Many of you are constantly throwing the question, is it bad to turn off your modem every night?
It’s an age-old inquiry and its answer changes depending on newer discoveries and features that are inculcated to the devices by manufacturers.
If you can’t find an accurate solution to this inquiry, then this guide is perfect for you! Today, we’ll be discussing everything about the activation and deactivation of your modem.
In case you’re wondering if it’s bad to turn off your modem at night, it’s a good balance between good and bad. Constantly shutting your router off could possibly shorten its life span and can turn off other settings within it.
In discussing this, it’ll be important to tap on the myth of whether regularly turning it on and off can damage it first.
This way, we’ll easily be able to understand the things that happen when WiFi modems and routers are turned off.
Does Turning Your Modem On and Off Damage It?
There has been no concrete evidence that routers become damaged when you turn them off every day.
Just like any other gadget or device, the unit will only malfunction when there are faulty or damaged wires, cables, as well as other internal parts and components.
But, what happens when you turn off or deactivate your router at night?
What Happens When You Turn Your Modem/Gateway Off at Night?
Turning your router off at night doesn’t actually help you save electricity and energy, since it only consumes an inch of it.
But, here are some of the things that happen while we’re not aware when it’s turned off every night.
- The connections for the whole day are reset and refreshed
- It would cooldown and can avoid overheating
- You still have to toggle or turn it on when you wake up (you get instant access)
- Some settings could be turned off or deactivated
- You’ll experience reduced EMF radiation
- Protection from power surges and other power problems
These are some of the positive and negative things that happen when you turn your router or modem off at night.
This then leads us to the primary question; would it be bad for the router to be turned off when you doze off?
Is it Bad to Turn Off Your Modem Every Night?
To give a short and sweet answer, no, it’s not, in any way, bad for you to turn your modems off every night.
In fact, it’s something that health experts recommend because leaving it turned on or activated contains more adverse effects on our health than the status and conditions of the technology around us.
And, to help you even further, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of turning your modem off at night.
Pros of Turning Your Modem Off at Night
Here are some of the pros and benefits of turning your modem or router off at night:
1. Better and Heightened Security
Turning your router off at night or when it’s not being used can heighten the safety and the security of your network.
If it’s turned off or deactivated, it wouldn’t be hacked and infiltrated!
2. You’ll Sleep Better
Another benefit or pro of deactivating or turning your modem off at night is that you’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep. How? – It’s because of the following effects:
- You won’t snoop on your phone when you can’t sleep.
- The radiation that the device scatters and throws can decrease sleepiness.
- It can cause headaches, which can restrict your sleep, too.
3. You’ll Conserve Energy
Although the energy or the electricity consumption of modems and routers isn’t that much, you still need energy and power to make it all work.
Keeping it turned off during the hours it’s not in demand can save a lot of energy if you look at it in a bigger picture.
NOTE: It wouldn’t have a tremendous decrease on this month’s bill, so, don’t expect it to work like that.
4. You’ll Avoid Overheating
Probably one of the best benefits and advantages of it is that you’ll be able to avoid overheating the device.
Akin to other types of devices and gadgets, your modem/gateway or even your router could overheat if it’s being used for straight, multiple hours.
Do take note, though, that turning it off every night isn’t a permanent or a long-term solution to overheating. By nature, modems and routers would deteriorate and wear off, so you need to be prepared for that.
Cons of Turning Your Modem Off at Night
On the contrary, here are some of the cons or negative things that could happen when you turn your modem off every night:
1. You Won’t Have Instant Access
Part of the major drawback of turning it off every night is that you wouldn’t have instant access to the internet in the morning.
You’d still need to turn it on and wait for the device to reinitialize before you can use it again.
2. Some Settings Could be Reset
Another con or disadvantage of turning it off daily is that some of the settings of the modem/gateway or router could be reset and be defaulted back to the normal status.
This often happens to fully modified gateways and modems, so you have to consider this as well.
3. All WiFi-Enabled Devices Would be Disconnected
And lastly, when you turn your modem off at night, all devices (IoT or Internet of Things) would not have a connection, too.
If you have home security that’s WiFi-reliant, they’ll be disconnected and could not function normally.
Out of all these cons and drawbacks, you’ll usually be able to find a workaround for them.
Therefore, it’s safe to conclude that deactivating your modem every night is not bad. However, if you need instant access even at night and when you wake up, when’s the best time to turn your router or your modem off?
When Should You Turn Off Your Modem?
As per experts and professionals, the best and most ideal time to turn your modem or router off would be at least once (1) a week or twice (2) a month.
Another ideal moment to turn it off would be when you’ve used it for heavy streaming throughout the day.
For example, if you used it heavily today, turn it off for the night and activate it back again tomorrow.
These are the best times when you should turn off or deactivate your modem if you choose not to turn it off every night.
It’s not actually bad for you to turn your modem off at night, but it can have positive effects on your health when you do so. Nevertheless, you can choose to turn it off or deactivate it at least once a week or twice a month if you don’t want to deactivate it daily.
Read Next: Is it Safe to Sleep Near a Wireless Router?
Final Verdict
So, is it bad to turn off your modem every night? Do you need to do it to improve and enhance your user experience?
With this guide handy, you’ll never have to question the truth about turning your modems off every night!
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.