Wi-Fi connections are a wonderful thing! They allow us to sit on our couches with a laptop or tablet and still connect to the internet. They also allow us to conserve data when we are using our phone at home or somewhere with a free Wi-Fi connection. However, if you leave your Wi-Fi on all the time, you may be killing your battery life.
When your device's Wi-Fi is turned on, it is continually sending out requests to maintain a list of networks in range, even when you are already connected to a network. This means that, at any time, you can access that list and see what networks are available. From my basement (where I am writing this tip), I do get much wireless signal, but I can see almost instantly that I am in range of three networks: Captain (my network), Netgear N600, and G67B458D290C. If your device waited for you to ask it to connect, it would take at least a few seconds while my laptop sent out a request and waited for responses.
However, all those requests for networks will use up your battery. If you are in a place where you know you will not be able to charge your battery for some time, and you are not planning to use the internet (or have no Wi-Fi access), it would be a wise decision to shut off your Wi-Fi and save your battery. (Just remember to turn it back on when you get home, especially if you also have cellular data service on that device! You certainly do not want to pay for expensive data overage charges unnecessarily!)
This is not only true of Wi-Fi, but also Bluetooth, GPS, and any other connections your device may be capable of making. Each of these will use battery while it searches for connections. If you have a great battery, you may prefer the convenience of an automatic connection. However, if you always seem to be struggling to make it through the day without running out of battery, shutting off your Wi-Fi when you are not using it is a great way to make your battery last longer.
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