Any Harm Leaving Router On?

[Vue 0]

Hello guys!

 

I feel like getting into a "Myth Buster" mood. There are always so many myths and things surrounding computers/the Internet/science technology. My uncle leaves his router on 24/7 and my mum suggests we let our router "rest" when it's not in use. Because I am unsure of who is right, I'll ask you guys.

 

Is there any harm in leaving the router on 24/7 or at least when it's not in use?

 

Thanks in advance.

[jimmy89 0]

I leave my router, as well as my broadband modem on 24/7, and so far, no problems! It shouldn't cause any problems with the hardware it's self, as long as it wont get hot and die! (So make sure its not covered, nor tucked away somewhere clustered) My modem and router both sit out with nothing crowding them, and they are fine!The only other thing would be power. Having them on 24/7 will use more power then if you only have it on for a few hours each day! Not that it would be much, not as much as leaving your computer on all the time! Another benefit with not having the modem off is, if you have a dynamic ip address, its going to be the same until you power off and power the modem!So, in conclusion, i see no reason why leaving your router on 24/7 will cause it harm!-jimmy

[Vue 0]

Ah thanks Jimmy. (Oh and I see you're from Australia too!) I like how you concluded haha. Hmm you're very good reassurance, but don't you think the "lifespan" of the router might get shortened? I'm not sure myself. Thanks again.

[foolakadugie 0]

Yeah I agree that as long as it stays at a reasonable temperature, that it should be ok. So, if you give it enough ventilation and it doesn't get clogged with dust, then it should continue to work.I don't know if it would really effect the lifespan as long as you take care of it. If it stays dry and cool and clean then there isn't much that is going to effect it's life span.

[vhortex 1]

Hey Vue:I leave my router 24/7 same goes with my modem and my wireless access point.My computer also is on 24/7 and only gets a reboot when windows crash while the other computer where only shutdown when I need to patch the kernel system.*******The windows system is for games and programming windows base programs while the *nix box is for something serious and for server purposes. So far in 3 years of operation, nothing goes bad except when my windows box got pretty wet when a storm pass and made a nice hole on our roof. It fried my motherboard and one memory card.Hope this helps.

[unimatrix 0]

I leave mine on 24/7/365 along with cable modem. I do have to reset my router (and sometimes the modem) every few weeks, but never have any problems.

[faulty.lee 0]

I leave my router on 24/7 too. Mine's Prolink, china made brand. So far so good. Only need to manually reset it if i run a lot of download from torrent and emule. It tends to hang on high connection usage.From electronic's point of view, leaving it on 24/7 is a good way to keep it alive. When you leave it long enough, it will reach an equilibrium temperature where the temperature will stay put. The electronics works better at a stable temperature. Frequent on and off of electronic devices will cause dry joint on the circuit board. This is due to continuous heating and cooling of those solder joint. After a prolong period of time, those solder will get brittle, then with a little vibration, it breaks, that's when your device goes down. Some time with a bit of pat, it might works.

[SilverFox1405241541 0]

I leave my PC and Router on 24/7, only resetting my PC rarely. Why turn the router off? It makes no sense. Only reset it after a storm or something when its screwed up.

[vhortex 1]

Only reset it after a storm or something when its screwed up.

On my part, when something gets fried due to shortcircuit..

By the way, there was also one time where you need to reset it. when your cooling system got busted.

[SilverFox1405241541 0]

Or the cockroaches clogged up the circuits too much.

[ethergeek 0]

I've got a linux box functioning as my router that has 140 days of uptime and still going strong! The last time I rebooted it was to move it to another room in my house.

[WeaponX 0]

Guess I'm the odd man out...I'm the only one here so far that doesn't leave his router on all the time LOL. I tend to shut if off when I don't use it (every night ).There's no argument here. I agree 100% with what was said above, especially with "better" life span by leaving it on all the time. Aside with the ventilation issue, your hardware inside should have no problems at all.

[vujsa 0]

Well, your router have few if any moving parts and the processor is very low bower and low heat producing so I say turn it on and leave it alone!My router has been on for the better part of 5 years now. It only gets turned off during power outages and on occasion when my network needs to be reset due to ISP issue. Basically, when I lose my broadband connection, I have to reset my modem and router in order to get them to work again. Anyhow, routers and other networking equipement are designed to be left on for very long periods of time if not indefinitely! Otherwise, the internet wouldn't work!If your router gets hot or is not working correctly after being on for a long time, you probably need to replace it.By the way, my router has a reset button but no power switch. I have to unplug it to turn it "OFF". I take this to mean that the designers didn't expect the unit to be turned off.Besides, if you turn your router off, how does your neighbor leech your broadband connection while you sleep?vujsa

[unimatrix 0]

Yeah, I remember reading the manual (yes I do read the manuals, saves a lot of time up front) and saying "If it stops working, unplug the power cord and wait 30 seconds then plug it in again. Now if I could just keep my PS2 on the same IP and not have to reset the DMZ settings everytime I restart (about every month). If I am going to be gone for a long period of time, like during breaks or vaction, I'll shut it and the modem down. Just because I don't want to waste a few pennies paying the power bill if I'm gone.

[Chesso 0]

Yup I also have my router running 24/7 but only because it's currently in my brothers room.To clarify I have a modem/router (all in one package) from Telstra for my internet, so the below information is based on my experience with those.1. They can generate more heat than you would think if running for quite some time.2. Leaving it when you really don't need it on will waste more electricity.3. Leaving it on for extended period of time will keep you the same assigned IP address, if you turn it off while not in use and then re-boot later you will probably be assigned a fresh one (help with prevention of attacks in some fashion I would imagine?).4. While I'm sure it doesn't take a whole lot, IT WILL use more of your bandwidth that will accumulate over time.I have had quite a few troublesome heat issues in summer when leaving it on for extended periods, so I tend to take the effort to turn it off when it isn't needed during these periods of great daily heat lol.