Q-PASTE: A cross-layer power saving solution for wireless data transmission

This paper introduces a novel quality-oriented cross-layer energy-efficient data communication solution (Q-PASTE) for mobile devices, with two components at different network layers. First component, the Packet/ApplicaTion manager (PAT) is deployed at the application layer of both service gateway and client host. The gateway level PAT shapes traffic into bursts to reduce the wireless transceiver's duty cycle. The client-side PAT monitors each active session and informs the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer about their traffic-related behavior. The second component, the Slow sTart Exponential and Linear Algorithm (STELA), deployed at MAC layer, adaptively adjusts the sleep/wake-up behavior of mobile device wireless interfaces in order to reduce energy consumption while also maintaining high Quality of Service (QoS) levels. Both mathematical analysis and simulation-based modeling and testing have been performed to evaluate Q-PASTE performance. Comparative results have shown significant energy saving achieved when using Q-PASTE, without compromising content delivery performance.