Bluetooth Low Energy
BLE Battery Life: Advertising and Connection Trade-Offs
Battery estimates need the complete device duty cycle.
Battery estimates need the complete device duty cycle. Radio settings are only one part of consumption.
Measure each operating state
Measure sleep, sensing, processing, transmitting and receiving currents with their durations. Include startup and connection attempts. A low sleep-current figure can be misleading when the sensor itself or repeated discovery activity dominates daily energy use.
Trade response time against energy
Longer intervals may reduce activity but increase discovery or update delay. Select settings from the operational requirement, then test the receiver implementation. Include missed connections and retries rather than estimating life only from successful exchanges on a quiet bench.
Derate and validate the battery
Account for temperature, usable capacity, pulse capability and ageing using the selected cell information. Check voltage during radio activity near end of life. Publish an estimated range with assumptions, then compare it with pilot measurements before committing a maintenance interval.
FAQ
Can I calculate life from battery capacity divided by sleep current?
That omits active states and battery limitations; use a measured average duty-cycle model instead.
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