Techniques for release assistance indication assertion

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, by one or more processors of a computing device included in a network device, data to be transmitted, wherein the computing device includes the one or more processors, a queue, and a transmitter, and wherein the network device includes the computing device and a transceiver that is configured to transmit data outside of the network device;

adding, by the one or more processors, the data to the queue; and

during an open data session window:

transmitting, via the transmitter and to the transceiver, data extracted from the queue; and

in response to the one or more processors determining that an amount of data in the queue is below a threshold, (a) delaying for a period of time, and (b) after the period of time, instructing the transceiver to end the open data session window early and transition to a lower power state.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing the transceiver to end the open data session window early comprises instructing the transceiver to initiate a release assistance indication (RAI) with a base station.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing the transceiver to end the open data session window early comprises sending a command signal on an input/output pin coupled to the transceiver.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing the transceiver to end the open data session window early comprises sending a command to the transceiver.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein sending the command to the transceiver comprises placing the command in the queue.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing the transceiver to end the open data session window early comprises transmitting a bit or flag with the data transmitted to the transceiver.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring the amount of data in the queue comprises determining whether the queue is empty.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is a wireless transceiver, a cellular modem, or a cellular radio.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a node in a wireless network, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving data to be transmitted;

storing the data in a buffer; and

while a communication time slot is open:

remove data from the buffer;

send, using a transmitter of the node, the data removed from the buffer to a wireless transceiver of the node, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to send the data removed from the buffer to another device in the wireless network; and

in response to determining that an amount of data remaining in the buffer is below a threshold amount, (a) waiting for a delay period, and (b) after waiting, commanding the wireless transceiver to end the communication time slot early and transition to a lower power mode.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the transmitter is a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART).

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein commanding the wireless transceiver to end the communication time slot early comprises commanding the wireless transceiver to initiate a release assistance indication (RAI) with a base station.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein commanding the wireless transceiver to end the communication time slot early comprises:

asserting a signal on an input/output pin coupled to the wireless transceiver; or

placing a command to be sent to the wireless transceiver in the buffer; or

including a bit or flag with the data sent to the wireless transceiver.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein determining the amount of data remaining in the buffer is below the threshold amount comprises determining that there is no data in the buffer.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the wireless transceiver is a cellular modem or a cellular radio.

16. A networking device comprising:

a wireless radio configured to exchange information wirelessly with a second network device; and

a computing system separate from the wireless radio, the computing system comprising:

a queue;

a transmitter coupled to the wireless radio;

one or more processing devices; and

one or more memories storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processing device cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

obtaining data;

pushing the data into the queue; and

while a data transmission window is active:

pulling data from the queue;

transmitting the data pulled from the queue to the wireless radio using the transmitter;

determining an amount of data stored in the queue; and

in response to detecting that the amount of data stored in the queue is below a minimum threshold, (a) waiting for a period of time; and (b) after the period of time elapses, sending an instruction to the wireless radio to end the data transmission window early and switch to a lower power state.

17. The networking device of claim 16 , wherein the instruction to the wireless radio to end the data transmission window early comprises an instruction to the wireless radio to send a release assistance indication (RAI) to the second networking device.

18. The networking device of claim 16 , wherein the queue is a hardware queue.

19. The networking device of claim 16 , wherein sending the instruction to the wireless radio comprises:

providing a command signal on an input/output pin coupled to the wireless radio; or

pushing, into the queue, a command to be transmitted to the wireless radio; or

setting a bit or flag in the data transmitted to the wireless radio.

20. The networking device of claim 19 , wherein the input/output pin is programmable.