Networking fails while on battery power

I've got a project that operates as a web server providing data from a connected sensor.  The devices gathering the data don't know its IP address so the ND+2 project also has a thread that broadcasts the device's IP address every 30 seconds or so.  

This thing works flawlessly when connected via USB, but I'm testing it for remote usage, and when connected to a 9V battery power supply it simply fails to operate.  I have no idea where to look to fix this, any help would be greatly appreciated. 

 

---EDIT---

So I had to look no further than the specs, and my multimeter.  7.5-9V power supply shown on the silk screen 7.5V-12V actual (at least from what I've now read).  Power on the battery had dropped to around 7.41V, so there you go. 

 

So the question becomes is there another way to power the device while I'm testing?  I've got a 9V power supply, but it turns out that it is not regulated (thank goodness I checked it) and it was peaking around 13V.  Should I invest in a regulated 9V power supply? 

Hi cabodcam,

9V batteries drain pretty quickly. Does this occur when the battery is brand new?

Here's a sample datasheet for an Energizer 9V battery. They'll handle higher current drain (up to 500mA in the datasheet), but they're really best used at lower current drains.
http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/522.pdf

Have you tried using a battery pack of 6 AAs? DC power is DC power, so as long as the power source supports the voltage and number of mA that your project uses...it should work the same on battery or mains (AC adapter) power.

Welcome to the Netduino community,

Chris

Thanks Chris for the welcome, and for the prompt respose.  I've been lurking around for about a year now, and I thought I was pretty up to speed, guess I was wrong!  Sorry for the rather rediculous question.

 

I've not got a big enough battery pack with me, nor the batteries to go along, so I'm going to pick up a power supply on the way home.  This battery has traveled around with me for a few months, but hasn't really seen any serious action.  I've used it a few times during the development of the project, but in the past I suspected code issues rather than identifying the issue correctly.   

 

This project will eventually be cased with a UPS, and will be connected with the power supply anyhow, so I just need to jump the gun quickly and get it. 

 

Thanks again.