How to Reduce Gateway Energy Consumption in the Smart Home with Low-Power Mesh Technology

Internet broadband business has historically been a race for the fastest throughput. However, increasing sustainability awareness and stricter energy regulations, including the European Union’s Ecodesign regulations on standby modes, are changing the game for internet service providers (ISPs). While they must still keep up with the throughput race, ISPs must also radically reduce gateway energy consumption to comply with regulations and appeal to customers increasing interested in green initiatives.

But how to reduce gateway energy consumption without compromising the smart home user experience?

This blog describes SILICON LABS’ new patent-pending Low-Power Mesh Technology, which can significantly reduce energy consumption on any manufacturer’s CPE while improving the smart home user experience.

The Hidden Energy Cost of Always-On Customer Premises Equipment

IoT devices such as smart thermostats, lights, security sensors, and cameras offer unprecedented convenience and automation for their users. However, the proliferation of smart home devices also increases energy consumption directly and indirectly. Customer premises equipment (CPE), such as gateways and routers, is the backbone of a connected home. CPEs are typically always on to ensure critical applications like security cameras, thermostats, or leak detectors remain operational in all circumstances. However, CPE draws full power even when there is no activity in the network, like at night or when the user is away on vacation. Needless to say, always-on CPE has a significant energy cost, one that homeowners often don’t realize they're paying.

Introducing Silicon Labs Low-Power Mesh Technology

With new protocols such as Matter and Thread, Silicon Labs is revolutionizing gateway energy efficiency by enabling CPE to sleep during idle periods and wake up instantly when necessary. For users, this can be fully seamless and intuitive. The mesh connectivity allows IoT devices to trigger wake ups autonomously and automatically when they need connectivity. This significantly reduces energy consumption while also improving smart home user experience.

CPEs – From Sleep Mode to Wake Up Events

The intelligent wake-up on trigger feature allows the CPE to go into a deep sleep state, drawing minimal power while remaining ready to wake up in response to activity within the smart home. For instance, if a motion sensor detects movement, or if the homeowner opens a smart lock, the CPE instantly wakes up and resumes full connectivity. This seamless transition between sleep and active modes ensures that users experience the convenience and security of a smart home without unnecessary energy costs.

Matter and Thread Integration

Silicon Labs’ Low-Power Mesh Technology takes full advantage of the Matter and Thread protocols’ capabilities by enabling wake-up events triggered by these protocols. For example, a device that supports Matter or Thread—such as a smart thermostat or security sensor—can send a signal to wake the CPE from its sleep mode. This ensures that while the CPE is in a power-saving state, it can still respond instantly to critical events without users having to worry about delays or loss of functionality.

This approach is particularly beneficial for applications like security systems and energy management. Security cameras or motion sensors can remain connected to the network while consuming minimal power, waking up the CPE only when activity is detected. Similarly, environmental controls such as smart thermostats can wake the CPE when temperature adjustments are needed, ensuring a comfortable home environment without wasting energy.

Use Cases

1. Night Mode

At night, most homes see minimal activity. Devices like smart lights, security cameras, and sensors typically remain in standby mode, drawing power to stay connected. In homes with a traditional always-on CPE, the gateway remains fully operational, even though the network sees little to no traffic. With Silicon Labs’ Low-Power Mesh Technology, the CPE can enter sleep mode during these periods of inactivity. The CPE only wakes up when e.g., a motion sensor detects activity or when a user interacts with the system. This drastically reduces power consumption while ensuring that essential functions, such as security, remain operational:

·Without sleep mode, a traditional CPE may consume 10-15 watts of power throughout the night.

·With Silicon Labs' sleep mode, the CPE could consume less than 1 watt, reducing power consumption by over 90% during low-activity periods.

2. Vacation Mode

During vacations or extended periods of absence, smart home devices such as lights and HVAC systems may not be actively used. Yet, the CPE remains fully operational and consumes power.

Silicon Labs’ solution allows the CPE to hibernate when the home is unoccupied, waking up only when a critical event occurs—such as an alert from a Thread-enabled security sensor or a remote temperature adjustment from a Matter-enabled thermostat. This significantly reduces energy consumption while keeping the home secure and responsive.

Energy comparison:

·Without Silicon Labs’ technology, CPE might consume 50-75 watts daily while the house is empty.

·With Silicon Labs’ sleep mode, energy consumption could drop to 10-15 watts, saving homeowners up to 80% in energy costs during vacations.

3. Secondary Homes

Secondary homes or vacation properties often have connected devices, such as security systems or environmental monitors, that remain on standby for long periods. Traditionally, the CPE remains operational around the clock, ensuring these systems can communicate. Silicon Labs’ technology allows the CPE in a secondary home to enter a deep sleep state while maintaining network connectivity through Matter or Thread. Devices such as smart locks or environmental sensors can wake the CPE when needed, but until then, the CPE draws minimal power.

This approach ensures that homeowners can monitor and control their secondary homes remotely without wasting energy:

·Without sleep mode, the CPE could consume 100-150 watts daily, even when the house is unoccupied.

·With Silicon Labs' technology, power usage could be reduced to 20-25 watts, an 80-85% reduction in energy consumption over time.

Complying with New EU Energy Regulations

The upcoming EU Ecodesign Regulation 2023/826 sets new, stricter limits on energy consumption for electronic devices, including CPE. The regulation mandates off-mode and standby power consumption limits for connected devices, requiring manufacturers and service providers to find solutions that reduce energy use while maintaining device functionality. Silicon Labs’ CPE sleep mode technology is perfectly aligned with these new standards, allowing service providers to comply with regulations while offering energy-efficient smart home solutions. The ability to place CPEs in a deep sleep state when not in use—while still maintaining wake-up functionality through Matter or Thread—ensures that service providers can meet both consumer expectations and regulatory requirements.

A Smarter, More Energy-Efficient Future for Smart Homes

Silicon Labs’ Low-Power Mesh Technology offers a revolutionary approach to smart home energy management by enabling CPEs to sleep and wake up based on Matter or Thread triggers. By reducing power consumption while also improving the smart home user experience, this technology helps homeowners save energy, reduce costs, and keep their smart home responsive. Energy efficiency becomes a more pressing concern for consumers and regulatory bodies.