Hey all,
assume that I have 3G flatrate with no extra cost. I wonder myself, if WiFi or 3G consumes more power of my battery? If WiFi would consume more power, than I would switch to permanently use 3G also at home.
Hope to get some helpful answers from the pro's here.
Thanx
3G, by far.
3g>wifi>2g
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA
Sloop said:
I wonder myself, if WiFi or 3G consumes more power of my battery?
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3G consumes more power of your battery than WiFi.
thanks to all. So I will keep WiFi enabled at home
It depends on CDMA or GSM. CDMA is pretty battery efficient and IMO Rev. A EVDO is the best for battery. If you have a strong 3G signal where you live and get good speeds then you may get better life than wifi, but that is rare. More than likely wifi will be better. Now on GSM 3g will be worse but EDGE will be amazing.
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MrObvious said:
It depends on CDMA or GSM. CDMA is pretty battery efficient and IMO Rev. A EVDO is the best for battery. If you have a strong 3G signal where you live and get good speeds then you may get better life than wifi, but that is rare. More than likely wifi will be better. Now on GSM 3g will be worse but EDGE will be amazing.
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Right on. Signal strength is the real key. If your phone is constantly polling on 3G to get a signal lock, it'll drain the battery quickly. With a decent signal, it doesn't drain as fast. Same goes for Wi-fi. With a good signal, definitely better if you're downloading a lot of data as it takes much less time. However, if you're out of range or at the edge of it, it struggles to keep a signal lock and wastes battery. So, if you're at home just lounging around, have a strong 3G signal and aren't downloading much, it's best to go with 3G. If you have a bad signal, or download a bunch, go for Wi-fi. It's more just a balancing act than anything to get the best battery life. Also, make sure the wifi is turned off when you're not connected, or it will be constantly searching for a connection which also will lead to battery drain.
linuxgator said:
Right on. Signal strength is the real key. If your phone is constantly polling on 3G to get a signal lock, it'll drain the battery quickly. With a decent signal, it doesn't drain as fast. Same goes for Wi-fi. With a good signal, definitely better if you're downloading a lot of data as it takes much less time. However, if you're out of range or at the edge of it, it struggles to keep a signal lock and wastes battery. So, if you're at home just lounging around, have a strong 3G signal and aren't downloading much, it's best to go with 3G. If you have a bad signal, or download a bunch, go for Wi-fi. It's more just a balancing act than anything to get the best battery life. Also, make sure the wifi is turned off when you're not connected, or it will be constantly searching for a connection which also will lead to battery drain.
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Nah, not in my experience. I live in an area which is well-blanketed with EVDO 3G, I literally have never been anywhere in the normal course of work or home that has less than 4 bars and 3G lock. Also, my house is covered with wifi, not as thoroughly but plenty to maintain a connection wherever I am in the house, and full signal in the rooms where I spend the most time for sure. Also, until recently, I had wifi at work, they just locked me out of it in fact (because they're facists).
In my experience, I always get FAR BETTER battery life using wifi over 3G as much as possible, even though I have great 3G signal strength 100% of the time and not-so-great wifi coverage. It seems like that wasn't the case with other smartphones I've owned in this same situation, with both Verizon and AT&T in the same locations and with roughly the same coverage (much worse with AT&T, though, of course.) But, with this Droid 3 running the stock ROM rooted, just a few apps like IM and BluetoothDUN frozen, with great 3G and less-great wifi coverage, I always get much better battery life from a day of being connected to wifi versus a day being connected to 3G.
Now, I manage my wifi switching very well too, though; I use Timeriffic to turn mine on and off every work day on a schedule, meaning it's never searching for wifi networks unless I'm geographically in a place where I know there is one I have the connection credentials for. If I left it on searching (and not connected to) wifi all day, I'm sure I'd get a battery life hit, which if I wasn't paying attention like I do would look like wifi eating the battery.
Ciao!
You may have a good wifi router. Mine sucks so that may make a difference. We have a Motorola SBG900 modem and I am always losing signal.
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Related
hi,
i was wondering if there is an app which will automatically switch from 3G to 2G when i turn of the display. When the phone is in my pocket there is no need for the 3G eating my battery.
that would be an amzing app BUMP BUM BUMP
It indeed would be. I'm on it.
EDIT: Then again, switching from 3G to EDGE and vice-versa is resource/battery heavy in heavy and will probably leave you without network for a while. I'm actually going to say it's not worth it. If I create it, I'll post an initial version up here for you guys to decide (no 3G frequencies for me).
Edit: it seems as though there's nothing in the api about switching network state. Looks like a root app (if it's even possible) would be required..
Edit2: This is probably impractical. For example, if you answered a call, you would be disconnected from the call immediately. Besides, the G1 is rated as having more sleep battery life under 3G than GSM.
How does being on 3g even waste battery when your on idle? what Syncing with gmail? i would think the constant switching would waste more battery
I guess you could do it with Tasker. I got that app in ADC2 and it's amazing what you can do with it.
I guess it would be very impractical if you would get disconnected everytime you answer a call from a sleep state. I havent compared the battery consumtion between 3G and "g yet, but i imagine you could save quite some. m not only talking about the Synching, but mainly Chat clients which run in the background. There is no need for them to run over 3G.
I have a ATT type Nexus One (not Tmobile), unrooted, with latest froyo.
The life of the battery in 3G mode vs. 2 G mode is astonishing...pretty ridiculous.
I'm searching but can someone tell me if there's been any fixes or advancements in regard to this problem?
When at home I use wifi as much as possible. I leave it on 2G but really, I can't take the slow speeds of 2G, but 3G setting is suuuuuuch a drain on the battery that it seems unreal.
i've had nokia's and more in 3G, my wifes iphone is 3G... and all of them had nearly more than double the battery life.
I hate the voice quality of 2G, I'd love to be able to just leave at 3G, but it's merely hours before it's nearly drained set on 3G. it's got to be a problem (and one that hopefully can be fixed).
Why would 3G setting be sucking THAT much power (decent-strong signals too here)?
Love my nexus1 and I'll live I guess but this problem...it's a bit much.
Any news on this issue, or other things I can consider or change/try to help this? (3G)
thanks
Set your WiFi sleep policy to NEVER. Even thought you're using WiFi at home, whe nthe screen goes off the WiFi shut off and 3G kick in.
Menu>Settings>WiFi settings>Menu>Advance>WiFi sleep policy>Never.
baseballfanz said:
Set your WiFi sleep policy to NEVER. Even thought you're using WiFi at home, whe nthe screen goes off the WiFi shut off and 3G kick in.
Menu>Settings>WiFi settings>Menu>Advance>WiFi sleep policy>Never.
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Oh very sorry, I should have said I did set this to never and saved changes.
In fact, I think I've set it 1000x now btw, over some time it STILL always disconnects from wifi (might be router disconnecting though, perhaps I should set an IP manually to solve this??).
GPS and BT are always turned off until needed as well (used very rarely anyways btw).
But when I'm away from home for example, I turn wifi off and test the difference2G vs. 3G and the difference is waaaaay too much, 3G just CHEWS at the battery no matter strong signal or medium.
I find it hard to believe 3G really has to eat up that much battery when set compared to 2G on a Nexus. A little bit to nominal ...sure, but not like this (say like 4-6 hours if i left it 3G for a day with little usage).
What's really happening here? Nothing from google/HTC on this matter?
Heh, i get just the opposite... out in the farmland of west toledo, im getting 2G but typically GPRS and that rapes my battery where as 3G i could go on standby for days if i didnt touch it...
What radio are you running? if your phone is constantly looking for a signal then that may be your problem...
I have the same issue on 3g. Home on WiFi is ok but when I go out during the day on 3g it just kills my battery.
The reason is because android OS keeps the data session open at all times where other OS's close it down when not in use. It's just the nature of how they designed android.
As a test, one day turn off your data connection but stay on 3g and see how good your battery life is. This is how some other OS's work normally.
It's a trade off we have to make for being always connected on android.
For example voice actions need to reach out to Google's servers to work. So in the interest of speed of having to open the data session each time, the OS just keeps data open on hand at all times. But that kills battery quicker.
That's what I've found anyway.
JHaste said:
Heh, i get just the opposite... out in the farmland of west toledo, im getting 2G but typically GPRS and that rapes my battery where as 3G i could go on standby for days if i didnt touch it...
What radio are you running? if your phone is constantly looking for a signal then that may be your problem...
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That's because the phone is always on the lookout for a 3G signal, if you know you aren't going to get one, just set it to 2G only and your battery life will massively improve.
I live in an area with poor mobile signal and consequently use a Vodafone Suresignal box. This creates a a micro cell that allows my mobile to recieve a good signal. As you know these boxes rely on a broad band connection to make things work.
What this means is that the distance to the Suresignal box and the broadband modem differs by about 6 inches. For this reason I am perplexed at the significant difference in battery drain with and without WiFi on.
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S using onecosmics release 4.2 of ICS with the devils 14.2 rom.
If WiFi is swithced off then I get about 8-12 hours of battery life in idle. I.e. the phone is connecting with the Suresignal box by 3G.
If I switch WiFi on then I get over 2 days of battery life with the phone in idle.
I have tested this several times and the result is consistent.
Why would this be the case? I would have expected that WiFI would have been the battery burner not vice versa.
Does this observation help anyone? Is there a techincal explanation for the above observation?
My cell phone with Team ICSSGS RC 4.2 behaves that way too. Is it normal that wifi is more economical than 3g?
ROM: Team ICSSGS RC 4.2
Kernel: Semaphore ICS 0.8.1
Modem: JVU
I believe wifi is a little less battery hungry than UMTS. I always keep an eye between the two whenever I change roms (Stock/CM7/MIUI/ICS) as I am a heavy data consumer. Also note that Wifi policy may have been set to turn off when the phone is idle, or never. If former, it will turn wifi on if your screen is on and will essentially not putting wifi to sleep and loose connectivity.
Here's how I scale the consumption, with topmost is the least battery hungry
1. E (edge data connection)
2. Wifi
3. 3G (UMTS/WCDMA data)
4. H (HSDPA/HSUPA)
JVU the modem is very heavy in battery, the modem JPY is less greedy. It depends on the modem. But 3G or HSDPA will always be more hungry than the wifi.
Indeed, WLAN is less consuming than 3g.
As a suggestion, when you are not using WLAN or you are not in range of it, you may switch to 2g connection ( Edge ). Although it's loading way more slower than 3g, if you use it mainly for emails and not for browsing, you will not see any difference at all.
slaycock said:
If WiFi is swithced off then I get about 8-12 hours of battery life in idle. I.e. the phone is connecting with the Suresignal box by 3G.
If I switch WiFi on then I get over 2 days of battery life with the phone in idle.
I have tested this several times and the result is consistent.
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I have the same results
offcourse 3G has more battery drain
Wifi is better on battery than 3g, if you are connected to 3G and not using Wifi Turn off the Wifi, because your phone keeps looking for a wifi signal and that drains battery faster. But if you are in a wifi range always use Wifi over 3g.
i had DesireHD i9000 i9001 in my hands to play with ... 3g is always the biggest consumption regarding internet connection.
Let's settle this once and for all because No one has any clear indication not even T-Mobile
Does WiFi calling use more battery (to even have it enabled) vs it not being enabled?
I would say YES. Because if you're Wifi Calling icon is showing, your WiFi is enabled. So yes, it would be using more battery. Does it mean you're day is cut in half? Most likely not.
In my experience, using WiFi uses significantly less battery than LTE. The science behind it is that the WLAN radio has significantly lower output power than the cellular modem and therefore uses less battery. My real world experience is this:
I text frequently, check FB and IG, receive push mail from 3 Exchange accounts, and spend an average of 20 minutes on the phone each work day. I do not have a desk phone or home phone.
WiFi on with calling: I can usually go to bed at 2200 with 60-70% battery remaining
WiFi on without calling or mixed in/out of office: I usually will have around 40-50% at 2200.
WiFi off (usually only happens when travelling): I usually arrive back at the hotel with 20-35%, which means I need to charge before I leave the hotel for dinner.
madmike23 said:
I would say YES. Because if you're Wifi Calling icon is showing, your WiFi is enabled. So yes, it would be using more battery. Does it mean you're day is cut in half? Most likely not.
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i keep hearing this misnomer that wifi uses more battery, if you have it on searching and not connecting i can see how, but if you are connected to a good wifi signal, it will be much easier on your batt than LTE
The question is does the feature itself end up using more battery?
dc/dc said:
In my experience, using WiFi uses significantly less battery than LTE. The science behind it is that the WLAN radio has significantly lower output power than the cellular modem and therefore uses less battery. My real world experience is this:
I text frequently, check FB and IG, receive push mail from 3 Exchange accounts, and spend an average of 20 minutes on the phone each work day. I do not have a desk phone or home phone.
WiFi on with calling: I can usually go to bed at 2200 with 60-70% battery remaining
WiFi on without calling or mixed in/out of office: I usually will have around 40-50% at 2200.
WiFi off (usually only happens when travelling): I usually arrive back at the hotel with 20-35%, which means I need to charge before I leave the hotel for dinner.
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So wifi without wifi calling uses more battery? am i interpreting this properly?
<WiFi on with calling: I can usually go to bed at 2200 with 60-70% battery remaining>
<WiFi on without calling or mixed in/out of office: I usually will have around 40-50% at 2200.>
WiFi is the issue not WiFi calling.
masri1987 said:
i keep hearing this misnomer that wifi uses more battery, if you have it on searching and not connecting i can see how, but if you are connected to a good wifi signal, it will be much easier on your batt than LTE
The question is does the feature itself end up using more battery?
So wifi without wifi calling uses more battery? am i interpreting this properly?
<WiFi on with calling: I can usually go to bed at 2200 with 60-70% battery remaining>
<WiFi on without calling or mixed in/out of office: I usually will have around 40-50% at 2200.>
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Ya it probably would use more battery. If WiFi is on but not the calling feature then it would still rely on the cell tower and modem inside the phone to send texts thus using more battery. But of course with all of this YMMV.
dc/dc said:
I can usually go to bed at 2200 with 60-70% battery remaining
WiFi on without calling or mixed in/out of office: I usually will have around 40-50% at 2200.
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Who goes to bed that early?
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masri1987 said:
So wifi without wifi calling uses more battery? am i interpreting this properly?
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Correct, for the reason GriffenD mentioned. I sometimes turn it off when I have text issues with my girlfriend, who has Verizon now. Sometimes messages just disappear into the æther.
BACARDILIMON said:
WiFi is the issue not WiFi calling.
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What issue? There is no issue with WiFi.
darekz said:
Who goes to bed that early?
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People that get up at 0630. I like my beauty rest. LOL
dc/dc said:
Correct, for the reason GriffenD mentioned. I sometimes turn it off when I have text issues with my girlfriend, who has Verizon now. Sometimes messages just disappear into the æther.
What issue? There is no issue with WiFi.
People that get up at 0630. I like my beauty rest. LOL
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The issue with WiFi is it searches /scans none stop and that drains the battery. Everyone seems to have the same issue.
BACARDILIMON said:
The issue with WiFi is it searches /scans none stop and that drains the battery. Everyone seems to have the same issue.
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I don't want to argue, but that is not totally correct. Those scans are not constant, they are on a schedule, and generally have a negligible effect on battery life. They can have an impact if a user has attached their device to many networks and the device has a huge list through which to scan. Power users, I would hope, clean out their network list, making it essentially a non-issue. Once the device is attached to a network, as it would be in the instance referenced in this thread for WiFi Calling, then it scans even less often.
dc/dc said:
I don't want to argue, but that is not totally correct. Those scans are not constant, they are on a schedule, and generally have a negligible effect on battery life. They can have an impact if a user has attached their device to many networks and the device has a huge list through which to scan. Power users, I would hope, clean out their network list, making it essentially a non-issue. Once the device is attached to a network, as it would be in the instance referenced in this thread for WiFi Calling, then it scans even less often.
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I guess my phone is bad cause I am locked in on a great signal and if I put the phone down every 30 seconds phone does a scan even if I clear all the networks. When it scans it adds thems back and continues the scan.
BAD ASS NOTE 4
why does my battery die so quickly when i am on public networks or on my school's network? each of these networks has an authentication process, though my school's network automatically authenticates. i know it's the public networks that are eating my battery because at home i get several more hours of screen time and nearly twice the total battery life with the same type of usage.
skiier54 said:
why does my battery die so quickly when i am on public networks or on my school's network? each of these networks has an authentication process, though my school's network automatically authenticates. i know it's the public networks that are eating my battery because at home i get several more hours of screen time and nearly twice the total battery life with the same type of usage.
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I don't know, but are the types of wifi networks the same? 5ghz vs 2.4ghz? 802.11ac vs n vs g vs b?
I would also question how much activity the device receives from the public/school networks vs at home - where i'd expect it to be a more "quiet" network.
Have you profiled how much awake-time (not screen on time) changes?
I've run into the same thing at the college where I work. The WiFi is secured, and the AP is right outside my office. I was thinking my battery drain was due to the lack of a cell signal, building is basically a Faraday cage, no cell service inside. My nice boss got us a microcell, so I now have great cell reception. And my battery dies even faster. My data is always turned off.
Nobody has a clue, but everyone else here has the same problem, batteries just seem to hate schools.
BTW; at home, battery life is great, even when out on long walks with the dog. I pick up Xfinity WiFi, no noticeable battery drain. Plugged my phone in Friday night, Sunday it was down to about 60%, no charging in between.
So it's probably a combination of network load and the authentication process. At least I know it's not my phone's OS/battery since you guys have the same problem. Thanks.