Turn Router off when not in use or Not?

rolo1_2

Hi All

I have a Thompson wireless router which I turn off (from button at back of Router) when computer is turned off - Never had any problems so far -Touch wood.

However a friend has told me that it should never ever be turned off. Am I asking for trouble by turning it off each time when not in use, or is this advice just nonsense?

the182guy

It's nonsense. Turn it off when not in use.

thescouselander

I've never switch mine off unless I'm going away for an extended period. Theoretically it is better to keep the router switched on but in practise I don't think you'll see any problems switching it off when you're finished.

tripled

I'm not sure of the specifics but it's to do with resynching with the exchange. It's something along the lines of every time you reset the router it has to resynch with the exchange and can take up to a couple of days to work out the fastest stable connection, so your speed can be hampered in the meantime. Hopefully someone with more knowledge in this area than me can post a clearer explanation.

John_Gray

I think the clue is whether or not your router has a switch on it. If it has, then it's meant to be turned off when not in use. If otherwise, otherwise. But it's your choice!

See a long discussion here. And an alternative view here.

the182guy

It's perfectly safe to turn them off when not in use. They are designed to be turned off at the press of a button without a shutdown procedure unlike desktop and laptop computers. By leaving it on 24/7 you're just paying for the convenience of not having to turn it on and wait 30 seconds before you have Internet access.

@tripled, the sync rate should be consistent each time it is turned on, if it isn't then something isn't right.

artbaron

Routers are designed to be left on, hence the lack of an on / off switch on many models.

If the router is repeatedly turned off and back on BT s/w at the exchange may suspect instability and lower your BRAS profile accordingly, consequently restricting your speeds. This is especially true in the initial training period but can occur at any time.

Also you will connect at different speeds depending on the contention - e.g. peak time or not. So, say you switch your router on at 6pm you may only connect at 6kbps whereas if you connected early one morning - say 6am - and left it on you'd keep your higher connection speed through the peak period, maybe 7kbps, noise margins allowing.

Switching the router on and off repeatedly will also cause thermal stress of the components, the same as if you switch on your PC for 10 minutes, then off, then back on again etc. How much this is an issue depends how much you do it.

I leave mine on all the time (it's been on for 3 years now) and disconnect the cable from the PC at night in case of storms (obviously not an issue if you're wireless). Power usage is virtually nothing so that's not an issue.

Lil306

As following above posts

As a router, it should never be switched off
- Power consumption is STUPIDLY minimal anyway
- You will force your router to resync if you don't have a static IP

As a switch,
- Switches are designed to be always on (that I know of anyway)

I know most Cisco switches don't have on/off switches, I spoke with someone from an old Uni I worked at who had a CCNA and he informed me they're not designed to be switched off hence the lack of button.

the182guy

Lil306 wrote: »

- Power consumption is STUPIDLY minimal anyway.

This is MoneySavingExpert. Do you leave your TV on standby too, because it's low power consumption?

Lil306 wrote: »

As a router, it should never be switched off

This is just nonsense. If that is true then there would be a warning in the supplied manual.

Lil306 wrote: »

As a switch,
- Switches are designed to be always on (that I know of anyway)

I know most Cisco switches don't have on/off switches, I spoke with someone from an old Uni I worked at who had a CCNA and he informed me they're not designed to be switched off hence the lack of button.

OP is talking about a home router with a built in modem. Cisco switches are designed for large scale commercial networks, you can't possibly compare a home router with a enterprise grade Cisco switch.

Some home routers do not have a power button, some do. They are tried and tested hardware, nowhere does it say that you can possibly damage the device by turning it off when not in use. Use your common sense, when people quote engineering things like it can damage components, that is more relevent to turning it off every 10mins which I'm sure is not what OP is suggesting.

fiddiwebb

You can turn your router off so long as you don't turn it off/on every few hours.

We turn our router off when we go to bed and it is turned back on in the morning and left on untill bedtime.

artbaron is correct in saying that if your router is turned off/on in short spaces of time then it will effect your Bras profile and resulting speeds.

Lil306

the182guy wrote: »

...........

This is MoneySavingExpert. Do you leave your TV on standby too, because it's low power consumption?
Just because this site is MoneySavingExpert doesn't mean every post made in the Techie section is by people asking how to save money..... and yes, my TV is left on Standby because I'm not a tree hugger. Maybe one day as a project I'll hook up a power consumption monitor to actually compare how much money is being wasted by leaving it on standby.

This is just nonsense. If that is true then there would be a warning in the supplied manual.
My above post was not in relation to damaging the router, it was because it can mess up your profile. YES, you can get internet in around 30-60 seconds on 99% of routers however it can take a while for the lines to sync up. I know when BT wholesale force lines to reinitalise it starts at the highest speed and keeps on re-connecting until your at the most stable this can take up to 8hrs. If your bras profile gets messed up by the constant disconnections (unlikely but possible) especially if it's BT then you're just asking for trouble IMO.

Some home routers do not have a power button, some do. They are tried and tested hardware, nowhere does it say that you can possibly damage the device by turning it off when not in use.
What, and routers are all about hardware??
I'd lay odds on that hard powering down routers has more chance of corrupting the firmware on them, and if you get corrupted firmware on the routers there's a chance it will be completely !!!!!!ed.

Personally, I'd never switch off my router everynight, because power consumption is minimal on it and I don't want the hassle of letting my lines resync (I'm far enough from the exchange as it is) and my router is usually always running an internet connection for something anyway but that's just me.

Also routers themselves are really low powered, so by switching it on and off every day you're saving yourself maybe £15-20 per year tops I'd say

rolo1 wrote: »

Hi All

I have a Thompson wireless router which I turn off (from button at back of Router) when computer is turned off - Never had any problems so far -Touch wood.

However a friend has told me that it should never ever be turned off. Am I asking for trouble by turning it off each time when not in use, or is this advice just nonsense?

In theory, because yours has a power switch yes it's safe. That's down to opinion if you want to however. Some people are for it (power saving) and some are against it due to the technical issues you can encounter.... decision is up to yourself