Would like a message to pop up to say lappy connected to router

saxonrosecliff

You've got my mum down to a tee! She does switch everything off to save electricity even though all her children have told her the router and also the Tivo box don't use a lot of electricity (its not just the money, apparently leaving things connected to the mains is extremely dangerous - she says). It wasn't until her Tivo box went kaput and a Virgin Media engineer told her to never switch it off at the mains that she took any notice.

Ours router goes on in the morning but is switched off at night but I know to give it a few minutes to get going!

securityguy

Why would you have a Tivo box, but turn it off? How would it ever be able to record things?

saxonrosecliff

She used to switch it off at night because of the cost of electricity when she wasn't using it (yes - I know!). I don't think she uses it for recording much as she prefers on demand (which I hate because its so slow, cuts out at random moments and basically doesn't work).

agrinnall

WTFH wrote: »

Because it means your connection can't stabilise. You end up with a slower Internet speed than you should have.

Your router should be left on at all times.

closed wrote: »

and there is nothing wrong with turning routers off when not in use.

Closed, please can you provide your explanation of why WTFH's generally accepted advice is incorrect?

[Deleted User]

agrinnall wrote: »

Closed, please can you provide your explanation of why WTFH's generally accepted advice is incorrect?

Yes - I'm somewhat puzzled by this difference in opinion. I tried leaving the router on for several days and turning it on when needed - I have tested the speed on each occasion, and it made no difference whatsoever whether the router is left on or turned off. I believe in if you don't need an appliance on, then turn it off - irrespective of power consumption and money saving. Nevertheless, I would like to hear other peoples' opinion on the subject. I'm away for a few days, so I won't be able to pick up any replies, but I will be keeping an eye on this thread.

bod1467

It really depends on who your ISP is and what (if any) profiling system they use.

Turning the router off/on is very BAD if your ISP is BT, as their DLM (Dynamic Line Monitoring) system is very aggressive, and will apply a high degree of noise margin (thus slowing the speed) as it thinks the off/on is a line problem or noise, and so tries to maintain a connection at the expense of speed.

closed

agrinnall wrote: »

Closed, please can you provide your explanation of why WTFH's generally accepted advice is incorrect?

It's an old wives tale suggesting if you disconnect, your internet speed will suddenly drop to nothing, anyone who switches off regularly will confirm it doesn't happen, and the reverse is often true. Not so long ago, everyone used usb adsl modems, which connect/disconnect the same.

Oblivion

bod1467 wrote: »

It really depends on who your ISP is and what (if any) profiling system they use.

Turning the router off/on is very BAD if your ISP is BT, as their DLM (Dynamic Line Monitoring) system is very aggressive, and will apply a high degree of noise margin (thus slowing the speed) as it thinks the off/on is a line problem or noise, and so tries to maintain a connection at the expense of speed.

Don't I know it :mad:


I'm with Virgin.net ADSL2+ over BT line controlled by BT Wholesale. We have proven time and again that my line, if the SNR Margin is set to 9dB, is capable of sustained download speed of 5Mbit. Not bleeding edge but quite satisfactory for my purposes.


The problem is, even though I leave my router permanently switched on, someone or something keeps changing the SNR. It has been at around 18.5dB for the past few weeks so my speed is down to 2Mbits again.


I've been through this charade several times now. Phone Virgin, explain the problem and forget your scripts ... just book a call with BT Wholesale please. A couple of days later I'll get a call from BT ... don't worry sir I'll reset it to 9dB for you ... and for a few weeks it will be back to 5Mbit ... until the next time :mad:


This is doing my head in.

agrinnall

closed wrote: »

It's an old wives tale suggesting if you disconnect, your internet speed will suddenly drop to nothing, anyone who switches off regularly will confirm it doesn't happen, and the reverse is often true. Not so long ago, everyone used usb adsl modems, which connect/disconnect the same.

I refer you to bod's answer in post #17 - are you suggesting this is "an old wives tale"?

zaax

This is exactly the problems you get when switching off the modem. Does she switch the fridge off at night?

How about bit of tape over the plug saying do not switch off?