I am a user of 4G broadband connection through a 4G WiFi dongle. Sometimes I just forget to switch it off when not in use. Is it necessary to switch off the WiFi connection whenever we are not using net, even for a short duration say 5-10 minutes? Does it consume our data when we are not using the Internet? A few days back I kept it on for around half an hour as I became busy somewhere else and forgot that the WiFi is kept on.
Do you have any apps or programs that regularly send data back if the WiFi is turned on? If you do then they will use some of your data allowance to do that. It shouldn't be very much though. Also if any of your machines connected to it run an update that would also use data. In half an hour you shouldn't use that much. The real problem is if someone else gets access to your Wifi when you've left it on. An active user downloading things on someone else's bill can burn through data very fast!
Sometimes we also inadvertently leave our wifi running overnight. But I don’t think you consume data when you are not using it because data is involved when you use your browser. The only thing you are losing when you leave the wifi turned on is electricity not to mention the wear and tear of your router and modem. In another thread, I had posted that we turn off the wifi and even the cable digibox of our tv before retiring so those electronic gadgets will be at rest while we are sleeping.
I think this is the ideal way to deal with electronics. I too forget to switch of wifi when I am away from home and I wonder if someone else could be misusing in the neighbourhood. However, my laptop is always on or rather goes to sleep in like 10 minutes of being idle. Does that also consume electricity?
If you are using a prepaid wifi stick or as you have said wifi dongle. The load you have bought to run your wifi unit via USB has a limited bandwidth usage. And if you happen to forget it to put it off, your load would be consumed until it is totally used up. Therefore, it is better to unplug it or shut it off if it is not in use.
If you have some apps installed that use data continuously, then they will automatically consume your data. Examples of such apps include email apps, location-based apps etc. You have to turn them off before so that you can save data. Do not reveal your WiFi password to anyone or else you are in trouble if you forget to switch it off when you go out. Laptops will also consume data if they are automatically given permission to obtain OS related updates and apply the settings. Also, your antivirus is always checking for the latest updates so it will consume data as well.
There are cases where the wifi is secretly availed by the neighbors so that data is being consumed while you are asleep, that is aside from the electricity. This is one reason to change the wifi password once in a while. But if you are generous enough to share your wifi then it’s up to you. With the hibernation of the computer, it is still consuming electricity although minimally only. My advice in the office (I work as technical consultant) is to shut down their computer before they leave and not to forget to click off the AVR (automatic voltage regulator) for safety purposes.
Yes, it does.. even if no app is running in the background. If you keep the browser open and a few tabs are running, then the sites you're in will consume data. However, the volume of data consumed will depend upon the nature of the sites those are open. Apart from the site itself, the ads those run in a site continuously eat up your data. This is a mistake I had been doing till the time contacted my service provider and got the things explained. You should always disconnect the connection whenever not in use to save the drainage of data.
Nowadays wifi passwords can be hacked and malicious people can really take advantage of this. However, turning off your devices is the only way to save your wifi from overconsumption. Phones and computers update some of their apps or run some apps in the background. Switching off your devices will prevent this from happening and switching off the entire wifi connection will prevent any malicious activities.
That is really helpful. I read somewhere that a person who was running cybercafe often faced with such a situation. He came to know that there were more people using his WiFi facility than the allowed ones through an application meant for that. He changed the authorization password there after, But quite surprisingly after a few days again there was a theft of data. But he was not able to find out how these people could get the information to intrude into his WiFi zone. May be through hacking? Thanks for all valuable advises. So in short it is more secure to disconnect your WiFi connectivity than keeping it idle. If the computer is not in use just shut it off for maximum saving on electricity and also as a secure way to go.
It is such a small thing to turn off your wifi when you are not using it, but it has a huge advantage. any connected device will ping the internet, for message updates, or updating your email inbox, or just to test the connection, every few seconds it does this for sure, therefore it is wise to keep it turned off when not in use. Recently, i attended an Ethical Hacking course, there i was learning about wifi cracking and saw just how easy it was to hack into wifi's if you have the skill. Therefore, even if u think no device is connected, turning it off ensures that nobody is stealing your internet and thus, saving you money.
