General Current/Power consumption relationships:

1. OFF < ON
2. Waiting to Connect < Trying to Connect (e.g. ACTIVE SCAN)
3.  No User Data < Data
4. VoIP data < File transfer data
5. 802.11 Power Save Mode << Active Mode

The key to power savings is QUICKLY MOVING TO MOST RELIABLE LOW POWER STATE.

Specifically, when associated the use of 802.11 PSM is critical.

When not associated, keeping in a low power state (while waiting to re-try to connect) is also important. This is for instances the user has left a WLAN coverage area without turning off the WLAN interface.