The Battery Is Not Dead — Your System Is Leaking Energy
You swap the batteries. Still no response. A smart remote, a wireless sensor, a motion light — all going dark for no reason. It’s easy to blame the battery, but what if the real problem isn’t power loss — it’s entropy leakage?
How It Happens
- Phantom draw: Devices in standby that sip energy nonstop — especially smart-home gear and chargers.
- Background loops: Misconfigured scripts or services running 24/7 on your Raspberry Pi, NAS, or router.
- Sensor sync loss: Devices that quietly desync from base stations, draining power in retry loops.
- Forgotten automations: Home automations triggering hardware far more often than intended.
Diagnostics and Defense
- Audit device logs: Look for high-frequency polling, sync errors, or excessive reconnection attempts.
- Check ambient draw: Use a plug-in power meter to see which devices sip more than they should in idle.
- Resync or retire: Re-pair sensors or replace aging gear with newer, low-draw versions.
- Map the silent web: Review your router’s connected device list — what’s talking that shouldn’t be?
As an Amazon Associate, Low Entropy Detective earns from qualifying purchases.