System-Level Analysis of Hybrid VLC/IRS-Enhanced RF Communication

This paper presents a comprehensive performance analysis of a novel hybrid radio frequency (RF)/visible light communication (VLC) system incorporating an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) designed for enhancing indoor RF communication. The system integrates a primary VLC link with an IRS-assisted RF backup link to improve reliability. We have performed comprehensive analysis to calculate key performance metrics including outage probability, outage capacity, and average bit error rate (BER), considering a hard-switching mechanism triggered by a predefined signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold. The transmission continues over the VLC channel until the SNR falls below the threshold value, at which point it transitions to the IRS-aided RF link. We utilize Nakagami-m fading to characterize the RF link and the Lambertian radiation emission pattern for the VLC link, ensuring a detailed evaluation of the system's efficacy. Monte-Carlo simulations have been employed to validate the closed-form expressions derived for each performance metric. The results demonstrate a marked enhancement in system reliability and performance, validating the effectiveness of the proposed IRS-aided system compared to standalone VLC configurations.