Adaptive buffer power save mechanism for mobile multimedia streaming

Abstract

With the proliferation of wireless networks, the use of mobile devices to stream multimedia is growing in popularity. Although the devices are improving in that they are becoming smaller, more complex and capable of running more applications than ever before, there is one aspect of them that is lagging behind. Batteries have seen little development, even though they are one of the most important parts of the devices. Multimedia streaming puts extra pressure on batteries, causing them to discharge faster. This often means that streaming tasks can not be completed, resulting in significant user dissatisfaction. Consequently, effort is required to devise mechanisms to enable and increase in battery life while streaming multimedia. In this context, this thesis presents a novel algorithm to save power in mobile devices during the streaming of multimedia content. The proposed Adaptive-Buffer Power Save Mechanism (AB-PSM) controls how the data is sent over wireless networks, achieving significant power savings. There is little or no effect on the user and the algorithm is very simple to implement. The thesis describes tests which show the effectiveness of AB-PSM in comparison with the legacy power save mechanism present in IEEE 802.11. The thesis also presents a detailed overview of the IEEE 802.11 protocols and an in-depth literature review in the area of power saving during multimedia streaming. A novel analysis of how the battery of a mobile device is affected by multimedia streaming in its different stages is given. A total-power-save algorithm is then described as a possible extension to the Adaptive-Buffer Power Save Mechanism