Devices, systems, and methods for providing wireless personal area networks (PANs) and local area networks (LANs) using visible and near-visible optical spectrum. Various constructions and material selections are provided herein. According to one embodiment, a light-emitting diode (LED) includes a substrate, a carrier confinement (CC) region positioned over the substrate, an active region positioned over the CC region, and an electron blocking layer (EBL) positioned over the active region. The CC region includes a first CC layer comprising aluminum gallium arsenide and a second CC layer position over the first CC layer. The second CC layer and the electron blocking layer (EBL) also each include aluminum gallium arsenide. The active region is configured to have a transient response time of less than 500 picoseconds (ps).