Solved Turning Routers Off

[richc46]

I have just read an article about routers. Rather than answer questions it has caused more.
Should routers be turned off when not in use?

 

[Brink]

Hey Rich,

It'll just be one of those personal choices again, but you don't need to.

If your computer doesn't need to remain connected to the network and would like to save some electricity, then you could turn the router off when not needed for a while to do so. It probably wouldn't be worth turning off unless it's for say overnight while sleeping, or for an extended period of time.

 

[richc46]

Thanks Shawn, that's what I thought, but was not sure. It is just like the old question, should I shut down my computer when not in use? BTW, I do turn off the computer, when I am going to be out for a few hours, but leave it on at night.

 

[whs]

I turn mine off at night. I bought one of those remote controlled electrical switches at Home Depot and run all my devices thru that. At night when I am done, I switch that off and it switches the modem and the router off.

 

[richc46]

TY Wolfgang, your input is both appreciated and helpful.

 

[whs]

Sure Rich, any time.

 

[OvenMaster]

When I had a wireless router, I turned off the wireless link when I wasn't using it but left the wired part on. Wired routers, I leave on 24/7 except when I cycle it in order to get a new IP address.

 

[badger906]

if my router gets frequently turned off it stops automatically connecting to my isp.. so I have to then do it manually through the router interface which is a tad annoying.

if you were interested in the idea because it saves electricity, they use less than 1p an hour! well.. WAY less, according to my smart monitor in my house everything plugged in and on stand by including 2 fridges and freezers, 4 tvs and sat boxes ect ect all use 1p of electricity per hour over night when nothings drawing current.

more interesting is that my gaming rig also only uses 1p an hour when playing games, I always ashumed it would be costly..

 

[richc46]

Thank you everyone for your response. I was actually interested, from a security stand point. I do take every precaution, however, such as not broadcasting by SSID, etc. I prefer to leave it on, just from a laziness stand point.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Thank you everyone for your response. I was actually interested, from a security stand point. I do take every precaution, however, such as not broadcasting by SSID, etc. I prefer to leave it on, just from a laziness stand point.

From a security standpoint - it used to help to turn it off more than it does now. I'm not sure how much I can share and stay within the forum rules; so, I'll just say that it used to require gathering hours of data to be able to break in. Sadly, it only take a little while now to gather the needed data.

The only security advantages to turning it off (that I can think off off the top of my head) are:
1) the SSID might not appear during the time that a black hat is looking for things to break into
(Debunking Myths: Is Hiding Your Wireless SSID Really More Secure?)
2) the black hats breaking in from the wired internet side have less time to locate your router
(but once located, getting in takes only a few seconds if there is an unpatched exploit)

Personally, I prefer to keep the router/WAP warm at all times. Stuff lasts longer that way. And besides, something is always streaming/updating/backing up somewhere in the house.