Should I turn off my PC, laptop, modem, router at night?

Many people still wonder whether they should turn off devices such as PCs, laptops, modems, and routers when not in use, and if they are left in an “on” state all the time, will the lifespan of these devices be shortened?

On this issue, the tips section of the PC World website wrote that “there is no evidence that leaving electronic devices on 24/7 will shorten their lifespan any faster than turning them off at night. On the other hand, there is also no evidence that turning off devices at night will cause any effects.”

However, PC World's tipster still chooses to turn off the devices! Because:

Leaving appliances on when not in use is a waste of electricity, costing money. Moreover, this electricity-consuming behavior also affects the environment we live in. So, why not turn off the lights when you don’t need them?

According to analysis, if a family has a router, a modem and 2 network printers plugged in, it will consume 12KWh in 1 month if you keep the devices “on” continuously. If you turn off the printer, the electricity consumption is less than 4.8KWh – still a waste.

With computers, of course, you can put them into convenient power-saving modes. But it's still more economical to turn them off completely. True, if you turn them off completely, you'll have to start them up in the morning, but shutting them down at night and starting them up again in the morning can make Windows run faster and more reliably.

Peripherals connected to your computer (like monitors, speakers, etc.) can best be controlled with a smart dongle like the Belkin Conserve Smart AV. When you connect your PC to this dongle, if the computer is completely shut down (or goes to sleep), the peripherals will be powered down as well.

According to PC World