Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

NJFP

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 18, 2009
358
28
OK, this has been hashed to death in a gazillion threads but I haven't seen a posting that answers my specific question.

Senario:
IP4 with iOS 5.01. When at work my battery will go from 100% to about 45 to 65% by end of shift (12 hour shifts).
BUT... when at home, it will last two days. Sometimes two and a half.

Theory:
I have WiFi enabled. Does my iPhone continually search for an open WiFi, not finding one, keeps the search up and this is what's eating my battery?


I have no WiFi available at work, and of course it locks on to my home signal as soon as I walk in the door. (Or sooner, haven't looked!) Could this be it?
 

S.B.G

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 8, 2010
26,637
10,403
Detroit
Yep. It will always search for a WiFi connection if it's turned on and not connected to one. Just like it will search for a cellular signal and waste the battery doing so until it finds one.
 

stormchaser

macrumors 6502
Mar 4, 2010
355
24
UK
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

I get the same as you at work with my 3GS. But at home can go 2 days or more.
 

seajay96

macrumors 6502
Jun 26, 2010
403
1
It's not just wi-fi. the same thing applies to your cellular radio, if it is constantly searching for a better signal and switching from edge to 3g, your battery life will suffer.
 

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,972
1,468
Washington DC
While this is true, it's been true since 2007 and thus has nothing to do with people's iOS 5 / iPhone 4S battery problems

So...yes, but probably not something people with big problems right now will be excited to hear about.
 

NJFP

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 18, 2009
358
28
Thanks to all who answered. This is my first iPhone, and I've only had it for a few months, then it jumped right to iOS5. My experience with iPhones are limited. Thanks again.
 

Arelunde

macrumors 6502a
Jul 6, 2011
980
28
CA Central Coast
If you travel a distance to get to work, as long as you are on 3G, you might want to *228/Option 2 (update roaming) when you get to work and again when you get home. This will lock you into the nearest cell tower and eliminate your iPhone's need to deal with a weak signal or endlessly search for one.
 

urkel

macrumors 68030
Nov 3, 2008
2,795
917
This is exactly why Wifi should have an OPTIONAL toggle switch in the pull down panel to easily turn it off and on.
 

urkel

macrumors 68030
Nov 3, 2008
2,795
917
Would be a good use of that vibrate/ring switch. Make it have different modes, like the iPad's switch.
Uh-oh, you mentioned adding buttons to an Apple product. Now someone who doesn't understand the convenience of key features being easily accessible is going to post that stupid mockup of an iPhone with 100 buttons and think he's hilarious.

Buttons aren't bad if they're useful. That said, I'd prefer a Siri button over a WiFi one.
 

Macman45

macrumors G5
Jul 29, 2011
13,197
135
Somewhere Back In The Long Ago
As A General Rule

And I'm using a 4S now, I have wifi on and connected at home so I just use my network.

When I go out, I turn wifi off, and 3G kicks in automatically. My battery life is still not as good as the 4, but it has improved enough so that I no longer carry my 4 around too.
 

bgtrack

macrumors regular
Jun 6, 2011
127
0
East Lansing
Your battery is always going to be better on wifi than 3g...if you are using 3g at work it will explain why the battery is lower.
 

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
Your battery is always going to be better on wifi than 3g...if you are using 3g at work it will explain why the battery is lower.
^ This is more likely IMO.

OK, this has been hashed to death in a gazillion threads but I haven't seen a posting that answers my specific question.
Not sure why people keep saying that. It's generally rare that something is so unique about a given situation that it's not like other situations. Don't miss the forest for the trees. The 3G versus WiFi thing is pretty common.

If you travel a distance to get to work, as long as you are on 3G, you might want to *228/Option 2 (update roaming) when you get to work and again when you get home. This will lock you into the nearest cell tower and eliminate your iPhone's need to deal with a weak signal or endlessly search for one.
*228 updates your PRL list. It does not "lock you on to the nearest tower".
 
Last edited:

DNAppleGold

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2009
339
74
This is exactly why Wifi should have an OPTIONAL toggle switch in the pull down panel to easily turn it off and on.

While note a Wifi toggle, there is a way to get an "app" that will turn wifi on/off on your homepage (as opposed to clicking setting, wifi, and then on/off). Check out this sight. He's added profiles that look like apps to get to setting such as wifi, airplane mode, and location services. The look great and work wonderfully. They are free, but through the guy something. I have no connection him- really.

http://brdrck.me/settings/
 

RosyT

macrumors newbie
Nov 2, 2011
6
0
Solution- Carry around your charger with you all the time like i do :) Hahah ;)
 

NJFP

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 18, 2009
358
28
Solution- Carry around your charger with you all the time like i do :) Hahah ;)

Not a bad idea, but not practical for me!

Did the "no wifi" test today. Meh, maybe yes, maybe no to better battery life. Hard to say. I was out of the office for most of the day, and it's when I'm IN the office that the battery dumps fast. More experimenting is in order.
 

Markc1024

macrumors member
Jun 19, 2011
53
2
When your iPhone goes into lock mode, wifi turns off automatically anyway. It will only be searching for a connection if you have it on.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.