The clocks have gone back and the winter is on its way which means your energy bills will begin to rocket. Despite recent cuts to the price of gas and electricity, costs remain unusually high and keeping homes heated and lit is still a major monthly expense.
Consumers will clearly be looking at ways to cut down their bills over the coming months and there are simple changes that can be made including activating “Eco” modes on TVs and switching off devices when not being used.
These tips will all shave a few pennies off of those bills but one thing you don’t want to start turning off is your Wi-Fi router.
That flashing black box that sits in the corner of your room should be left on at all times and ignoring this alert could leave you missing out on vital updates and even slowing down your speeds.
Most of the UK's biggest Internet Service Providers (ISPs), including BT and Sky, recommend leaving Wi-Fi equipment on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
There are two reasons why this is so important. Firstly, endlessly switching on and off the router can send signals to your provider that there is a fault on the line. When this happens, ISPs could end up placing emergency speed restrictions on the service to make sure the customer stays connected.
As BT explains, "Constantly switching off the hub makes the line look unstable, meaning that your speed may be automatically reduced to improve the reliability of your broadband connection.”
Getting slower speeds is highly annoying and that’s not the only thing switching off the router can do. Missing out on vital security updates is also another danger of switching off the router when heading to bed.
Most ISPs push out upgrades overnight and not getting these software patches can leave consumers at risk from annoying bugs and attacks from cyber criminals.
Explaining more about the issues with broadband routers and why it's a good idea to keep them on, Aman Bhatti, Director of Propositions, Sky Broadband said : “We know our routers are put through their paces during the day – whether on video calls, streaming the latest show, or online gaming. That’s why our routers run firmware updates during the night, to avoid any unnecessary disruption during the day.
"Switching off your router overnight can affect automatic software updates and optimisations which in turn can impact the overall performance, speed and stability of your Broadband. Other connected devices in the home that are connected to your router will also be disrupted by the delayed updates. All our current hubs are EU Eco Design Regulation approved, meaning no excessive energy consumption is being used."
So yes, switch off your TV, change your bulbs to lights that are more efficient and turn down the heating but, if you want reliable internet access, leave your router on.