How can you save battery life on mobile and IoT communication systems?

1 Reduce transmission power

One of the simplest ways to save battery life is to reduce the transmission power of your devices. Transmission power is proportional to the square of the distance, so reducing it by half can save up to 75% of energy. However, you need to consider the trade-off between power and signal quality, as lower power may result in higher error rates or lost packets. To balance power and quality, you can use adaptive modulation and coding schemes, which adjust the modulation level and error correction rate according to the channel conditions.

2 Use low-power modes

Another way to save battery life is to use low-power modes for your devices and networks. Low-power modes are states where the device or network reduces its activity or shuts down some components to conserve energy. For example, you can use sleep mode, where the device turns off its radio and processor, or idle mode, where the device keeps its radio on but reduces its frequency or duty cycle. You can also use power-saving protocols, such as IEEE 802.11ah for Wi-Fi or LoRaWAN for IoT, which enable devices to synchronize their wake-up times and minimize collisions.

3 Optimize data processing

A third way to save battery life is to optimize the data processing of your devices and networks. Data processing involves tasks such as sensing, filtering, compression, encryption, and routing, which consume energy and bandwidth. To optimize data processing, you can use techniques such as edge computing, where you perform some processing at the edge of the network, close to the data sources, rather than sending all the data to the cloud. This can reduce the latency, bandwidth, and energy consumption of your communication systems.

4 Manage battery usage

A fourth way to save battery life is to manage the battery usage of your devices and networks. Battery usage refers to how you monitor, control, and optimize the energy consumption and storage of your devices and networks. To manage battery usage, you can use techniques such as battery-aware scheduling, where you schedule the tasks of your devices based on their battery levels and priorities, or battery-aware routing, where you route the packets of your network based on the battery levels and link qualities of the nodes.

5 Choose appropriate hardware

A fifth way to save battery life is to choose appropriate hardware for your devices and networks. Hardware refers to the physical components and specifications of your devices and networks, such as the radio, processor, memory, antenna, and battery. To choose appropriate hardware, you need to consider factors such as the size, weight, cost, performance, and compatibility of your hardware, as well as the environmental conditions and requirements of your application. For example, you can use low-power radio chips, such as Bluetooth Low Energy or ZigBee, or high-capacity batteries, such as lithium-ion or lithium-polymer.

6 Test and evaluate

A sixth way to save battery life is to test and evaluate your devices and networks. Testing and evaluation involve measuring and analyzing the energy efficiency and performance of your devices and networks, using tools such as power meters, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and software simulators. To test and evaluate your devices and networks, you need to design and conduct experiments, such as benchmarking, profiling, or stress testing, that can reveal the sources and patterns of energy consumption and identify the areas and opportunities for improvement.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?