Wake up signal test for power efficiency in NB-IoT devices
For NB-IoT long-term monitoring applications, this wake up signal can be leveraged to enable either far longer battery life without upgrading the battery, or as a way to reduce battery size while retaining the device’s service life. Test functions newly implemented on an R&S CMW290 Functional Radio Communication Tester are employed to outline the difference in power consumption for NB-IoT devices with and without the wake up signal technology. 3GPP Release 15 introduces the wake up signal, a special paging signal sent from an NB-IoT base station to specific NB-IoT devices, informing the devices to wake up the main receiver, in preparation for receiving paging data. The main receiver only needs to wake up when it is informed; an NB-IoT device with the wake up signal implemented remains in idle mode until informed to decode the physical downlink control channel for a paging occasion.