Once upon a time, office workers had no choice but to rely on Ethernet cables to connect their PCs to servers, printers and other devices.

Then Wi-Fi technology appeared on the scene, allowing many to enjoy a more flexible wireless working environment.

Now there's a new technology that could make the benefits of Wi-Fi even more enticing - it's called Li-Fi.

Li-Fi has the potential to turn room lights into networking devices. Its promoters say the concept involves turning lights on and off so quickly that the pulses are invisible to the human eye but can be used to transmit a stream of ones and zeros to computers. Clever stuff.

It's early days but the technology is already attracting considerable attention. The fact that office lights (and those in other locations) are already connected to wires would make setting up a fully fledged Li-Fi network much easier than more traditional networks.

Some industry watchers point out that Li-Fi is similar to an older technology called VLC (Visible Light Communication). VLC appeared in the early 2000s, but as yet has failed to generate widespread support. It's hoped the sexier sounding Li-Fi will fare better.

Would you be happy for your office lights to become your network?