Main Content

Running NodeMCU on a battery: ESP8266 low power consumption revisited

Over the last year I have standardised on the ESP8266 for all my small IoT projects. Its low price, ease of use (now that the Arduino IDE is available), tiny size and built in Wi-Fi makes it a compelling option. Using Wi-Fi is a convenient way to link your newly created IoT device into your existing IT infrastructure including cloud services but it also has a drawback. Wi-Fis demand for power usually makes battery operation impractical for any real deployment. I have been able to get around this issue for most of my projects (e.g. the train and the smart shelf described on this blog) because they are for demonstration purposes only, requiring the battery to last no longer than a few hours. Nevertheless, it is possible to put the ESP8266 into deep sleep and wake up periodically to check and activate Wi-Fi only when required. This would suit a scenario in which an IoT sensor sends relatively infrequent one way traffic (i.e. where real time control of the device is not needed). I wrote about the ESP8266 deep sleep option more than a year ago, but have not explored it any more until recently, when exactly such a project arose.”

Link to article