Proof-of-Concept: Infrared Transmission Using Smart Phone Cameras

Infrared data transmission used to be a common communication means for devices that are spatially close to each other. Despite its reliability and cost efficiency, infrared communication has virtually disappeared as its bandwidth is but sufficient in many application domains. This paper reevaluates to what extent built-in cameras of up-to-date smart phones can be used as infrared receivers. It turns out that small data amounts, such as IDs, tags, and network addresses, can be easily recognized, which makes infrared-capable smart phones suitable of automatic target selection and setup.