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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
David Snelling & Sara Odeen-Isbister

Brits warned not to turn off Wi-Fi overnight despite rocketing energy bills

Brits have been warned not to turn off their Wi-Fi routers overnight after energy prices soared to record highs this weekend.

The average price for electricity has shot up from around 17p per kWh last winter to 34p per kWh.

Combined with the rising price of gas, many households will be looking for ways to reduce the amount of energy they use.

This includes switching off appliances, using the dishwasher less and not leaving consoles and TVs on standby.

There are even tricks such as switching on Sky Q's Eco mode and turning down the brightness on your television.

However, one device which should be left on is your internet router.

Turning your router on and off continuously can signal to your provider there's an issue (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Although beaming WiFi around your home will impact your energy bill, hitting the power button can wreak havoc with broadband speeds and even make your internet connection more easy to hack.

Most of the UK's biggest Internet Service Providers (ISPs), including BT and Sky, recommend leaving their Wi-Fi equipment on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

That's because 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 can place an emergency speed restriction on the service to make sure the customer stays connected.

There are better ways to cut down electricity usage like not leaving your TV on standby and using energy saving light bulbs (Getty Images/Image Source)

"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," BT explains.

Along with downloads getting slower, vital security updates might not be received during the night if the power is off.

Aman Bhatti, director of propositions at Sky Broadband, told Express.co.uk : “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."

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