I’m a WiFi expert – why you should NEVER turn off your internet overnight
HOUSEHOLDS trying to save money on energy bills have been warned against turning off their WiFi overnight.
Switching off your broadband every evening is a false economy and can even make your connection easier to hack, experts say.
Energy costs have rocketed since last winter with the average dual fuel bill now at an eyewatering £2,500 a year.
It’s feared some households looking to cut energy usage are now turning off their WiFi router at night.
It may seem counterintuitive but shutting down your WiFi can actually increase your bills, according to Nick Hunn, chief technology officer at wireless consultancy WiFore.
He said: “Turning off your WiFi sounds like a good idea, but the unintended consequence can be that you end up using more energy.”
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Most WiFi routers contain the modem which is constantly trying to improve the speed of your internet connection by updating its knowledge to make it more efficient, Nick explained.
When the router is switched off, the process starts from scratch.
He said: “If you turn the router off every day, upload and download speeds are likely to be poorer.
“You’re more likely to have a slower connection with things buffering.
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“Because it is slower you use more power, which increases the consumption.”
Most routers, especially the more modern ones from the last five years, use relatively little energy.
Nick added: “A lot of effort now goes into making designs more energy efficient.
“With most of these devices, the energy saving you’re going to make isn’t going to be worth turning off.”
Turning off your WiFi may also prompt your provider to place a speed restriction on the connection because they suspect a fault.
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Bear in mind that most routers use relatively little power – about 10W – similar to an energy-saving lightbulb.
“Leaving it on for eight hours while you sleep will add about £10 to your bill over the course of a year.
“Broadband networks regularly monitor the speed and reliability of your internet connection so shutting off your router frequently can make your provider think there is a faulty line.
“This could lead them to slow down the service into your router in order to try and maintain your connection while they look for an issue.”
Crucially, switching off your WiFi overnight is also a bad idea for security purposes.
Ernest added: “Keeping your device on 24/7 means providers can install important security and software upgrades anytime, which they will often do overnight when the network is less busy.”
These updates help keep your connection functioning as it should, as well as keeping it secure and safe from attack.
Most of the biggest internet service providers recommend keeping WiFi equipment on around the clock.
Save money on your energy bill
Households looking to keep their energy bills in shape should turn off most other devices when they are not being used, with the exception of WiFi, and your landline if you use one.
You could save hundreds of pounds by simply checking appliances and devices are not running when they don’t need to.
Simple gadgets known as energy-saving monitors can help you work out which appliances in your home are sapping energy.
For an easy win, don’t leave televisions, computers, playstations or other gaming devices on standby – instead, shut them down or turn off at the switch.
Most charging cables from big-name manufacturers turn off when they are not being used.
But some cheaper imitations may leak energy, according to Nick, so it is worth turning these off or taking them out of the socket when not being used.
You can’t turn off fridge or freezers but make sure the temperature is not set lower than needed to improve efficiency.
Look out for so-called vampire appliances, such as outdoor lighting and towel rails, which can drain energy and push up bills.
Carefully setting your heating and hot water can radically alter energy bills.
For example, every degree the temperature is raised on your heating, bills jump by 10 per cent.
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Use heating controls so that systems only come on when needed.
And look at small cheap changes that you can make to better insulate your home.