Our WiFi router has a button that turns it off.
We've just been unplugging it for months without any issues, but its presence makes me wonder if doing so could damage the hardware in the long run.
Should you first power off the router before unplugging it, or is it safe to just keep unplugging it directly when you want to turn it off?
EDIT: For those who were asking for the router details, it's a TP-Link Archer AX50.
96 Answers
No, you will not damage the hardware by unplugging it. On most of these devices the button is little more than a way to toggle power.
Even if it is, the only thing that powering down really affects is the data not written to disk, and this is a non-issue on routers.
10Is it absolutely ideal to power off directly at the mains?
No.
Is it really going to do any harm?
No.
The only difference in reality is if the switch on the router itself switches the low-voltage DC rather than the 110/240v AC, but practically, it's not going to hurt anything 999 out of 1,000 times. These things are designed to survive power cuts & moderate surges.
7Wall switch-off is fine.
What can be not fine is switching it on at the wall, then unplugging it before the router finishes booting up.
This can (rarely) result in the router losing saved configuration.
It is not common at all, but with the rolling blackouts ("loadshedding") that we experience here occasionally, I am seeing a fair share of otherwise good home routers losing settings due to the power coming on, stuttering, going off again, then coming on as the power get badly restored. Also seeing tons of dead refrigerator compressors, of course, the same power problem is much more deadly to them. But it is generating maybe 10% of my business as IT support person, this issue of routers losing settings.
Usually seen on the low-mid level home routers. Dlink, Netgear, Tplink, etc. Never on the real routers like Cisco or even the more upmarket home stuff like Ubiquity
Short answer
It depends.
Long answer
Enterprise grade kit
This includes high end hardware routers as well as servers that are running routing functions.
Absolutely never turn off hard, particularly servers. Many devices give the option for a shutdown in their management console, or at very least have a switch on the device. This must be used to protect the device
Consumer grade kit
This includes anything made by TP-Link.
You are probably fine to just unplug the thing. I agree with others that it could arguably be slightly safer to use the onboard power button first but its only a cheapy router and the risk is minimal. Consumer grade kit is designed to be more suitable for novice use in a domestic setting, so the manufacturers do not expect you to care about it too much.
1I am using Eero router and there is no power on/off on it. I'd think that if powering on/off is required, such expensive and sensitive equipment would have included it in the first place. So, to answer your question, no, you don't need to. Just unplug from the mains. You will be fine. Hope it helps.
We've just been unplugging it for months without any issues, but its presence makes me wonder if doing so could damage the hardware in the long run.
We typically only turn off the router once a day when we all go to bed, actually. And when we need to "refresh" it when the internet becomes too slow.
I don't recall where I read it but one of metal's enemies is temperature fluctuation. Starting it up in the morning and powering it down at night creates two daily stresses for the circuitry so you could see the router fail sooner than normal. This is regardless of whether you pull the plug or use the button.
A router generally has no moving mechanical parts so it's not like you're saving it from excessive wear-n-tear by powering it off.
If the Internet becomes slow then yes go ahead and power it off however you wish; hopefully this is not daily.
Unplugging the router from the outlet introduces the risk of arching which can affect the router's internals.
Unplugging the router from the outlet will also wear down your outlet much faster. Have you ever experienced an outlet which is barely able to hold on to the electric prongs? That outlet has been worn down from use over the years and should be replaced.
