The proliferation of mobile applications using radio frequencies (RFs) has accentuated concerns about the adequate availability of RF bands and the limits of transmission capacity in mobile telecom networks, as well as the data security issues involved.1, 2 Visible light communication (VLC) would use free-space optical data links based on LED luminaires. This innovative technology offers a promising alternative to RF, since it combines the illumination functionality with data transmission by in-parallel modulation of the light intensity. In a previous report we briefly described the advantages and potential applications, such as wireless hotspots, of the VLC concept.3 It should be emphasized that VLC is best suited as an additional option for data links where RF networks are not desired or not possible. The vision of luminaire-based bidirectional optical data transmission is commonly denoted as ‘optical Wi-Fi.’