Low Power Wireless Data Transfer for Internet of Things: GSM Network Measuring Results

This paper describes the properties of wireless data transfer for Internet of Things (IoT). It focuses on low power consumption of the device. The paper presents the results of measuring latency, throughput and power consumption of a GSM module connected to an Arduino during data transfer to a remote server running at a PC. The measuring methodology of obtaining these results is discussed. Power consumption measurements include sending files of various sizes from the GSM module via the GSM network to the server. Conclusions regarding battery lifespan for the GSM module are made in the paper. Throughput over the GSM network for this module is elaborated and a static part of sending time, of a file regardless its size, is identified in this paper. The throughput is measured in order to further analyze the usability of such a device in IoT. The usability of LTE in such a configuration for fast data transfer is also discussed. The latency between the GSM module and the server is approximated because it may influence power consumption.