Additional encryption techniques in network layer or transport layer like IPsec or TLS/SSL are therefore recommended. Either by implementing a beam splitter close to the transmitter, or intercepting photons in the beam divergence area.
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Because of the narrow laser beam, free space optical communications is much more secure than radio-frequency transmissions, but eavesdropping is still possible. Due to the usage of point to point connections, scaling a network is more complex and requires additional maintanance for each connection.
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The given limitations narrow the use cases for free space optical communications in common commercial installations where a reliable connection is mostly mandatory. The primary factors that deteriorate the link are absorption, scattering, and turbulence. And even if this is the case, unpredicted obstacles or bad atmospheric conditions in the line of sight can still influence the signal quality negatively. The transceivers always must be adjusted very precisely to prevent pointing errors. But the precondition for visual contact is also a downside. natural disasters, but also a stable connection with moving objects like airplanes or even satellites. This does not only enable quick connectivity after, e.g. Since there is no fiber cable required, a connection can be established very flexibly and quickly with free visual contact or LoS (Line of Sight) between two points. Unlike the limited spectrum availability with radio frequency communication, optical communication has a license-free spectrum. There are multiple applications where the advantages of free space optical communications (FSOC) can be utilized. The technology itself is not new, but with the invention of laser diodes and highly sensitive photodiodes as well as sophisticated modulation schemes, it now meets the specifications for the rising demand of high bandwidth connections. The attempt is very similar to optical fiber communication systems, just without the need of a dedicated quartz glass optical fiber as transmission media. Systems consist of an optical transceiver at both ends to provide bidirectional capability. The insight of this paper should help to make a decision under which preconditions either the FSOC provides a meaningful application possibility, or the limiting factors become too crucial and other technologies must be considered.įree space optical communication is a technology to transmit data by the propagation of infrared light in free space. Regarding the atmospheric channel, turbulence, distance-dependent beam divergence, and applied modulation schemes, a general overview of the capabilities is presented and discussed. A simulation platform is developed and presented in this paper for investigation of FSOC considering these circumstances. Since the atmospheric channel is not static, the influence of changing weather conditions or industrial smog have a significant impact on the available bitrate. But transmitting data by using FSOC involves some limiting factors that have to be considered prior to each installation. This makes this technology not only a reasonable extension for metropolitan area networks but also provides the capability to set up a network after an outage in case of natural disaster quickly. Free space optical communications (FSOC) shows some significant advantages concerning system setup time in comparison with the classical fiber optical systems on one hand, substantial spectral bandwidth and performances in comparison with the wireless systems under certain conditions on the other hand. Due to the increasing demand for higher bandwidth in modern communication systems, conventional networks are continuously expanded with new technologies to improve coverage.