Is Fiber-to-the-Room (FTTR) Green? – Modeling and Analysis of Power and Energy Consumption

Abstract

With the rapid growth of Internet traffic and new services, demands on access network bandwidth and latency have intensified. Fiber-to-the-Room (FTTR) has emerged as a new architecture for indoor networks, extending fiber directly to users via optical edge gateways. Despite FTTR’s performance benefits, concerns about its equipment’s power consumption have been overlooked. This study investigates FTTR-based home networks, developing models for device power consumption and energy use over time. Results indicate higher power consumption required by FTTR-based networks compared to traditional Wi-Fi networks. To mitigate this, we propose leveraging FTTR’s centralized control for an innovative energy-saving mechanism, enhancing network efficiency and reducing overall energy consumption. Additionally, we explore integrating millimeter-wave technology to further boost energy efficiency through increased transmission capacity.