# Do you ever unplug your router if you're away for long time periods? How long?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 24, 2015, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385 "2015-09-24T07:07:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/1 "2015-09-24T07:07:55Z")
I just got a new router (because of problems described in another thread, problems which seem resolved with the new router), and that got me thinking: with my old router, which I had for six years, I’d unplug it when going away for long periods (like a week or more) — for example, I’m going to be visiting home for Christmas for a little less than 3 weeks this year.
Do you ever bother doing so? If so, what’s your time threshold? Did I extend my router’s life at all by doing so?
---
### Author:  [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/2 "2015-09-24T07:25:15Z")
If I were torrenting something or uploading to online storage I’d leave it on — which means leaving on a computer — but for a week or more I’d probably throw the main switch turning off all electrical power anyway. That cuts out one cause of finding the place gone on return.
It’s good to turn off the router ( or modem/router over here ) for an hour or so, just to let it cool, and reset; but I can’t imagine how unuse would prolong it’s life.
---
### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/3 "2015-09-24T07:31:26Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#):
>
> If I were torrenting something or uploading to online storage I’d leave it on — which means leaving on a computer — but for a week or more I’d probably throw the main switch turning off all electrical power anyway.
That depends on where you live and when you’re gone, though. Shutting off all your power in the winter is a good way to come home to a ruined house where I live.
---
### Author:  [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/4 "2015-09-24T07:38:50Z")
Yes, I live in an apartment right now, so that’s not an issue for me.
---
### Author:  [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/5 "2015-09-24T07:39:15Z")
I usually turn mine off if I’m away for a week or more.
But imagine if everyone did it. Any thieves targeting your house would be able to monitor the wifi and see when you were away.
---
### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/6 "2015-09-24T08:36:15Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#):
>
> but for a week or more I’d probably throw the main switch turning off all electrical power anyway. That cuts out one cause of finding the place gone on return.
So you don’t keep anything in your fridge or freezer long-term? Not even condiments?
---
### Author:  [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/7 "2015-09-24T09:48:11Z")
Nope. I never turn it off.
Tivo needs it to update its listings and I need it so I can remotely program my Tivo if I forgot something or there is some special program or news event while I’m gone.
---
### Author:  [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/8 "2015-09-24T11:10:58Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#):
>
> So you don’t keep anything in your fridge or freezer long-term? Not even condiments?
I barely use the fridge. If I were going away for a few weeks I could certainly sort out that stuff beforehand.
---
### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/9 "2015-09-24T13:54:04Z")
I turn it off and unplug it in the summer just in case we have a thunderstorm. A power surge is unlikely, but I’d rather not have to deal with it.
---
### Author:  [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/10 "2015-09-24T14:00:04Z")
I unplug it at times.
It makes my creative writing to a file on an external hard drive more fun and more private.
---
### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/11 "2015-09-24T14:10:07Z")
The FiOS router is plugged in to the same surge protector as the TV, cable box, Xbox 360, and Apple TV, which is plugged in to a timer programmed to switch off at midnight and switch on at 600pm every weekday.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/12 "2015-09-24T14:15:54Z")
I haven’t turned mine off in the eight years we’ve lived in our house, other than briefly to unplug it when new flooring was being installed in the room it’s in and when that room flooded due to a burst pipe. And once in a great while when I unplug it to reset it because I can’t find a pen or it’s too dark to see the reset button.
---
### Author:  [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/13 "2015-09-24T14:18:13Z")
I found out cutting the power off my cable box for the night may unauthorize my box if they do an update. I would ask your cable company if this could happen to you.
---
### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/14 "2015-09-24T16:24:02Z")
I turn all the electronics off when I go away for longer than a weekend. Also the hot water heater and turn the thermostats down to about 15C.
---
### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/15 "2015-09-24T21:46:53Z")
It’s not a good idea to turn off an ADSL or VDSL router. When you turn it on, it will start negotiating the optimum rate with the other end and this process can take days.
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> I turn it off and unplug it in the summer just in case we have a thunderstorm.
You might consider instead unplugging the cables plugged into it.
---
### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/16 "2015-09-24T22:15:19Z")
Overnight, if it’s bugging me: I live in a studio apartment and sleep in the same room as the router. It’s this big, ugly black box from Xfinity with about eleven big, white LEDs on it that light up the room about enough to read by, so if I’m having trouble getting to sleep, or if I think I’m getting too much of a tan, I kill it.
---
### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/17 "2015-09-24T22:46:16Z")
The only time I unplug mine is to bounce it when it gets hung up, which is like once every few months.
> [@Ethilrist](#):
>
> Overnight, if it’s bugging me: I live in a studio apartment and sleep in the same room as the router. It’s this big, ugly black box from Xfinity with about eleven big, white LEDs on it that light up the room about enough to read by, so if I’m having trouble getting to sleep, or if I think I’m getting too much of a tan, I kill it.
Black electrical/duct tape can fix this problem.
---
### Author:  [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/18 "2015-09-24T23:05:46Z")
> [@Quartz](#):
>
> It’s not a good idea to turn off an ADSL or VDSL router. When you turn it on, it will start negotiating the optimum rate with the other end and this process can take days.
This is interesting. I had never heard of anything like this so I googled it and found someone who says essentially this, regarding BT DSL in the UK: [Information about the Legacy Plus Range - Frequently Asked Questions about V1 Software - Affinity | Forum](https://community.serif.com/discussion/4256/routers-on-or-off-overnight)
If this is actually a widespread practice in the industry I’d be happy to be corrected, but otherwise, honestly it sounds like an unsubstantiated anecdote that applies to one service provider in the UK. If someone wants to try to save a little juice by shutting down their equipment every night I don’t see the harm in at least trying it for a while.
(Having said that, there is also the school of thought that frequent cycling of hardware shortens the lifespan of the devices.)
---
### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-unplug-your-router-if-youre-away-for-long-time-periods-how-long/732385/19 "2015-09-25T00:10:47Z")
> [@arseNal](#):
>
> If this is actually a widespread practice in the industry I’d be happy to be corrected, but otherwise, honestly it sounds like an unsubstantiated anecdote that applies to one service provider in the UK.
I have been told this directly by telecoms engineers on several occasions. And BT are the main physical internet provider over here - they lease out to almost all the ISPs. So what they say applies to almost all the ISPs.