Performance of FSOC Link Establishment Using Scan/Stare Approach

The last few decades have seen rapid advances in information and communication technology. The bandwidth and high-capacity requirements due to the increased use of the Internet and broadband services have exceeded our expectations in the twenty-first century. Free space optical communication (FSOC) uses the optical carrier in the near-infrared (IR) and visible bands and is considered a viable solution for realizing very high-speed and large-capacity communication links. It is a line-of-sight communication that uses a laser to transmit the information signal between two transceivers over an unguided channel, which may be either the atmosphere or free space. This technology offers several advantages over conventional Radio Frequency (RF) communication systems, such as high data rates, enhanced data security, absence of multipath fading, and wide bandwidth. It is also license-free. This work explores the possibility of free space optical communication with multiple nodes which can be used for communicating between remote vehicles. Initially, the communication link is established with fixed nodes with the help of an Arduino board for data transmission and reception. Data types transmitted and received are video, message, and text files. We further improved the setup by using Arduinos with a scan/stare approach. We use the same link to demonstrate the file transfer system. We have developed a GUI to transfer any file for communication. Our setup can be utilized in remote data acquisition systems with a secure communication link for shipto-shore communication, surveillance systems, and communication networks near volatile national borders.