Deseeding Energy Consumption of Network Stacks

TL;DR

This paper investigates the 'cross-factor' energy toll in wireless network stacks, proposing a comprehensive measurement framework and methodology to analyze its components and causes, especially relevant for IoT devices.

Contribution

It introduces a novel framework and methodology for measuring and analyzing the cross-factor energy consumption across various wireless devices and platforms.

Findings

Deepened understanding of the cross-factor components.

Validated measurement framework for multiple devices.

Provided insights into energy consumption causes.

Abstract

Regular works on energy efficiency strategies for wireless communications are based on classical energy models that account for the wireless card only. Nevertheless, there is a non-negligible energy toll called "cross-factor" that encompasses the energy drained while a frame crosses the network stack of an OS. This paper addresses the challenge of deepen into the roots of the cross-factor, deseed its components and analyse its causes. Energy issues are critical for IoT devices. Thus, this paper conceives and validates a new comprehensive framework that enables us to measure a wide range of wireless devices, as well as multiple devices synchronously. We also present a rigorous methodology to perform whole-device energy measurements in laptops, a more generic and suitable device to perform energy debugging. Finally, and using this framework, we provide a collection of measurements and insights that deepens our understanding of the cross-factor.