Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I previously had a modem (forget which brand) which conked out a few weeks ago after nearly three years. Unless I was going away for a few days, I never switched it off. While discussing the potential cause of the modem problem, the techie in my local computer store told me I should always switch it off at night.
Anyway, I bought a Netgear Broadband DSL Modem (DM111P) - it worked fine and I switched it off each night. After three weeks, it stopped working. During discussions with their help centre (by phone), the techie said that model modem didn't have a back-up battery, and that it was better not to switch it off at night. At least, I think that's what he said - he spoke with a very strong accent which was difficult to follow!! Since the modem was still under warranty, I exchanged it for another one (same model).
So my question is: Who should I believe? Should I switch it off each night, or leave it on?
Thanks EC. I guess the point of my question is, will my new modem have a longer life if I turn it off each night? The techie in the store seemed to think the original modem conked out after only 3 years (or maybe a bit less) because it was never switched off.
Thanks EC. I guess the point of my question is, will my new modem have a longer life if I turn it off each night? The techie in the store seemed to think the original modem conked out after only 3 years (or maybe a bit less) because it was never switched off.
The answer is yes your modem ,or anything else for that matter, will last longer if cycled off at night or when not in use. You gotta sleep to last longer don't you?
It's got everything to to do with "design life span" i.e. everything has a designed number of hours that it will function without fail. Now that's total hours of use when it's on. Turning it off keeps the meter from running up hours of use so that the item last that many more hours.
There's 2 schools of thought on this and I'm not certain there will ever be an agreement because both are true to an extent. Personally I only reboot my cable modem in the event of a problem. I leave everything on all the time, however, I also have good UPS/Surge protection equipment so that helps. If you don't have a good surge protector get one because power fluctuations are horrible for electronics.
Most cable/dsl modems are built to be on 24/7 and power spikes or turning on/off are what will shorten their lifetime. However, some cheaply made devices will also have short life because they won't be built for 24/7 operation. Now you had a modem that was never shut off that lasted around 3 years, you had one that you shut off every night that lasted 3 weeks, would you rather replace it every 3 weeks or 3 years? Obviously the first netgear had a hardware malfunction and would have broken eventually even if left on. So IMO I'd say plug everything into a surge protector, leave it on, and make sure you have a firewall/antivirus and keep everything updated.
Repeated heating/cooling cycles caused by turning an item on and off is bad due to the expansion and contraction that happens with each temperature change. Also, a sudden rush of current at power-on can cause a weak component to fail. How many times have you seen a light bulb blow out with a big flash when you turn it on? Can electronics last for years being switched on and off daily? Of course. Can they last for years being left on 24/7? Yep.
Thanks for everyone's input - taking all your advice into account, I've decided to leave it on 24/7, except if I go away for a more than a day or two. I have a good surge protector, and good antivirus/firewall. Might turn it off in a severe thunderstorm though!
LOL Nope - and when I first got a modem it never occurred to me to turn it off either. It was only because a trusted* techie told me I should have been turning it off that I wondered what was the correct thing to do, to prolong the life of the modem.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
