One of the most common problems that always surrounds the devices is the battery. This happens on a computer, on a mobile, tablet… The fact of not connecting them to electricity has the limitation that we will only be able to use them for a certain time. There are different factors that will affect energy consumption more and one of them is using wireless networks. In this article we are going to talk about Wi-Fi power saving mode . We are going to explain how it works and if it is really useful. We will also give some tips.
What is Wi-Fi power saving mode?
Please note that this feature is not available on all devices. Only certain models have this function, but it is something that is becoming more widespread and will surely become more common in the coming years. Users demand greater autonomy in electronic devices, so manufacturers have to adjust the hardware and make changes to the software to achieve it.
Wi-Fi power saving mode is basically an option to extend battery life . It is responsible for analyzing traffic patterns of wireless connections and thus save consumption when having to search or connect to a network. This whole process will be more optimized, it will be faster and, therefore, it will require fewer resources.
However, this can also have certain limitations, of course. By activating the Wi-Fi energy saving mode we may have problems detecting some networks to which it may be interesting for us to connect, for example. Some models like Samsung will allow you to easily turn this feature on or off.
How to activate it
To activate the Wi-Fi saving mode you have to go to Settings, Connections, Wi-Fi, click on the menu above and click on Advanced. There it will show you a series of functions that you can activate or deactivate and one of them is the Wi-Fi energy saving mode. By default it will be disabled.
If you want to save the battery as much as possible and you want to configure your device with different options to be able to extend the time of use as much as possible, this feature can be interesting. As you can see, activating or deactivating it is very simple. At any time you can reverse the situation and return to the previous state.
The steps to follow may be different on your device, as this will depend on the exact model. However, it will generally be very similar. You will have to go to Settings or Configuration and there look for the Internet or networks options. Inside you will have to go to advanced settings and look for the option to save battery when using Wi-Fi.
Is it a good idea to have it activated? As we say, this will depend on the situation in which you find yourself. For normal use, the usual thing is that you have it deactivated. You can even directly choose to turn off Wi-Fi if you’re not using it so you don’t constantly search for networks. But if you are going to be connected and want to make the most of the battery, it is a utility that you can take into account.
Wi-Fi power saver in Windows
Windows also has a Wi-Fi power saving feature. It is a feature that aims to make the battery last longer. However this also has complications sometimes and causes the wireless network to be disconnected. It can even cause cuts. Therefore, activating or not this option may or may not be a good idea.
What Windows does is turn off the Wi-Fi network adapter automatically when it sees fit to do so in order to save energy. Later, if it were necessary to use it again, it would reactivate it again so that we can connect. This is exactly what sometimes causes problems and does not work well.
To go to this function you have to go to Start, search for Device Manager, click on Network adapters, select the Wi-Fi adapter and click the right mouse button. You have to access Properties and then enter Power Management . You will see a new window like the one you see in the image below.
There you will find the box to enable or disable it. The normal thing is that you find it activated, unless you have previously configured it. If you have problems and the network adapter is disconnected, you can always turn it off so that it always works.
Tips to save battery when using the Internet
Is there anything else we can do to save battery life when using Wi-Fi or networks in general? A good idea is to disconnect Wi-Fi whenever we are not using it. If for example you are browsing with mobile data and you do not need to search for Wi-Fi networks, you can disable it and that will make the battery last longer.
You can also consider the option to disconnect the wireless network adapter if you are connected by cable. This will also help reduce consumption, even if it is just a small help. After all, the sum of many small things is what makes the battery can drain quickly.
Another tip is to manage Internet consumption when you are not really going to use it. If, for example, you are going to watch a video from your mobile in Streaming, perhaps the coverage is not the best or you have to constantly change networks and that is going to make the battery suffer. You can take into account the possibility of previously downloading that video and watching it offline.
Conclusions
As you can see, Wi-Fi power saving mode is an option that is available on some mobile devices. The goal is to make the battery last longer, even if it loses certain features at the wireless network level. It is an alternative to take into account if you need the mobile to last longer without charging.
On the other hand, there is also the Wi-Fi power saving feature in Windows, which is turned on by default. In this case, what it does is turn off the network adapter when it considers it necessary and thus prevent it from consuming energy when it is not really necessary.
In short, they are two useful features in many cases that you will be able to use to try to extend the battery of your devices at any given time. You can always set both back to the default, if for some reason you need to.