The router or modem is one device that is always on. Is it good to turn it off when not in use (at night, for example)? We explain everything to you in this article.
Routers have relatively low power consumption
Now, how much electricity does a router consume throughout the day? If you compare it with other appliances such as the microwave, the fryer, the air conditioner, or the stove, the router hardly consumes energy, and its effect on the electricity bill is practically nil.
Most routers have a 12V consumption. Taking into account that the router consumes 12 Watts and that it is on 24 hours a day, that means a daily cost of 288 Watts or 0.012kWh. In this way, if you multiply the consumption of kWh by the price you pay for each one of those kWh, we see that the router spends $0.03 per day on electricity, or what is the same 3 dollar cents per day.
This represents a monthly cost of just one dollar, just 0.5% of the total cost of electricity most households pay. Although your electricity bill is lower, you will not notice much difference with that dollar. So, you can have the router always on without problems.
Disadvantages of turning off the router frequently
Routers and modems are designed to be always on and work 24 hours a day. Therein lies the grace of the matter. You can connect to the internet whenever you need it. A good example of this is that most routers do not even have a power button, being necessary to disconnect the cable from the power to turn off the device.
If you think about turning off the modem-router at night, you must also take into account that unless you have a static IP, this will imply the assignment of a new dynamic IP, which can lead to a wait of several minutes to have it again—Internet connection.
Although this is something that has not been fully proven, some experts indicate that turning electronic devices on and off a lot can reduce their useful life. This is due to the stress to which the internal components face, derived from changes in current and temperature.
In short, if you use the router on a regular and daily basis, the best thing you can do is leave it always on. The energy cost is really low, and it also helps to make it less prone to breakdown.
