Last year, broadband service provider Virgin Media (O2) undertook a censuswide survey of over 2000 UK based customers. The survey revealed that 18% of those who responded switch their router off overnight. 

In the current climate, we wouldn’t blame you if you were scrutinising every appliance and electric unit in your home, sussing out what’s eating up electricity and identifying where savings can be made. 

Consumer electronics account for 6-7% of our energy bills. Think laptops, games consoles, televisions. These devices, when left on standby, can gobble up more electricity than you might think. Many people turn these things off when not in use – But what about things that stay on all the time, like your router? With the prevalence of smart homes comes the need for constant Wi-Fi connection – When is the internet never not in use in your home?

You might think that it’s not needed at night, but if you have smartphones, odds are that when they are connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in to charge overnight, said smartphones complete important updates. 

Switching off your router at night could actually have quite a number of unintended consequences, for both your router itself and other devices. 

Should I Turn My Router Off Overnight to Save Electricity? 

Forums dedicated to saving energy and money might have suggested turning your electricals off overnight to save electricity – Including your router. But Internet Service Providers are warning against this. 

For the small amount of money it could save, it may actually cause a lot of disruption. 

• Many routers receive security updates overnight so as not to cause any issues during the day. If you switch your router off every single night, then you could miss one of these security updates which could cause issues later down the line with device vulnerability.

• Desperate to stay up to date with the latest Sky series but can’t stay awake long enough to watch it in real time? Then you might be someone who ‘series links’ your shows so you never have to miss a moment. Except – In order for Sky (other providers are available) to be able to record said show, the TV needs to be connected to the internet. And oops – You switched the router off before you went to bed. No show for you.
  
• Do you charge your smartphone overnight? Most use this opportunity to update to the latest software. If you’re not connected to the Wi-Fi then it likely won’t make any necessary updates. Likewise, if your phone stays on overnight, any notifications like WhatsApp or social media platforms will connect via your data rather than Wi-Fi which could result in your using up your data sooner than expected. 

Are these massive issues that you couldn’t possibly cope with? No, probably not. But if you’re used to things just quietly and consistently running in the background – Updates, show recordings, notifications – You might need to consider whether switching off your router overnight would work for you. 

Switching Off Router Overnight Could Disrupt Connectivity

It’s also important to remember that most homes use broadband connections that are based off older style copper broadband lines (for example ADSL2+) or a hybrid of fibre optic and copper (e.g. FTTC / VDSL). These often use DLM technology (Dynamic Line Management) and its associated services.

A potential issue with these services is its negative response to repeatedly getting disconnected and having to reboot the router. DLM services may detect this ‘turning off’ as connection problems, resulting in it making the connection slower. To avoid this kind of connectivity issue, it’s generally recommended to keep the router switched on. 

A typical home broadband router uses between 5 and 20 watts of power, which can cost between £0.03 and £0.14 per day. This adds up to roughly £10 to £50 per year on your energy bill. 

So turning off your router for an average of 9 hours per night isn’t going to save you much cash at all, at the expense of good connectivity, device security and efficiency of updates. 

Of course, it’s completely a personal preference but we’d agree with the ISP’s – Keep your router turned on.