On 2018-07-29 15:18, James Knott wrote:
On 07/29/2018 08:24 AM, Carlos E. R. wrote:
On my cell phone the manufacturer said that wifi used more power than cell. In fact, there is a setting to conserve power by switching from wifi to cell in standby.
I'm not certain I understand that.
Well, the documentation of the phone said so.
While shutting off WiFi would certainly save power, phones need more power available, as they may need to connect over far greater distances. While WiFi is expected to be used over dozens of metres, cell network may have to operate over several kilometres. For example, while the original GSM spec said 35 Km, it was later possible to extend that to 120 Km, though that may require more power than most phones are capable of. As I mentioned, cell phone power is controlled to obtain optimum signal, while reducing interference, but that's not possible with WiFi. So there could perhaps be some circumstances where the cell phone transmitter could be throttled back to be using less power than WiFi.
Yes, the phone does throttle the radio power. The initial GSM specs included that. I have seen the battery lasting more or less (prior to smartphones) depending on "distance", as indicated by the bar signal indicator. A battery that normally lasted days in the city would be spent in a single day when out in a mountain hike.
As for my phone, I leave WiFi on all the time, as I rely on WiFi calling to get a usable cell phone at home. My condo seems to be in a poor signal area, with a cell phone usable at one end and often not usable at the other.
No WiFI calling here... I mean, I have not even heard of that capability. Although I heard of people doing VoIp with the WiFi, of course. I could do it, but my provider keeps secret the configuration of the fibre phone, which is of course using VoIp, with a conversion to POTS on the customer premises. Not only they keep secret the configuration, but they change it when hackers discover and publish it. -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 42.3 x86_64 "Malachite" at Telcontar)