leave connected 24/7 or unplug router?

[tfw7]

Hey guys
What is your opinion on the best practice - do I leave my modem/router on all the time?
Or do I turn it off when not using it- and if so is there a "best" way to do this?

I have been leaving mine on all the time, and it is just "warm" not hot; however a friend's gets quite hot, s othey are concerned about leaving it on all the time.

[Lance]

I leave mine on all the time

[Inactive]

I used to leave mine on all of the time, however I now switch it off over night, doesn't make any difference as far as I can tell.

[Rik]

I'm another 24/7 person. The only time I power down is when I'm away or when there's thunder about.

[john]

I used to leave mine on all of the time, however I now switch it off over night, doesn't make any difference as far as I can tell.

No difference ?, you mean it still works when switched off 

I leave mine on all the time too.

[Inactive]

No difference ?, you mean it still works when switched off 

It may well do John, I have no way of telling.

[Glenn]

How do I turn it off, I've never done that

[cavillas]

I leave mine on 24/7 also and everything seems fine.

[Noreen]

I leave the router on all the time (probably not climate friendly though) but do turn the computer off when not being used.

[tfw7]

Thanks for replies - lots of questions still

should she be concerned about how hot her router is getting?

what is the best surface to rest it on?

If she does decide to turn it off, do you just press off button and unplug? Or do you have to "shut it down" through computer first? (her setup is two computers connecting wirelessly)

Does it then make a difference when you turn back on again in terms of connecting, or will it just pick up the signal automatically?

Is it best to turn router on first then computer?

[Rik]

Hot is a relative term, of course, so it might be worth checking it yourself if you can. The best thing she can do is ensure good ventilation around it - if it's designed to be used stood on one side, do that, otherwise adding small feet to raise it of the surface is generally helpful.

When I power down, I just pull the brick out of the mains, you don't need to do anything at the computer. Powering down means that the router sends a 'dying gasp' signal to the DSLAM, so it isn't seen as line instability.

The router is a dedicated computer, so the order isn't critical, but I would tend to power the router off first, then the computer and reverse the order when powering up. In practice, I'd let the router come up first, and make the connection, before powering on the computers.

[tfw7]

Thanks, Rik, really helpful.

It is pretty hot - considerably hotter than mine which just feels "warm" to the touch. Hers you would definitely go to the "hot" end of the spectrum.

[Rik]

What make/model is it?

[tfw7]

d-link DKT-710 I think. New.

[Inactive]

How do I turn it off, I've never done that

Mine has a press button on/off switch at the rear, I just use that.

[Rik]

d-link DKT-710 I think. New.

I'm not sure how warm they run, but if it's new, I'd suggest getting it swapped. No router should ever get hot.

[ducky22]

I'm not sure how warm they run, but if it's new, I'd suggest getting it swapped. No router should ever get hot.

A lot of wireless routers tend to get quite warm. I noticed my 2wire 2700 was very cosy compared with my dg834gt which has been on for 8 months solid.

I wonder how much on average it costs to run a router non stop for a year?

[Rik]

Absolutely no idea. I'd guess at 25p/week if I had to try and put a figure on it. Probably wildly wrong, but might just be right.

[john]

Hers you would definitely go to the "hot" end of the spectrum.

You make it sound as if it's incandescent 

I've just checked my netgear DG834G and it's not even warm.

[Simon]

I leave mine on all the time, unless I'm going away for more than 24 hrs.  This isn't down to any sound reasoning on my part, just that I can't be bothered to unplug it, as the DG834G doesn't have an on/off switch.