Up to 95% of the power used to run a 802.11g chip goes up in heat rather than actual signal strength! And 802.11b is not much better with an efficiency around 8-9% (or 91-92% loss in heat generation). Fortunately, ParkerVision Inc. has been working on the problem and just announced a new line of wireless chips that, they claim, provides a 50 to 80 percent reduction in power consumption.
The new design extends the company’s patented digital radio frequency transceiver technology called D2D (Direct2Data) to power amplifiers, the devices that boost the power of RF signals so that they reach their intended destination.
The same technology could also be extended to Bluetooth as well as CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), EvDO (Evolution Data Optimized), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and VOIP phones.