wind Medium Once every
Fig. 11 shows a skyscraper being engulfed in a low cloud.
several seconds
In cases like this the beam strength of the FSO Vibration Equipment Low Many times per
communication can be lost. But here also the connection only (e.g., HVAC), second
gets degraded not cot-off completely. door
slamming, etc.
 VIII. COMPARISON X. CONCLUSIONS
TABLE III shows the comparison of various Ethernet
solutions there is. The various parameters are ranked, 10 being Well designed FSO networks can deliver up to 99.9%
best and 1 being worst. efficient networks. The FSO networks provide added security
and high data rates. FSO implementation is easy and is cost
TABLE III
ETHERNET SOLTIONS
efficient. There are some short comings to FSO like any other
Ethernet solutions, but most can be overcome or is usually
Network Speed Distance Latency Security Cost tolerable.
FSO 10 4 10 10 8 Thus Free Space Optical communication has large future
Telco 10 10 10 10 1 scope as it enable implementation of cheap Gigabit Ethernet
5.8 RF 2 9 5 1 10 connections
24GHz RF 5 6 6 2 5
60GHz RF 9 3 9 3 6
REFERENCES

IX. PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Space_Optics

There are several commercial products available in the [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RONJA
[3] Oliver Bouchet, Herve Sizun, Christian Boisrobert, Frederique de
market. Some of them are FSona, Sonabeam, Ronjan, Light Fornel, Pierre-Noel Favennec, “Free space optics Propagation and
Pointe etc Communication”
These provide with both internal and external FSO [4] Kam Y Lau, “Ultra-high Frequency Linear Fiber Optic System”
solutions. The basic devices in all the above mentioned [5] Abdul Kasim, Prasanna Adhikari, Nan Chen, Norman Finn, Nasir
Ghani, Marek Hajduczenia, Paul Havala, “Delivering Carrier
products are similar and the entire cost of implementing an Ethernet: Extending Ethernet Beyond the LAN”
FSO network is only some thousands of dollars. [6] http://www.freespaceoptics.org/freespaceoptics/default.cfm
[7] http://www.freespaceoptic.com/bestfit.htm
[8] http://www.free-space-optics.org/
[9] http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/siot-sfr031709.php
[10] http://www.seas.harvard.edu/hbbcl/fsoc.html
[11] http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/browse.cfm
[12] http://www.airfiber.com/products
[13] http://www.terabeam.com/sol/car_700.shtml
[14] Wildebrand, Heinz A., Ghuman, Baksheesh S , “Fiber Optics without
Fiber” IEEE Spectrum August 2001
[15] Allen Doug, “The Second Coming of Free Space Optics”, Network
Magazine, March 2001

Fig 12 some practical implementations