An overview of energy consumption in IEEE 802.11 access networks

Abstract

Nowadays users are expecting to have some type of Internet access, independently of the place where they are. This is indeed supported by the fact that wireless access networks are becoming available almost everywhere through different types of service providers. In this context, new applications have emerged with demanding requirements from the network, but also from the end-user device capabilities. Energy is the most prominent limitation of end user satisfaction within the anytime and anywhere connectivity paradigm. Since IEEE 802.11 is one of the most widely used wireless access technologies, this work provides insights on the study of its energy consumption properties, laying the grounds for further improvements towards enhanced battery lifetime. Experimental energy assessment results demonstrate the efficacy of power saving mechanisms and the relevance of wireless devices’ state management.