Design and characterization of the optical layer of a novel pair of underwater VLC modems

We report on the design and experimental characterization of a novel pair of underwater wireless optical modems. Each of them is equipped with a blue LED array as transmitter, an APD photodiode as receiver and a pin photodiode for optical power monitoring. The modems are designed to operate at 10 Mbit/s (10BaseT Ethernet, Manchester-coded signal) in harsh conditions, i.e. in turbid water and with strong sunlight. Successful lab experiments and final sea tests confirm the validity of our approach.