SMART OPTICAL WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

A control system is provided for an optical wireless communications system comprising a plurality of optical communications access points, APs, (102) which have a combined field of view which defines a coverage area, wherein the APs are for communicating with end devices, EDs, (204) over a communications medium of an optical wireless local area network. At least one ED is movable through the coverage area and thereby is in communications range of different APs along a path through the coverage area. The controller obtains a topology of a movable area, wherein the movable area is defined by the physical space through which a movable ED may move. An AP is identified which has a movable ED in its field of view (210), and then a first sub-set of the APs is activated which are determined as possibly being next along the path through the movable area from the identified AP. A second sub-set of the APs are determined not to be next along the path through the movable area, and they are switched to a reduced power mode.