Does EDGE use more battery than WiFi?

[opflame]

I'm using a Samsung Captivate and was wondering if the EDGE network uses more battery than Wifi. I'd like to know this so I know what to set my wireless sleep policy to.

Thanks.

 

[BookLover]

I would say Edge uses more battery than wifi when active. At rest, I can't say.

Just do a simple test for yourself. Go to bed with a full charge. Set it on Edge one night, and on wifi the next.

 

[Jack45]

Just do a simple test for yourself. Go to bed with a full charge. Set it on Edge one night, and on wifi the next.

...and sleep for the same number of hours and minutes each night.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

It depends on your EDGE signal. If you have good coverage, it can be pretty good. If Edge coverage is poor, then the phone will use more battery trying to keep the connection up or search for better connection.

 

[emuneee]

Also, since EDGE is slower than most WiFi connections, it will sustain the data connection longer trying to download the same data vs. WiFi....another consideration in this argument.

 

[stilettosnmakeup]

EDGE is what you are connected to if you do not have 3G coverage in your area. I personally would try not to use EDGE because yes it is ALOT slower. I prefer WIFI over EDGE- only because i work for At&t :]

 

[mnemonicj]

More -> 3G -> EDGE-> WiFi -> Less

Check out this report from the University of Massachusetts. Look at section 3.6 on page 5.

http://www.cs.umass.edu/~arun/papers/TailEnder.pdf

 

[Endoran]

More -> 3G -> EDGE-> WiFi -> Less

Check out this report from the University of Massachusetts. Look at section 3.6 on page 5.

http://www.cs.umass.edu/~arun/papers/TailEnder.pdf

That is interesting, thanks for posting this. That section pertains to whenever a data connection is actively downloading data, I'm more interested in when it's at rest since that's the state it's in most of the time. If you read the previous section, 3.5, it seems that wifi uses a lot of energy to maintain the connection and it insinuates that it uses more than 3G. Take this for example:

"The reason for this monotonic increase
is the high maintenance energy in WiFi. We measured the
maintenance overhead (not shown) for keeping the WiFi interface
on to be 3-3.5 Joules per minute."

It doesn't mention maintenance overhead for either 3G or GSM so from that I conclude that it takes more energy to sustain a wifi connection than either of the other two. I'm sure if it is a poor connection to 3G or GSM that would change. Perhaps setting wifi policy to "never sleep" is a poor battery saving tactic if you are in an area with good coverage.

 

[BookLover]

Endoran,

I use Juice Plotter along with Ultimate Juice.

In the last few nights, I had UJ disable all mobile data, but keep its connection to Wifi, from midnight to 6am.

Unless I use Wifi to surf during that time, there is absolutely zero battery drain, if Juice Plotter is to be believed. The plotline is a straigth horizontal line from midnight to 6am, and the battery percentage is the same at 6am as it was at midnight.

I know if I kept a wifi connection all night with my former WinMo device, my phone would have been dead by morning. But not so with my Captivate. I think I've read that's because the new wifi technology are better engineered now.

So, for me, anyway, maintaining the wifi connection is not draining battery "at rest".

It is possible that if I kept wifi on while out and about, and it continuously seeks a usable wifi connection without finding one, that would drain battery...or if my wifi signal was weak.

Currently, I either automatically shut down wifi with Tasker or do it manually when I realize I left it on by accident. My wifi never sleep policy is just to maintain a wifi connection when the screen is off, so that it doesn't accidentally revert to 3G (which it did before I changed it to never sleep).

My 2 cents.

 

[Endoran]

Endoran,

I use Juice Plotter along with Ultimate Juice.

In the last few nights, I had UJ disable all mobile data, but keep its connection to Wifi, from midnight to 6am.

Unless I use Wifi to surf during that time, there is absolutely zero battery drain, if Juice Plotter is to be believed. The plotline is a straigth horizontal line from midnight to 6am, and the battery percentage is the same at 6am as it was at midnight.

I know if I kept a wifi connection all night with my former WinMo device, my phone would have been dead by morning. But not so with my Captivate. I think I've read that's because the new wifi technology are better engineered now.

So, for me, anyway, maintaining the wifi connection is not draining battery "at rest".

It is possible that if I kept wifi on while out and about, and it continuously seeks a usable wifi connection without finding one, that would drain battery...or if my wifi signal was weak.

Currently, I either automatically shut down wifi with Tasker or do it manually when I realize I left it on by accident. My wifi never sleep policy is just to maintain a wifi connection when the screen is off, so that it doesn't accidentally revert to 3G (which it did before I changed it to never sleep).

My 2 cents.

That is why I have my wifi policy to never sleep as well. I actually haven't changed my policy because I want someone to come around and tell me I wrongly inferred the energy cost of maintaining wifi at rest.

My own anecdotal evidence is the opposite of yours, I even work in a poor coverage area. My phone tells me I'm without signal for half of the time I'm at work, however if I stay connected to our wifi my battery seems to drain faster than if I turn it off completely.

I'm hoping for another posted study someone has found that tells me I'm wrong because I think my own experience is coincidental and I still believe wifi uses less. There are just too many variables for me to believe personal experience, even my own! (in this particular context) So....someone should drop another research article that compares the energy consumption of 2g, 3g, and wifi at various states and strengths!