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Good question. I assume it's left on 24/7 - that's the impression I got from our installer - but he never said why. I do know that when we've had a "stall" of some sort, the first order of business was to unplug the modem then plug it back in to reset. So, now I'm curious: is there any harm in turning it off? does doing so extend its life? are there any true benefits that warrant its shut off? or would shutting it off just be a worthless step?
Yes, you can leave it on all the time. From time to time your Internet provider might push some updates that will require a modem reboot, but it will likely be rare.
I was under the impression that a turned-on hooked-up modem can be a (rare) risk factor for malware entering your computer. However, at the same time,. there is no on-off switch , and the plug-in hardware is probably not designed to tolerate daily wear, and you could very quickly damage the plug-ins or sockets.
I was under the impression that a turned-on hooked-up modem can be a (rare) risk factor for malware entering your computer. However, at the same time,. there is no on-off switch , and the plug-in hardware is probably not designed to tolerate daily wear, and you could very quickly damage the plug-ins or sockets.
If your computer is connected directly to the modem, then yes. But only slightly, as anytime you connect to go on line, you are just as vulnerable.
Everyone with broadband should have a router, even if you have only 1 PC. By default it prevents all unsolicited traffic from reaching your computer, plain and simple.
Connect an unpatched XP computer directly to the internet (no router) and it will become infected in minutes, even if the connection is only dial-up. If you have to reinstall Windows for some reason, you will never get to M$ to download all the patches you need because your PC will become infected before you can start downloading. If you have a router between you and the internet, you still need all the patches, but you can safely go to M$ and download them.
In my mind a router should be mandatory for broadband.
I was under the impression that a turned-on hooked-up modem can be a (rare) risk factor for malware entering your computer. However, at the same time,. there is no on-off switch , and the plug-in hardware is probably not designed to tolerate daily wear, and you could very quickly damage the plug-ins or sockets.
For the most part malware and other nasties aren't roaming around the net looking for machines to infect, the machines have to get to them in one way or another (there has been an exception or two to this). It is perfectly acceptable to leave it on 24/7, and in some cases necessary to do so. If your computer is off there's no way it can get infected. It's up to you how you do it.
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