Wi-Fi Station Power Reduction via Static IP and Proxy Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wi-Fi system devices, particularly battery-powered sensors, consume significant power due to frequent communication and re-keying processes, which reduces their battery life and increases energy usage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system with a station that has a sleep mode and an active mode, using static IP addresses, disabling re-keying during sleep mode, and employing a proxy service to facilitate communication, thereby reducing power consumption by minimizing active periods and communication overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If Wi-Fi devices perform frequent communication and re-keying processes, then security and communication reliability are improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic re-keying at extended intervals (e.g., every 8 hours) instead of frequent re-keying, allowing devices to remain in low-power sleep mode for longer periods. This periodic approach maintains security requirements while dramatically reducing the frequency of high-power communication events.
Solution Approach 2:
The access point serves as an intermediary that maintains security context and encryption keys centrally. When a station wakes from sleep mode, the access point can quickly re-establish secure communication without requiring the station to perform lengthy authentication handshakes, reducing the power consumption of wake-up events.
2Reliability
If Wi-Fi devices wake frequently to communicate, then data transmission reliability is improved, but battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system schedules periodic data transmissions and extends the sleep mode duration between transmissions. By batching communications and using periodic wake-up cycles aligned with data availability, the patent reduces the total number of wake-up events while ensuring data is transmitted reliably when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The access point pre-queues data for transmission and prepares communication resources in advance. When a station wakes from sleep mode, data is already buffered and ready for immediate transmission, eliminating the need for the station to remain awake longer to manage data buffering, thus reducing overall power consumption.
3Reliability
If re-keying is performed at periodic intervals, then security is improved, but devices cannot remain in sleep mode continuously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the re-keying interval to long periodic cycles (e.g., 8 hours), allowing devices to remain in sleep mode for extended periods. This approach maintains security by periodically refreshing encryption keys while maximizing the duration devices can operate in low-power state between key updates.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for reducing power consumption in a wireless network includes a station (e.g., Wi-Fi sensor) and an access point in wireless communication with the station. The station has at least a low-power sleep mode and an active mode. The system can be configured to assign a static Internet Protocol (IP) address to the station and disable re-negotiation of an encryption key while the station is in sleep mode. The system can further be configured to force the station to communicate via 802.11g and to transmit data to a proxy service while in active mode before returning to sleep mode upon receiving a response from the proxy service. Further, an association timeout period associated with the station can be configured to be at least twice as long as a wake-up period associated with the station.