Identifying and Resolving Wireless Data Transfer Bottlenecks
Analysing the full data pathway to pinpoint inefficiencies and optimise firmware, delivering a threefold increase in wireless throughput
Our client’s bespoke sensor device needed to transfer large volumes of data wirelessly to a host PC. While the system was functional, slow throughput limited productivity 2 and made everyday use frustrating. Improving transfer speeds was essential to make the device practical for routine testing.
Challenge
The wireless data rates were far below what was required. Transfers were taking too long, disrupting testing and reducing overall efficiency. The throughput needed to be significantly increased without altering the hardware design. The task was to establish the theoretical maximum data rate, identify bottlenecks in the data pathway, and implement targeted software optimisations. In addition, architectural and hardware constraints had to be highlighted to guide future improvements.
Project Overview
Our client had developed a wireless sensor device that needed to transfer large data sets to a PC as part of routine testing. Although the system worked, throughput was far slower than expected, which made each offload take longer than the workflow could reasonably accommodate. The team needed a clear understanding of where performance was being lost and what could be improved within the limits of the existing hardware.
We were asked to analyse the complete data pathway and identify the changes required to bring transfer speeds in line with real-world needs.
Action
We carried out a systematic review of the complete data pathway, including the storage medium, file access methods, WiFi protocol, and the PC-side process flow. Theoretical limits were calculated for each interface and compared with real-world benchmarks to pinpoint inefficiencies. A detailed firmware analysis revealed multiple issues. These included overhead from splitting data across many SD files, buffer sizes that were too small to achieve maximum read speeds, and TCP implementation errors that caused retries and timeouts. We applied targeted changes to the firmware and supporting PC application to address these problems. Each optimisation was validated using benchmarking and extended tests to confirm both stability and throughput gains.
OUTCOME
The project delivered a threefold increase in wireless data transfer speed, cutting offload times to one-third of the original duration. This made the device practical for day-to-day use and removed a key barrier to efficiency.
In addition to immediate gains, the client received a detailed roadmap describing the system’s remaining limitations and how future PCB updates could achieve even greater throughput. This provided a clear strategy for scaling the product in line with evolving requirements.
TECHNOLOGIES & SERVICES INVOLVED
- PC Software (Qt)
- Espressif ESP32
- WiFi
- SD Card File Storage
Software, Industrial
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