Here are my reasons for leaving my ADSL2+ modem OFF when the computer is off. My modem runs hot and consumes 5-7 watts; typical for external AC-adapter-powered units.
If I power the modem on/off once a day, that's only 365 cycles per year. How many thousands of cycles are these modems rated for? I've been turning my entire computer on/off daily (more than once) for 6 years will no known ill effects. I usually use Hibernate mode to speed startup times. All my old computers were running fine at the time I upgraded.
Modems are solid state, but even hard drives are often rated at
50,000 power cycles, which is 136 years of daily cycling! Are people still insisting that they'll fail before the computer is obsolete? When drives do crash, how many times in recent years has it been proved to be a power-cycle issue?Those old "cyclic shock" tales seem to come from the days of discrete components and hard drive heads that had to be parked. Hand-me-down stories tend to linger through hearsay. It doesn't seem logical that electronics will last longer when everything's constantly cooking. If something is rated for N power cycles, why stick with the old stories? It always seems to be some Right- wing ruse about conservation being unnecessary.
I'm not running a server so nobody else cares if I take the modem offline. For general privacy I also don't want the same (dynamic) IP address for long periods of time. It makes more sense to be totally offline when the computer is off. It also feels safer in terms of power/line surges. The only thing I leave on all the time is my TiVo, because it forces me to.
This aspect has me curious: My ISP's tech support suggests leaving the modem on but they admit it will grab another IP address automatically. The modem synchronizes in 15-20 seconds when I power up, so why would they care? Is there a reason they ask you to waste energy with a modem you paid for? Can it impact their network when someone grabs a new IP address once or twice a day?
I just don't agree that it's better to leave something on and waste energy for the sake of minor conveniences. The excuses usually come people who think consumption equals prosperity. I LIKE the idea of saving energy, no matter how "insignificant" it may seem. Americans have the world's highest per capita energy consumption and keep making excuses for it. In truth, every "small" reduction will help if millions of people are doing it.
N.C.