OK to leave UPC Cisco Modem plugged in permanently?

Rud Annamh

UPC tech support just told me that the reason for the crappy wireless performance is because we plug out the modem at night, causing the modem to reboot and reset.

We plug out most leccy stuff at night, in case of surge / fire [bit paranoid], - the crappy $2 UPC modem being top of the potential spontaneous combustion list.

So, just wondering if everyone else leaves their modem plugged in all night, or if you think it's OK to do so?

Also wondering why UPC can't just set the default settings as they should be, so rebooting wouldn't matter...

LEIN

My land line is connecter to the modem and for that reason it has been on for over a year. House is still standing and modem is not chucking out black smoke just yet.

Rud Annamh

Cheers Damo, good to know

BTW, do you plug it out when you go away e.g. on holidays for a week?

LEIN

No. It has been plugged in for a full year. If I plug it out the phone does not work.

jor el

Most people will never turn off the modem/router, no matter what kind of broadband they have.

I don't think there has ever been a house fire attributed to a modem.

Rud Annamh

OK thanks Damo and Jor El. My OCD is worse than I thought - not to mention my disregard for anyone who might call at night or when we're away.

Will leave the modem on from now on.

bk

Not only do most people leave their modem/router plugged in ALL the time, but most people leave most other electrical equipment plugged in too, TV's, DVD players, Sky Boxes, etc.

I know some people will argue it is bad for the environment, but most don't care and it doesn't make that much difference.

BTW a lot of electrical gear doesn't like being turned on and off frequently and will often fail much quicker if you do. Also some gear like Sky boxes get software updates over night.

If your worried about fire, just make sure you have working smoke alarms.

LoGiE

I leave my UPC modem plugged in all the time because of the phone. It would be a pain to have to wait for it to boot up as well.

Sarn

I leave it on at night but turn it off when I'm at work during the day and haven't had any problem with the wireless connection. I do it mainly for energy reasons.

thebman

I don't think I've ever turned off any broadband or router. I guess that makes me enviro-satan. I kind of like the sound of that

But I prefer the instant access to everything :P

DjFlin

I never plug out the router, Sky, or stereo for several reasons.

When I go to bed, I generally take out my phone and do some last-minute email/browsing/boards-ing. I'm not about to get out of bed and go all the way downstairs to turn the router on/off. Laziness wins.

SkyTV boxes HATE being plugged out. Mine can take upwards of an hour to start working properly if its been plugged out for more than 30 minutes. Its a shame too, because they're serious power suckers.

My stereos clock & saved stations all reset when its plugged out.


However, I always make sure to switch off my HDTV properly, not just putting it into standby with the remote.

You should ALWAYS plug out Xboxs/Playstations/Wiis. They drain so much power when they're not on, especially the older models.