Nowadays, we have many devices or appliances at home that we have connected to the electrical current all day, even when we do not use them. There are some that it is mandatory to have them like this, such as refrigerators, for example, but we cannot say that the same thing happens with others. One of these devices that we refer to is the router, and in this article we are going to give you some pros and cons why it is worth it or not to turn it off while we are not using it.
These devices are somewhat special, because although we are not actively using them, it may happen that there are devices in our house that are. In this sense, it may also be that there are very contradictory opinions regarding whether or not it is convenient to turn off a router, but below we are going to try to give you some reasons why you should turn off your router when you are not using it, and others why perhaps not such a good idea.
Pros of turning off the router when not in use
We start by talking about the pros of turning off the router, a device that, as we have said before, is thinking so as not to stop working even for a minute a day. This does not mean that we never have to turn it off, since in the end it is an electronic device that is consuming electricity even when we are not using it.
Light consumption
As we have just said, the router is a device always connected to the current, so as is logical, it will be consuming electricity 24 hours a day. This is not something exclusive to routers, since any device connected to the current that has a light on will be doing it in the same way.
Logically, we cannot speak of a general consumption for this type of device, since it will largely depend on the type of device and its brand, as well as the time period in which it is connected. It is true that the consumption of these is practically zero, and you may not save more than a few euros a year on your electricity bill, but even so, it is clearly a pro to turn it off when you are not using it.
Security
Security is possibly the biggest pro to turn off your router that you will find, especially if you have a strong WiFi network at home with devices such as mesh networks. It is a fact that our WiFi network can be the target of attack by anyone who can find it by doing a simple search, something that obviously will not happen if we have our device turned off.
Now in summer we all spend more time away from home, so you should turn off your router every time you leave your home, preferably those times you plan to do so for a long time. Imagine that during the time you are away from home, a security hole appears in your router model. If this were the case, any person with knowledge could attack our entire network without us noticing, and for that there is no better solution than having our device turned off.
Wear
Like any electronic device, using it will cause its useful life to fade little by little. The same is going to happen to you with any device, be it a television, a mobile phone or a computer, just to name a few examples.
In this sense, the theory says that if you are not going to use an electronic device, it is best to have it turned off, something that will increase its useful life. However, experts do not agree on this with routers, since, as we will see a little further down, they are devices that are designed and manufactured to work longer than others.
