Sigfox Message Energy Consumption Calculator

Use the Sigfox Message Energy Consumption Calculator to estimate the energy consumption of a Sigfox message based on various input parameters. This tool helps IoT developers and engineers optimize battery life and manage power usage effectively.

Sigfox is an Ultra-Narrowband (UNB) technology where energy per message is a more useful metric than battery life in years, as the device is only active for a very short time. This helps to calculate the total energy consumed to transmit a single Sigfox message.

Sigfox energy consumption example

Scenario: A Sigfox device on a 3.3V battery sends one message.

INPUTS:

• Supply voltage, V = 3.3 V
• I_wake=3mA
• T_wake=10ms
• I_TX = 30 mA
• T_TX = 2000 ms
• I_sleep=1mA
• T_sleep=5ms
• Battery_capacity= 1000 mAh

OUTPUTS:

• Energy consumption per message, E_message = 0.198 Joules
• Average power consumption, P_avg = 0.098 Watts
• Estimated battery life (using a 1000 mAh, 3.3V battery) = ~ 6.845 years
• Total messages before battery depletion = ~ 59965 messages

Sigfox Message Energy Consumption Formula

The energy consumption for a Sigfox message can be calculated using the following formula: E_message = V × (I_wake × T_wake + I_TX × T_TX + I_sleep × T_sleep) Where:

• E_message = Energy consumption per message (in Joules)
• V = Supply voltage (in Volts)
• I_wake = Current during wake-up phase (in Amperes)
• T_wake = Duration of wake-up phase (in seconds)
• I_TX = Current during transmission phase (in Amperes)
• T_TX = Duration of transmission phase (in seconds)
• I_sleep = Current during sleep phase (in Amperes)
• T_sleep = Duration of sleep phase (in seconds)

How to Use the Calculator

1. Input the supply voltage (V) of your Sigfox device.
2. Enter the current and duration values for the wake-up, transmission, and sleep phases.
3. Once you enter calculator automatically calculates the OUTPUTS including energy consumption per message, average power consumption, estimated battery life, and total messages before battery depletion.
4. Use the results to optimize your device’s power management and battery life.

Assumptions

To estimate the battery life in years, we need to define how often a message is sent. Assuming one message is sent per hour. Messages per day = 24 Messages per year = 24 x 365 = 8760 Estimated Life (years) = Total Messages / Messages per year

References

1. Sigfox Technical Overview documents: These provide the data rates and timing.
2. Datasheets for Sigfox certified modules (e.g., from STMicroelectronics, Wisol): Essential for the specific current consumption values.
3. Sigfox Developer Portal: Official resources and documentation for Sigfox technology.
4. Sigfox Community Forums: Discussions and insights from other developers working with Sigfox.

Disclaimer

The Sigfox Message Energy Consumption Calculator is provided for informational purposes only.