Silicon Labs documentation on User Guide version 1.0.0. Documentation source: https://docs.silabs.com/wifi-power-estimator/1.0.0 # User Guide ## Wi-Fi Power Estimator Tool – Overview The **Wi-Fi Power Estimator** is a specialized analysis tool integrated with **Simplicity Studio v6** and compatible with **Simplicity Studio v5**. The estimator is designed to help developers to evaluate the effects on power through choice of settings and expected application behavior profile Silicon Lab's **Wi-Fi SiWx917 SoCs and modules**. By using static, datasheet-derived values, the tool facilitates early-stage power profiling that enables preliminary system-level power budget assessments without requiring physical measurements or live testing. ![Wi-Fi Power Estimator Interface](/wifi-power-estimator-start/0.1/images/wifi-power-estimator-25-q2.png) ### What You Can Do with This Tool Use the estimator to: - Simulate real-world usage scenarios - Estimate average current and battery life - Visualize power consumption across different activities ### Key Scenarios This tool is especially useful for: - **Periodic sensor uploads**: Estimate power usage for devices that send data at regular intervals - **Migration analysis**: Compare power consumption when switching from competitor solutions - **Standby power planning**: Evaluate idle power draw for always-connected IoT devices ## Simplicity Wi-Fi Power Estimator Version 1.0.0 (October 16, 2025) Release Notes Estimate Wi-Fi power consumption early in development with Wi-Fi Power Estimator, a Simplicity Studio tool for modeling system-level power. ### Release Summary #### Key Features ##### Added in 1.0.0 - Initial Release of Wi-Fi Power Estimator as a standalone analysis tool. #### Bug Fixes - None #### Removed/Deprecated Features - None #### Known Issues and Limitation - None ## User Guide ### Introduction and Set Up This user guide walks you through everything you need to get started—from installation and setup to configuring the Power Estimator. #### System Requirements To use the Wi-Fi Power Estimator tool, ensure the following requirements are met: - Software: **Simplicity Studio v6** or **Simplicity Studio v5** - **Internet access**: Required only if accessing the estimator through a web browser #### Install the Tool The tool is available through three ways: ##### In Simplicity Studio v6 1. Open the **SLT Installer**. 2. Go to the **Package Manager**. 3. Search for **Wi-Fi Power Estimator** and select **Install**. ##### In Simplicity Studio v5 1. Launch **Studio v5**. 2. Open the **Install** menu. 3. In the **Tools** tab, find **Wi-Fi Power Estimator** and select **Install**. ##### On the Web without installation Bookmark web page [link](https://wifi-power-estimator.silabs.net/). ### Configuring the Wi-Fi Power Estimator Tool The estimator enables developers to simulate various operating scenarios by configuring parameters that reflect real-world application use cases. The computed output includes average current and a battery lifetime estimate. #### Step 1: Set Up Your Device Configuration Follow these steps to enter your device’s setup: ##### 1. Choose a battery type - Select a predefined battery profile (like AA or coin cell), or choose **Custom...** to enter your own battery capacity. - If you choose **Custom...**, enter the battery capacity in **Battery capacity input** field. ##### 2. Allocate memory - Divide the available 672 KB of SRAM between the **Network Wireless Processor (NWP)** and the **M4 processor**. - Decide how much M4 memory should stay active during sleep. The maximum amount depends on configuration. _Note: The default selection is 352-320 kB the most used memory split for the shared SRAM. In this configuration the **Network Wireless Processor (NWP)** allocates 352 kB and the **Cortex-M4** the remainder of the 672 kB of the shared on- die SRAM. For an application that doesn’t require the 320 kB, it is advantageous for lower power to use the allocation of either 256 kB or 192 kB for the Cortex-M4._ ##### 3. Set wireless processor sleep behavior - Choose a **Sleep Configuration Mode**: - **TWT (Target Wake Time)** (TWT is feature enabled by Wi-Fi 6 Access Points): The device wakes up at scheduled intervals. - **Unassociated**: The device is not connected to a network. - **Associated** (Associated Wi-Fi 4 DTIM is available on WI-Fi standard 5 and before.): The device is connected to a network. - Adjust the following settings based on the mode: - **TWT Wake Interval**: Frequency that the device wake ups in TWT mode in seconds. - **TWT Wake Duration**: Time spent awake before returning to sleep. - **Unassociated Wake Periodicity**: Frequency of network scans. - **Associated Listen Interval**: How often the device listens for Wi-Fi frames. - **WLAN Keep-Alive**: How often the device sends keep-alive packets (only for TWT and Associated modes). ##### 4. Configure the application processor (M4) - Turn the M4 processor on or off. - Specify the following settings: - **M4 Wake Periodicity**: Interval for M4 wake without NWP. - **M4 Awake Duration**: Duration M4 remains active independently. ##### 5. Set data transfer behavior - Turn data transfer on or off. - If enabled, enter: - **TX Periodicity**: Frequency of sending data via TCP. - **TX Size**: Amount of data sent in each TX operation. - **RX Periodicity**: Frequency of receiving data via TCP. - **RX Size**: Amount of data received in each RX operation. - **Socket Keep-Alive**: Interval for TCP keep-alive messages. ##### 6. Add peripherals - Turn peripheral configuration on or off. - Choose a predefined peripheral (like a humidity sensor or LCD), or define your own. - If using a custom peripheral, enter its power consumption. #### Step 2: View the Results Once you’ve entered your configuration, the tool calculates: - **Average current consumption**: How much power your device uses on average. - **Estimated battery life**: How long your device will run on the selected battery in the chosen metric. - **Activity breakdown**: A diagram showing how much power each activity (like sleep or data transfer) consumes. #### Limitations - Estimates are derived strictly from static data sheet parameters. - Environmental influences and hardware variations (for example, temperature or impedance mismatch) are not modeled. - The tool does not support runtime power profiling.