The router can be on for months
The first thing you should keep in mind is that the router is a device designed to remain for weeks and months on. In principle, there should be no problems and you could connect normally, having both a cable and Wi-Fi connection, without having to turn it off from time to time.
Unlike other equipment that we use in our day to day, in this case we will not have problems for it to work well. In addition, it is a device that will consume very little energy. It is designed just for that, so that we have it in our home, connected for weeks without us thinking about turning it off.
But this does not mean that in certain circumstances it is good to restart the router from time to time. That can help fix certain errors, such as the connection becoming saturated and starting to go wrong. It will depend a lot on the router model we have, the use we give it, etc.
When should you turn off the router?
If you have an old router, it may be interesting to restart it more frequently. This is not something that is necessary today if you have a current fiber optic device, but it was more necessary with old ADSL routers. However, there are still situations in which it can be positive.
is saturated
The first reason why you should restart your router from time to time is for being saturated. Although these devices are designed to manage multiple connections and we can connect devices of all kinds, such as computers, mobile phones or televisions, sometimes they can become saturated and not give an adequate response.
To solve this problem, something we can do is simply turn off the router and turn it on again. With the restart of the device the system processes are also restarted and we can solve certain errors. For example, some processes could hang.
IP change or update
Another reason to restart the router is if we want to change the IP adress. To do this, depending on the company we have, it is usually necessary to turn off the router and keep it that way for a few minutes to later turn it on again. This way you will receive a different IP address. Sometimes this only happens once a month or every so often.
It may also be necessary to restart it when it has received any update the router. In this way the changes are applied correctly and we can see that it improves security or performance. This may sometimes be necessary.
you are going to spend time outside
One more reason to turn off the router, if only sometimes, is when you are going to spend time out. Why do we say this? One reason you can think of is energy savings. It makes sense, since although this type of device consumes very little, if you are going to be away for several weeks or months, it does not make much sense for it to be on.
But another reason to turn it off if you’re away is for safety. In this case, this occurs because hackers will have more time available to launch attacks and tests to try to break the Wi-Fi key and gain access. If you turn off the device, you will avoid this type of problem.
In short, as you can see on certain occasions it can be interesting to turn off the router. It is not something necessary in general terms, but in certain circumstances it could be advisable both for functionality and to avoid certain problems that may appear. Of course, it is important to restart the router correctly.