TECHNICAL GLOSSARY
Power consumption, sleep modes and network power: what keeps the device alive and what can bring it down.
terms in this category
The current demanded from the power supply, measured as an average over the cycle and as an instantaneous peak.
Sizing by average underestimates the supply: the ESP32 alternates between microamp sleep and hundreds of milliamps during transmission.
Average and peak consumption size different things: one defines autonomy, the other defines the power supply.
A brief, high current demand concentrated in the ESP32 radio transmission moments.
It is a common cause of apparently random resets: the supply handles the average but sags during TX peaks.
Related:BrownoutPower supplyDecoupling
A circuit that converts available voltage into the voltage and current the device needs.
In a panel, a supply shared with contactors and drives delivers noise and sag along with the voltage.
Capacitors near a load that provide local charge during fast current transients.
They do not compensate for an undersized supply: they cover the short transient, not sustained demand.
Decoupling is not input filtering: both use capacitors but solve different problems.
Related:Current peakPower supplyEMC/EMI
A sleep mode that suspends the CPU while preserving memory and peripherals, returning to the execution point.
It suits short cycles where waking from deep sleep would cost more time and energy than it saved.
Light sleep preserves context; deep sleep restarts the application. They are not the same mode with different numbers.
A voltage drop below the safe operating range.
The detector prevents unpredictable execution, but the supply must still handle radio and peripheral peaks.
Related:WatchdogPower supplyDecoupling
A deep sleep mode that powers down much of the chip to reduce consumption.
It suits battery sensors but requires planning wake sources and state restoration.
Related:ULPRTC MemoryLight sleep
Power over Ethernet carries power and data over the same cable.
An RJ45 port does not imply PoE; the variant requires a PD circuit, classification and isolation.
