Cable television transmission over a 1550-nm infrared indoor optical wireless link

We experimentally demonstrate transmission of cable television (CATV) radio frequency signals over a pointed indoor optical wireless link. The length of the optical link was 15 m. Collimators used at both the transmitter and the receiver sides required good alignment before sufficient optical power could be received. The system was placed at a height of 2 m, which is more than average human height, so human movements throughout the room did not obstruct the link. The optical wireless propagation path was almost lossless. The originality in this experimental demonstration is the transmission of full range of CATV signals compared to other works in this area. This experiment of radio over free-space optics showed that point-to-point indoor optical wireless links can be utilized as an alternative means for transmission of multimedia data. (C) 2013 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)