I have a variety of devices (iPhone 5 and a laptop for example). While I'm on my university campus, using the shared wi-fi, my battery life on all devices is markedly shorter ... or at least appears to be.
Since there is heavy traffic on each access point I use (fellow classmates transmitting lots of data), I'm wondering about the technical side of wi-fi. If I understand the protocol correctly: every packet is received by every device, processed and then discarded if not intended for that machine. Is this correct?
Does this mean that the wi-fi radio is constantly receiving, and therefore draining the battery of the device?
(My background: One-time network engineer, but little wi-fi beyond home use. Feel free to be technical... I can always Google it later!)
Since there is heavy traffic on each access point I use (fellow classmates transmitting lots of data), I'm wondering about the technical side of wi-fi. If I understand the protocol correctly: every packet is received by every device, processed and then discarded if not intended for that machine. Is this correct?
Does this mean that the wi-fi radio is constantly receiving, and therefore draining the battery of the device?
(My background: One-time network engineer, but little wi-fi beyond home use. Feel free to be technical... I can always Google it later!)
