Simply put, the typical IoT device performs three basic functions: sleep, sense, and connect. In many cases, the IoT device must do these functions wirelessly while powered by a battery, allowing it to be placed virtually anywhere in a household or business—or even on roaming livestock. Several standard wireless protocols, such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and Thread, are available for connectivity, each with its own performance tradeoffs, and many manufacturers choose to optimize their designs with proprietary wireless solutions.
Operating in a battery-friendly way translates into low power with ramifications for both average and peak power consumption. Extending the battery life between either recharge or replacement is particularly important when the batteries are expensive, hard to reach, or are in sensitive systems such as security or health monitoring.
Imagine the maintenance cost of simply changing batteries in a system comprising a thousand sensors in, say, a warehouse if they needed monthly replacement. Let’s examine several basic concepts that can help you identify where to focus your attention as you consider implementing a novel wireless IoT gadget, such as a battery-operated wireless dimmer switch.