Use location files to increase battery life

Dec 04, '02 08:21:41AM

Contributed by: DavidC

OS X has the nice ability to define different "Locations" which can have different network settings (ie. Dial in numbers, DHCP settings, DNS settings, IP Addresses, etc) depending on where you are working. The desired location setting is easily selected from the Apple menu under "Locations"

The default Location as defined by Apple is called "Automatic" and includes settings for all the communication devices on my Powerbook (Modem, IR Port, Ethernet and Airport). However, I seldom need a connection to all 4 devices simultaneously (OS X can handle this and assign an IP address to each connection apparently) and really only use one connection at a time.

If you turn off unused devices, your laptop will power them down thus saving battery life. So creating separate Location profiles makes sense for the Laptop user trying to squeeze some more time out of the battery. To create additional Location Profiles:

  1. Open Network Preferences in System Preferences.
  2. Choose "New Location" under the Location dropdown menu selector.
  3. Give your new Location a name, ie. "Airport Only".
  4. A new Location will be created with all available devices present. Choose the "Network Ports Configuraion" under the Show drop down menu.
  5. Deselect all the other devices except the Airport.
That's it. I created one for "Ethernet Only", "Modem Only" and one called "No Network/Low Power" with no devices selected at all. I now find I can switch configurtions (OS X is nice enough to re-establish a connection on the fly when changing Locations without any hassle at all) instantly and save power for when I'm on the road. I've been able to increase my Laptop's battery life by 20 to 40 minutes when I'm in my "No Network/Low Power" mode which powers down the internal modem, IR Port, Ethernet, and Airport card. YMMV

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