IoT Device Battery Life: Go Slow for Fast Insights Into Challenging Conditions

Abstract

The internet of things (IoT) continues to grow quickly, with corresponding pressures to get products to market rapidly. Battery life is a key challenge, along with connectivity, coexistence, compliance, and cybersecurity. While traditional battery charge consumption measurement technologies use high speed measurements for optimal accuracy, slower measurements may actually be preferable under certain conditions. IoT devices operate in highly variable and dynamic environments that include changes to the physical environment, the electromagnetic environment, and the volumes of data measured, processed, stored, transmitted, and received. In many IoT applications there are serious consequences for the end user or device vendor if a device battery fails prematurely. This paper describes a hybrid strategy using event-based power analysis for measuring and analyzing an IoT device in highly dynamic environments. Engineers can use this hybrid approach to quickly gain the necessary insights to properly configure hardware, firmware, and software to optimize battery runtime and avoid customer frustration and the associated consequences.