Turning off the router at night: yes or no?

Taige · 2026-09-21 16:48

I read that for a home computer a router turned off not being visible cannot be attacked during the hours of the night, also because the attack can come from any time zone.
Another advantage is that represented by electromagnetic pollution, although almost everyone says that it is so minimal that it does not negatively affect health.

As for the downside of keeping it spent, one is that some providers send updates at night and if the router is turned off it is not updated, exposing the home connection to security flaws. To overcome this, just check during the day if there are any updates, right?

Others talk about the stress that the electronic components inside the router suffer.
In fact, the power surges that occur when we turn the router on and off every day stress the circuits and the power supply and this in turn causes it to shorten its life much more than leaving it on.

What do you think about it? roll

tlmiller76 · 2026-09-21 22:02

Sure, turning it off it can't be attacked, but that means a lot of devices that schedule update checks during the middle of the night to try to avoid causing congestion (iOT devices, cable TV boxes, Roku sticks, etc.) can't and will be waiting until you turn it back on, and then slam the network, possibly causing congestion for a while as they all reach out and download their updates. Better to make sure you keep your AP's security updated, turn off any features that are known to be security holes, and make sure any passwords to access it are complex and non-standard.

seb3773 · 2026-09-21 22:02

Taige wrote:

In fact, the power surges that occur when we turn the router on and off every day stress the circuits and the power supply and this in turn causes it to shorten its life much more than leaving it on.

Exactly this.

Taige · 2026-09-22 07:00

tlmiller76 wrote:

Sure, turning it off it can't be attacked, but that means a lot of devices that schedule update checks during the middle of the night to try to avoid causing congestion (iOT devices, cable TV boxes, Roku sticks, etc.) can't and will be waiting until you turn it back on, and then slam the network, possibly causing congestion for a while as they all reach out and download their updates. Better to make sure you keep your AP's security updated, turn off any features that are known to be security holes, and make sure any passwords to access it are complex and non-standard.

seb3773 wrote:

Taige wrote:
In fact, the power surges that occur when we turn the router on and off every day stress the circuits and the power supply and this in turn causes it to shorten its life much more than leaving it on.
Exactly this.

So, to avoid the stress of the internal electrical circuitry you have to leave it on and connected to the telephone line so that it receives updates.
Since the updates come inside the router via RJ11 connection, I think the ethernet cable can be disconnected from the computer. Is that right?

Q4OS Forum

#1 2026-09-21 16:48

Turning off the router at night: yes or no?

#2 2026-09-21 22:02

Re: Turning off the router at night: yes or no?

#3 2026-09-21 22:02

Re: Turning off the router at night: yes or no?

#4 2026-09-22 07:00

Re: Turning off the router at night: yes or no?

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