Thread: Keeping modem ON does any harm?

Suppose you keep the modem ON the whole time long, 24 hours a day, does it cause any problems? I mean, does it give a huge bill or something?

My modem is Huawei MT 882; it has got this thing called 'always on', though I don't know what that is. Any suggestions for doing something to the modem to increase speed?

Thanx.

no problems in keeping it on always.. i always keep it on!!

for limited plan users like home 500 it is better to turn your modem off when you are not using.though it is not necessary but since its bsnl unless you have a very urgent need to keep your modem on always its better to turn it off when not in use.

There is nothing wrong in keeping always on but you should also consider that keeping your modem in always on position will make it heat up soon and might end up in dumps soon, as anything which is overused is bad for its life. By the way apart from downloading anything, why do you want to keep it on always, i would suggest you to switch off whenever u are not using it.

As all of the above replies stated, keeping the modem on at all times will not result into overbilling. You are not at risk unless you have wireless which is unsecured. But when modem is in PPPoE mode and always on, there is a small data transfer continuously going on (required to keep the connection alive).

Also as 'xwhyz' said, there is a heat fatigue. On the whole, it is not a bad idea to switch off the modem when not in use.

Sometimes voltage fluctuations and spikes could damage also damage your equipment.

p/s. This is also true of your all your electronic equipment. Please do switch off all your TV, STB, Microwave, etc. when not in use - completely power off and not just stand by.

Originally Posted by just4kix

As all of the above replies stated, keeping the modem on at all times will not result into overbilling. You are not at risk unless you have wireless which is unsecured. But when modem is in PPPoE mode and always on, there is a small data transfer continuously going on (required to keep the connection alive).

Also as 'xwhyz' said, there is a heat fatigue. On the whole, it is not a bad idea to switch off the modem when not in use.

Sometimes voltage fluctuations and spikes could damage also damage your equipment.

p/s. This is also true of your all your electronic equipment. Please do switch off all your TV, STB, Microwave, etc. when not in use - completely power off and not just stand by.

I would like to add one extra info...
If u turned on ur automatic updates ON.. then some download would happen and u might not be knowing about that. So better switch it OFF..

I too thought that nothing will happen if switched on continuously, but recently I had to buy a new modem.
I use wireless connection at home and used to switch the modem switched ON. I have been doing this for 3 years with the Dareglobal modem BSNL gave me for 12OO rs. And all of sudden few days back all of the lights went of the modem went off and nothing was working. I went to BSNL office and they said I need to buy another modem from them...Then I thought why buy a stupid chineese modem than go for some good modems in market. And I bought a new netgear modem.

This is what happens if you switch it on continuously....Why waste electricity...SAVE ELECTRICITY THAT SHOULD BE OUR MOTTO...so switch it off when you dont need it...

i've had my modem ON ever since i got the connection.. it never used to go down... even when there was a power cut it used to work with my UPS and home inverter.. so i havent switched off my modem since years... and no problems at all.. so you really shouldnt worry about any harm towards the modem!!

Yep... My modem is on 24 hours...and have had no problems for 2 years.... Just make sure the modem power comes from the spike buster, so that you're protected against any voltage spikes...

Thanks for info guys.

Originally Posted by itisbasi

Yep... My modem is on 24 hours...and have had no problems for 2 years.... Just make sure the modem power comes from the spike buster, so that you're protected against any voltage spikes...

buddy.. wat is spike buster?? i directly connected to the switch board...

I’ve noticed that BSNL UtstarCom modems suffer from inherit heat problem.
My UtstarCom UT WA3002G4 WIFI modem heated up to 85.c (burnt my finger a lil)

I’ve crafted some heatsinks from leftover Aluminimus shards and tucked them over the Hot chips.
Then i put an Computer case fan on it…and happy ever after!

I am using 750 UL plan and dedicated seed box to seed torrents 24/7.

No big bills...the modem eats something like 5 watts max

Originally Posted by aruncse30

buddy.. wat is spike buster?? i directly connected to the switch board...

It is a stabilizer of AC (Alternating Current). You must know that AC has a fixed frequency and voltage, but when we switch-on the device, the voltage shoots up, then down and then stabilizes. this shoot-up is called a spike. The shoot-up during switch-on and switch-off is very small, but sometimes, during power failures and thunderstorms, it is HUGE (huge enough to MELT the AC-DC adapters for example mobile phone chargers, or modem adapters etc.)

The circuit breaker protects our homes from fire-hazards during these incidents but the circuitry in electronic devices can be literally FRIED. A spike-buster prevents this by harmlessly dissipating the excess energy (voltage and current) with the help of lots of capacitors and transistors(we generally use a transistor to amplify but a spike buster un-amplifies using the same principle).

What I'd like to Know is- What's the advantage of keeping the moden on 24/7 ?
Apart from the issues of heating and likely damage caused by voltage fluctuations ,we should be more concerned about the unnecessary wastage of electricity
( major part of which is generated from fast depleting fossil fuels).

Originally Posted by drjaycee

What I'd like to Know is- What's the advantage of keeping the moden on 24/7 ?

well only thing is u dont have to wait for the link to come up when u really need to use it, apart from this i dont think any advantage is there.

Exactly!
A couple of minutes shouldn't necessitate running it 24/7.

I think turning off after use will be a better idea.

and it would also save you some money (in electricity bills)

:cool2:

I agree... turn it off unless you're continiously using

Apart from saving the electricity and data usage, there is another reason for not to always turn on ur router, and that is preventing it from hacking. Although router has its internal firewall but if ur router security settings are not properly configured, then you are always compromising with it. And if ur router is "always on", then you r exposing it for the hackers for the maximum time. So be wise, and turn on ur router only if u need it.

Originally Posted by dolby

Apart from saving the electricity and data usage, there is another reason for not to always turn on ur router, and that is preventing it from hacking. Although router has its internal firewall but if ur router security settings are not properly configured, then you are always compromising with it. And if ur router is "always on", then you r exposing it for the hackers for the maximum time. So be wise, and turn on ur router only if u need it.

Nice one Mr.Dolby Surround Sound :cool2:

One thing I may add that turning off the router may cut health risks.

WiFi frequencies are said to harm the sensitive areas of brian, and especially disrupt REM sleep cycles and Delta brain waves.

switch it off when u are not using ,or when u r not using internet

save electiricty for the future generation and also to reduce ur current bill

i am using the same modem and it heats up a lot,so u need to cool it down by turning it off when u r not using internet

Originally Posted by internet_guy

switch it off when u are not using ,or when u r not using internet

save electiricty for the future generation and also to reduce ur current bill

i am using the same modem and it heats up a lot,so u need to cool it down by turning it off when u r not using internet

That modem is no less than a furnace, hardware failure imminent if you don't look forward to some cooling trick.

Put a fan on it (12v Case fan will work on same adapter)
Or atleast open it up and let the air cool it.

Inside temp is above 85.c and it burned my finger once!