Do you switch your broadband router off when out for the day ?

TOP_CAT

Does it really matter if you switch your router off then when back home switch it back on along with everything else  .

Plusnet advise leaving the broadband router on  .

I cant see the point if your out for 8 -16 hours a day I tend to switch most things off except the fridge .

MattMattMattUK

TOP_CAT said:

Does it really matter if you switch your router off then when back home switch it back on along with everything else  .

If you are on any form of ADSL, or Virgin, then it will slow down your connection. If you are on full fibre it is less of an issue, but still not advisableTOP_CAT said:

Plusnet advise leaving the broadband router on  .

They are correct. 

TOP_CAT said:

I cant see the point if your out for 8 -16 hours a day I tend to switch most things off except the fridge .

Turning it off will slow your connection, it will shorten the life of the router and it will not save you much money. The router uses a maximum of 13.5w when in active use and 8w when in standby (no devices connected), so basing that on an average of 10w it would cost around 7p a day to leave it on for the whole day. 
 

wild666

I leave my router on 24/7 so far according to my Tapo plug it's cost me £1.33 for 375 hours this month that's for 16 days so that's around £2.17 per month, £26 per year , That's something I can live with knowing I can access the internet in under 60 seconds of turning on the desktop.

TOP_CAT

Its not just the costs as most would think .

It was around 50 degrees inside last summer so at night the routers tv etc were turned off at the wall .
In my case I dont care about the routers long life and the speeds are never a issue with todays broadband service  .

Winter is fine but in summer I cant see a strong enough reason to leave it on overnight ,not yet anyway .

mebu60

Routers are designed to be left on 24/7, it helps to keep your connection stable. Plus most ISPs will do any updates overnight. The cost is minimal. 
Do you switch off all your electric clocks when you go out too? 

MalMonroe

No. I don't. Never even thought about it to be honest. 

In my household our computers are used constantly every day. For work and for pleasure as well. And updates come onto the BT TV box as well as our computer programmes during the wee small hours.

We'd only turn off if we were going away for holidays as that is when we generally unplug everything, even the fridge (which of course is emptied). 

Running costs are minimal.

Slinky

Absolutely not. It's bad enough when we have a power cut and the NAS box doesn't come back on again automatically so somebody has to go and stand on a stool in my husband's office to turn it back on again as shared files are on there. Our router is in a bedroom, I'd never remember to go upand turn it off on the way out and back on on the way in.

Neil_Jones

TOP_CAT said:

Does it really matter if you switch your router off then when back home switch it back on along with everything else  .

Plusnet advise leaving the broadband router on  .

I cant see the point if your out for 8 -16 hours a day I tend to switch most things off except the fridge .

Your broadband router costs peanuts to run.  £25 a year if that if left on 24/7.  Which it should be.

But to answer the question - yes it does. 

Your argument is the same as saying I'm out at work all day, nobody's going to eat the food in the fridge, so I'll turn it off.  You don't do that, do you?  So why is your router any different?

Qyburn

Switching off won't slow the connection. The threshold for DLM is 10 or so retrains per day,  and they don't count unless the drop and retrain fall in the same 15 minute interval. Hence the advice to leave it off or disconnected for at least 15 minutes if you dont want risk upsetting the service.

wongataa

Qyburn said:

Switching off won't slow the connection. The threshold for DLM is 10 or so retrains per day,  and they don't count unless the drop and retrain fall in the same 15 minute interval. Hence the advice to leave it off or disconnected for at least 15 minutes if you dont want risk upsetting the service.

I have seen it happen with ADSL.  It won't always happen but it can.

TOP_CAT

I suspect its the providers that dont want you switching the router off and on as its best for them but of course you can do whatever .
After the heatwave last summer with way over 40 degrees inside I still switch the broadband and TV off at the wall .
Doing so didnt seem to matter much then or now ...... with the exception of ranting mse posters of course .