Router sutdown.

[Desertfox]

I have an Asus Router since a couple of days. I use it to give some family the opportunity to use a Wi-Fi network when they come on a visit. Mainly it is used when I use my laptop in another room, and this happens daily. I wonder about the possibility to shut down the router at night for a certain reason. My connection is cable to cable modem (60Mbps) to router to Desktop, and then Wi-Fi for the rest. I researched the Internet and found very divided opinions. I would say half for and the other against shutdown. What is the opinion here. I can say that the router is almost never used between 11PM and 7AM. If there would be the necessity to leave the router on, that is fine and no issue. Additionally, the router comes on and is ready pretty fast after a shutdown.

[jdc2000]

If the reason for the shutdown is to prolong the life of the router, what would be even more effective would be to place the router on a laptop cooling stand with a fan. Heat is more of a problem than just being turned on. Also, plugging it into a UPS with surge suppression would help the lifespan.

If the purpose is to prevent unauthorized users from accessing it, the router may already have advanced options in the setup to block connections during a certain time range. Post the model number of the router and we could check into that. Also, you should be using at least WPA2 for security on the wireless connections.

[Desertfox]

It si a ASUS RT-n56u. I use all the necessary security precautions incl. WPA2. One of the reasons is that I cannot dim the light emitted from this router. Heat is NOT the issue.

[Midknyte]

I don't think you can turn off or dim the front LEDs. That seems to be a common complaint. You could get a piece of tinted film (like for car window tinting) to cover them, or just use tape.

Definitely get a UPS.

It's more of a personal preference if you want to turn it off every night. That would be a hassle for me.

[dneilson]

Drop a sock over it and put it back in the sock drawer in the morning.

[jdc2000]

The lights probably wouldn't bother me, but you could try to relocate it to somewhere else or simply cover them with something at night so you couldn't see them, and that didn't interfere with airflow or cooling.

I would not trust the router I have for my ISP to retain its settings if I shut it off and turned it on every day, plus I would be annoyed if I had to wait for it to boot up every time.

[Desertfox]

Thanks for your replay. I take it from your responses that I shall not shut down the router. You may wonder why I mentioned the lights that can't be dimmed. Someone is sleeping in the room from time to time, feels disturbed by the light. There is a restriction on relocating the router. So, I will cover it with a piece of cloth during night.

Again, there is no issue with rebooting. Thanks for your responses.

[fink]

I covered a bright LED on my clock radio with a tiny square of red electrical tape. It dims it about 80% so you can tell it's still on unlike using black tape which blocks it completely.