Usually, you leave your router turned on 24 hours a day to enjoy continuous Internet access. It’s only proper to ask how many watts does a router use.
Luckily, we know the answer!
There are several factors that affect your router’s power consumption. If you want to save a few bucks, it’s surely something we can help you with.
So, how many watts does a WiFi router use? Let’s find out!
Your home WiFi routers don’t consume a lot of power, they will generally use between 2 and 20 watts. Wireless routers are going to be on the higher end as WiFi needs a few extra watts for it to work.
Before we calculate how much electricity a WiFi router uses and what you can do to save energy, here are a few things you need to consider.
Does a WiFi Router Use Much Electricity: What to Consider
The average router does not use much electricity. It runs at a power between two and 20 watts, depending on a couple of factors.
Check your device to find out how much electricity it consumes.
✅ Type and Model of Your Router
Newer models tend to lower power requirements than older devices. The exact amount depends on the extra features like USB ports.
✅Number of Connected Devices
If the router is connected to other devices, it consumes higher wattage.
If there is interference from other electronics, your energy consumption also increases.
✅ Power Consumption Costs
The costs vary depending where you live. But, typically, the power consumption of a WiFi router doesn’t cost more than $1 to $2 per month to operate.
✅ Energy Saving Strategies
To conserve energy, use a router with an Energy Star Level or a power strip with an ON/OFF switch. Unplugging the device when not in use can also save little energy.
Now that you know that a WiFi router typically does not use much electricity, we’ll teach you how to calculate your exact power consumption and what you can do to reduce it further.
How Many Watts Does a Router Use
If you have internet at home, your router is the most important piece of networking equipment you’re going to have.
You need it to get the internet to your devices and create a wireless network for WiFi connections.
Now, since it’s important and is always turned on all the time, you might start to wonder, how much energy does it consume? Will it affect your energy bills and by how much will it increase?
These are the questions that will be answered by the time you finish reading this blog.
How Much Power Does a WiFi Router Consume?
As with most devices that are plugged into an outlet, you can be sure that it is going to consume power.
The question really, is how much does your WiFi router use up to provide you with all the conveniences of the internet.
There are a lot of factors that will come into play here as not all routers consume the same amount of power.
It will also depend on your usage habits to nail down an actual number that you can include in your monthly budget.
Let’s look at some general facts about routers and their power consumption:
- Most WiFi routers consume between 5 to 20 watts.
- If it’s not transmitting, it can drop down to less than 5 watts.
- Some routers can go to a low power state to save energy.
- Leaving it on 24/7 can contribute to your total power usage.
How Many Watts Does a Router Use Per Hour
If you’re keen to know how much will leaving your router switched on affect your bottom line, you want to compute how much it will consume in a month, day, even hour.
The good news here is that it’s not going to be much as most routers will range between 5 to 20 watts.
With these numbers, this consumption can equate to a small LED bulb. It’s not much, but leaving it on all the time can slowly stack up and add to your energy costs.
Here’s how to compute how many watts does your router use:
For 5-watt routers:
- Consumption per hour = 5 watts x 1 hour = 5 Wh
- Average power rate in the US: 10.50 cents per kWh
- Cost of running your router per hour = $0.005 per hour
- Cost of running your router per day = $0.13 per day
- Cos of running your router per month = $3.90 per month
For 20-watt routers:
- Consumption per hour = 20 watts x 1 hour = 20 Wh
- Average power rate in the US: 10.50 cents per kWh
- Cos of running your router per hour = $0.021 per hour
- Cost of running your router per day = $0.504 per day
- Cost of running your router per month = $15.12 per month
Note: If you have a router that's rated between 5 and 20 watts, you can estimate it based on the costs above.
Factors That Affect Your Router’s Power Consumption
Looking at the numbers, it’s safe to say that your router’s power consumption can add up over the years.
Although, it’s not going to be much, that’s still going to be something between $45 and $450 per year.
Even though your router uses a lot less power than most devices, it’s still possible to save a few watts and bucks here and there. There are certain strategies that you can follow to save energy.
Here are some of the factors that affect your device’s consumption:
- Your router model and features matter.
- The amount of data being transmitted affects consumption.
- WiFi standards used by your router.
- Distance and obstacles to connected devices.
- Router settings and firmware version.
Note: By understanding these factors and how they impact can help you save power.
Do I Need to Unplug My WiFi Router at Night
Now that you understand how much it’s costing you if you leave your router on the whole time, the question becomes, do you need to turn it off?
This is on everyone’s mind as you can surely save a few bucks here and there.
There are certainly pros and cons to turning your router off at night. Your router’s performance improves the longer it’s turned on, and you will save on your energy bill if you turn it off.
It depends on which one of these you deem important.
Here’s what you need to know about unplugging your router at night:
- Enjoy power savings when you unplug your router.
- Wait for your router to boot up when plugging your router in the morning.
- Reduce the risk of hacking if you turn off your router.
- Extend the lifespan of your router by switching it off.
Note: If you have devices that need a constant connection, you won't want to switch off your router.
How to Save Energy With Your WiFi Router’s
There are several ways to save energy with a WiFi router. Even though you can leave it on all of the time, there are strategies that you can use to reduce its power consumption.
One of the things that you can do is to limit the wireless connections on the router. The less connections there are, the less power is used.
Here are the main ways on how you can save energy with your WiFi router:
- Use wired connections if possible.
- Turn off devices that are connected to the network but not in use.
- Optimize your router’s placement.
- Update your router’s firmware.
Note: These steps will save you a lot in terms of energy bills even if you keep your router switched on all the time.
Best WiFi Routers That Consume the Least Power
There are a lot of different types of routers you can use. One of the most effective ways to lower your energy consumption is to use a router that doesn’t use a lot of it.
Older models can be a bit less power efficient than their newer counterparts. To save energy, you can switch them out to more power-efficient devices.
Here are the best routers that use less energy:
Note: These devices are some of the most energy efficient devices you can get.
WiFi routers don’t usually consume a lot of power. Whether you’ve decided to plug it in the whole time or power it down for the night, you can expect it to contribute to your energy consumption.
If you want to make sure how much power your router uses, you can contact its manufacturer for clarification.
Bottom Line
How many watts does a router use? Whatever model you use it’s not going to be a lot as most routers can range between 5 and 20 watts.
You can also shave a few watts here and there by using different power-saving strategies.
Read Next: WiFi Router Not Working After Reset?
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.