To switch off a wireless router or not? Or computer? VCRs?
 

I have a broadband connection at home and I use Belkin wireless router. (there is no modem required here, just a wireless router).

I switch off the router at night since I won't be using it.

But LS's advice on the below post states 'never switch a modem off'. I would like to know why. Also, does the same advice apply to wireless routers as well?

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/comp...-suddenly.html

I switch it off during nights just to prevent overheating & protect from any possible power surges.

I also saw on various websites advising never to switch off a router.

Why?

regards

There's really no reason to turn it off. Then again, there's really no reason NOT to turn it off.

Some facts:
- you have to get a new IP when powered back on, assuming non-static, which takes 5-10 minutes
- your router may be hacked -- lots of hacking going on in 2014!
- your router may overheat
- more computer equipment dies during on/off power cycle than had it been left on 24/7

It all comes down to how much hassles you're willing to deal with. If you turn things off, it could take 5-10 minutes for everything to reboot properly, every day.

Overheating is not really an issue. The chips get hot right away, but usually stay about the same temperature.

The hacking issue can be avoided it you don't use the default password -- and use the password! -- and keep the firmware upgraded. You could still be hacked while it's on, of course. Only that when turned off, it cannot be hacked. Note that the "hacking" did not affect your computer any, only the router. Most of them were for bad DNS gateways, in attempt to steal banking/login type info.

It's true that more things die when turned on. The reason? There's a momentary power surge that can damage the hardware. It's a reason many computer professionals leave computers on 24/7. We leave all of our VCRs on during projects, for this exact reason. Some of the decks are too touchy, and is costly to repair. It horrible for power costs, however, and about as not-green as it gets. Just note that unless you also unplug that router, it's still a power vampire.

Yes, you can certainly do what you're doing -- it's just a big PITA is all. :rats:

Thanks. That's very helpful.

From this thread it appears hackers can get "through" the router and into my PC

I have never changed the router password, from the default.
Looks like I should.

I have been considering NAS for home and business use (I work from home).
Would customizing the router/modem password reduce the risk of intrusion into the NAS ?
Or would NAS software/firmware need anti-malware/AV ?

Thank you :)

Yes, ASAP. :unsure:

Yes.

You can also put the NAS on a network that's LAN only, not WAN. If the computer has two network cards, this is pretty easy to do. We have both public and private networks here. Yes, technically, a person could hack the computer, then back into a router that way -- but it's a heck of a lot harder to do! Most "hackers" are just script kiddies, using hacking programs made by real hackers.

Slightly more complex is the sub-network. You can have two routers on the network, which do not talk to each other, but can both talk to a computer with a single IP. It's all in the subnet masks. This one is still online, but can be harder to detect externally since it's not the gateway.

I know, the answer can get complex. That's computer for you! :P

Is this still true for older computers? There is conflicting information about this on the web. For example, Lifehacker says that one of the benefits of shutting down your machine is
Scientific American notes,

Yes, we're right, they're wrong.

A CPU rarely burns out, and is one of the most resilient parts of a computer.

When parts die, it really happens in the order:
- hard drive
- power supply
- video card + other cards (audio cards, modems, NIC, etc)
- motherboard
- RAM
- CPU

So saving a CPU is a stupid reason to turn off the computer. Everything else is likely to die first.

In 20+ years of using, building and repairing systems, the only time I've seen CPUs die is when the model was flawed all along. AMD chips were (and sometimes still are!) infamous for melting themselves. But even then, the likelihood of this is nil during idle times. It's going to happen when you're using it for heavy computing ... like video encoding!

CPUs will likely outlast every other part of the computer, and even the usefulness of the computer itself. You're likely to replace it before that happens. Even a decade in, the CPU is likely going to be fine. It's everything else that will be long dead.

Given that power surges on boots are what kill the components, saying that turning it off makes components last longer is illogical. So Lifehacker is wrong here. Scientific American was right, and pointed this out, yet came to the same conclusion. Again, illogical. (I sometimes wonder if the people writing these sorts of IT articles truly understand the content. I doubt it.)

The only reason to turn off computer is
- reducing heat in a room/building,
- saving power -- both for costs, as well as getting that warm-and-fuzzy feeling for being green

If you need/want to do it for either of those reasons, then turn it off.

We turn off computers and video gear here ONLY when
- the weather is really bad outside, and are afraid the power issues may jump a UPS (lightning storms, etc)
- the equipment will not be used for at least a week

For the video gear, we also unplug either the single unit or the whole power strip, depending on what's being turned off and why. Simply turning it off does nothing for safety.

WD external HDDs are also unplugged when not used, since they do not have a power switch. (Tip: Remove cord from drive, not wall/strip/UPS. It's easier!)

Thanks for the explanation. Widespread misinformation on the web is nothing new, that's why we come here! :)