Why turn Wi-Fi off anytime?

[SSHGuru]

I recently set up my local wi-fi and the speed difference is HUGE. Instead of it trying to use 3G it uses the local connection which I'm sure takes WAY less power.

Since the Droids apps mainly use the internet I question the people who turn their wi-fi off. It makes no sense. I've left it on and my battery lasts longer.

When I am away from the home it doesn't do anything.

So why not leave it on all the time? It's a battery saver not a drainer.

 

[Chrisace89]

yeah i turn it off cause it drains battery.. and also i have found that my wifi is not much faster then my 3g signal.. yes it is faster so i will turn wifi on if im in class or at home.. but i will not leave it on.

 

[SSHGuru]

Well I live in a house that pretty much blocks my signal so my phone is constantly trying to get out for a signal and that uses a TON of battery.

When I hooked up the wi-fi it no longer has to search and it saves me a ton of battery power. When I leave the house the wi-fi signal is not on so why bother turning it off...

 

[racklefratz]

I recently set up my local wi-fi and the speed difference is HUGE. Instead of it trying to use 3G it uses the local connection which I'm sure takes WAY less power.

Since the Droids apps mainly use the internet I question the people who turn their wi-fi off. It makes no sense. I've left it on and my battery lasts longer.

When I am away from the home it doesn't do anything.

So why not leave it on all the time? It's a battery saver not a drainer.

That's just wrong. If you think leaving power-consuming components running all the time is a "battery saver", dream on.

You have four radios in that phone -
1) the cell transceiver
2) the bluetooth transceiver
3) the wifi transceiver
4) the GPS receiver

Each one of those radios takes battery power to operate. It's nearly inconceivable that there will ever be a time when you will need all of them on to do whatever it is you want to do at the time. Leaving them all on is inviting battery depletion - simple as that.

Power on whichever radios you need to accomplish what you're doing, and turn the others off, if battery longevity is even remotely important to you.

 

[Chrisace89]

well if you turned it of when you left home your battery would last longer.

 

[BeefyBeefo]

well if you turned it of when you left home your battery would last longer.

Exactly. When you leave your house with it on, it's searching for a signal until you turn it off. It drains battery. I turn it off when I leave my house...

 

[SSHGuru]

transceivers

And the cell transceiver takes a hundred times more power than any of the other ones. If you look at what has been taking power and you make calls then it's the screen first and calls second.

WI-FI barely shows up on the list of things that drain the battery. Bluetooth even less.

I recently set up my local wi-fi and the speed difference is HUGE. Instead of it trying to use 3G it uses the local connection which I'm sure takes WAY less power.

Since the Droids apps mainly use the internet I question the people who turn their wi-fi off. It makes no sense. I've left it on and my battery lasts longer.

When I am away from the home it doesn't do anything.

So why not leave it on all the time? It's a battery saver not a drainer.

That's just wrong. If you think leaving power-consuming components running all the time is a "battery saver", dream on.

You have four radios in that phone -
1) the cell transceiver
2) the bluetooth transceiver
3) the wifi transceiver
4) the GPS receiver

Each one of those radios takes battery power to operate. It's nearly inconceivable that there will ever be a time when you will need all of them on to do whatever it is you want to do at the time. Leaving them all on is inviting battery depletion - simple as that.

Power on whichever radios you need to accomplish what you're doing, and turn the others off, if battery longevity is even remotely important to you.

 

[racklefratz]

And the cell transceiver takes a hundred times more power than any of the other ones. If you look at what has been taking power and you make calls then it's the screen first and calls second. WI-FI barely shows up on the list of things that drain the battery. Bluetooth even less.

You missed the point, which was, running ANYTHING that consumes power depletes your battery more rapidly. PERIOD.

It isn't an issue of which component consumes the most power. The issue is, anything you have running that you don't need at the time is a waste.

Your original, opening remark was, "why not leave wifi on all the time?". The answer is, because you don't need it on "all the time". And, if you think leaving it on "all the time" won't cost you in battery endurance, you're very wrong.

 

[SSHGuru]

All the time

Honestly,

If you live your life by turning off every app that may take power all the time you aren't going to really enjoy the phone.

When I had my Blackberry no one even suggested that be turned off or on. It worked when I was in my car and I was happy.

I will treat this phone the same. And if I choose I do have a wi-fi toggle application I can hit if I'm gone for the day.

But there is no legitimate reason other than being a little obsessive about turning stuff off and on. GPS is a necessary part of so many applications on the Droid it's silly to ever turn it off.

 

[Chrisace89]

Honestly,

If you live your life by turning off every app that may take power all the time you aren't going to really enjoy the phone.

When I had my Blackberry no one even suggested that be turned off or on. It worked when I was in my car and I was happy.

I will treat this phone the same. And if I choose I do have a wi-fi toggle application I can hit if I'm gone for the day.

But there is no legitimate reason other than being a little obsessive about turning stuff off and on. GPS is a necessary part of so many applications on the Droid it's silly to ever turn it off.

Guru you are frustrating me... your first post you said you wondered why anyone ever turn off there wifi.. and then it was stated it uses your battery so most people turn it off... most people only turn it on if it is needed and at least in my area wifi isnt really need it because i get a good 3g signal all the time and wifi is not that much faster so i rarely turn it on. But your are overly exaderating when you say " if you live your life by turning off every app that may take power all the time you aren't going to really enjoy the phone." first off we are only talking about wifi in this convo.... i would think that for most people wifi is not needed most of the time and so it makes since to turn it off. Its as simple as that.....

 

[SSHGuru]

You keep saying "most people". I hate to break it to you but "most people" don't turn anything off or on. The regular consumer uses the phone as it comes. The people who power up and down are the tiny minority.

 

[Chrisace89]

ok.. then just to let you know.. the phone came with wifi off...

 

[SSHGuru]

True. The fact is that only the more technical people will ever use wi-fi. However it's a big advantage in speed and reliability.

I still maintain it doesnt pay to turn it on and off but we can agree to disagree.

 

[Chrisace89]

i think my point is that in my area its not a big different between wifi and 3g so most of the time i just leave it off. But i do see what you are saying.

 

[gdoane]

I keep Wi-Fi on because the phone is so much faster at home with it. According to the Speedtest.Net app on the Moto Droid, I'm constantly at 7 MBPS or better on my Wi-Fi and barely over 1 MBPS without it.

If I can go seven times faster, I'm gonna.

I'm not about to go through some little ritual of adjusting the phone settings every time I step out the door. It's a mobile phone and the only thing I plan on adjusting is the ringer to vibrate when I'm in meetings and such.