Does the optical modem router consume electricity all day? I tested each power outlet one by one, and surprisingly, the most power-hungry part was the set-top box

mom came to stay at my place for half a month. Passing by the weak current box, she saw a row of small lights that were on all day and casually asked, "If these boxes aren't turned off, how much electricity would I pay for a month?" I opened my mouth to say I didn't have much money, but then I realized I really didn't have any money. So I spent 23 yuan on a metering outlet, plugged in each network device at home, and tested each day for three days. After three days, I settled the bill, and the answer was a bit unexpected.

first report to the general ledger: the entire set of equipment costs about 140 yuan per year for electricity

my setup is a typical setup: China Telecom's optical modem, main router, 8-port gigabit switch, IPTV set-top box—four of which are on 24/7. Electricity is charged at 0.55 yuan per kilowatt-hour, and the reading and conversion of the metered socket are kept in the meter.

Here's

conversion formula: wattage ×24 hours÷1000 = daily kWh, multiply by 365 days multiplied by 0.55 yuan to get a year's money. 15W may sound unremarkable, but multiplying it gives 131 degrees—this is where the set-top box hides its depths. Electricity prices vary by region. My place is at 0.55 yuan, while in some places it's less than 0.5 yuan. The tiered electricity price can go up to 80 yuan at the third tier. Just multiply by the number on your own bill—the method remains the same.

a month, it breaks down to about twelve yuan, which is even cheaper than an old refrigerator. The optical modem and router really don't consume much power: the router's 12V 1A power supply is labeled as 12 watts, but it actually uses five or six watts during light loads, so running 24 hours a year costs only 20 to 30 yuan. I advise you not to skimp on this money; it's the lifeline of FamilyMart. If it breaks off once and the whole family is paralyzed,

the most eye-catching feature inside and outside is the set-top box. A box that is "shut down" consumes more electricity than the combined power of the optical modem, router, and switch—this is worth discussing.

set-top boxes are the real electric tigers: the remote control is shut down as if it wasn't turned off

I plugged the metering socket into the set-top box for the first time, turned off the remote control, and stared at the reading for ten minutes—15 watts, not a single bar dropped. Turn it on and watch TV, around 14 watts. In other words, the remote control shut down not the device at all, only the screen output was turned off, and the motherboard chip was still running at full speed.

This isn't just a problem with my box. In a couple of years ago, during CCTV's home appliance standby power tests, the set-top box had a standby power of 15.2 watts, the TV tested on the spot was less than 3 watts, the laptop standby was less than 1 watt, and each set-top box could handle ten devices. Most of the boxes provided by carriers are old process chips that generate a lot of heat, and the matching power adapters are rough, keeping them warm year-round with low efficiency, and the heat generated is all wasted electricity. Running it 24 hours a day means 131 kWh for a year, or 72 yuan, which is more than half of my network equipment electricity bill.

my current approach: I replaced the TV cabinet with a five-hole power strip with an independent switch. After watching TV, press with your finger and the box completely shuts off power. The trade-off is waiting an extra minute to turn on the TV, saving about 70 yuan a year—worth it. This type of power strip with a switch can easily cut off the power to network equipment during thunderstorms, killing two birds with one stone. I have written the article about lightning protection during thunderstorms before.

tested them one by one, there were four things that were quite surprising

the first item: turning off WiFi on the optical modem doesn't save battery. I originally planned to turn off the built-in WiFi on the optical modem, which would save power and be clean. In actual tests, it was 6.1W before shutting down and 5.8W after, saving 0.3W. The metering socket readings fluctuated between plus and minus 0.3W, so I couldn't tell the difference at all. Messing up the signal in the corner of the room for just a fraction of a bit of wattage isn't cost-effective. If you want to turn off the optical modem's WiFi, check the path in this article—it's for cleanliness, not power saving.

second item, the switch is truly power-saving and worry-free. 3W is 3W; with all eight ports fully inserted, it still barely changes over 3W, and when empty or fully loaded, it remains almost unchanged. If you don't have enough network ports, add a switch. The annual electricity bill is just over ten yuan. Don't hesitate—the key points for choosing a switch are in the on switches.

third, old equipment is more effective than new equipment. I plugged in the retired AC2100 in the drawer and tested it—over 7 watts, 2 watts higher than the AX3000T in service. Old chips and processes—the older the machine, the more power it uses and gets hotter. This is one of the signals that determine whether a router should retire. Five aging signals are the router's lifespan.

the fourth item: surveillance cameras are a common issue that can easily be missed. A camera is around 4 watts, and two at my doorstep cost another sixty or seventy yuan a year. Cameras can't be frequently powered off, so remote monitoring is always needed. Consider this a security overhead. The networking strategy is surveillance network planning .

Three Effective Ways to Save Electricity—Three Tips for Use

three effective tricks are all easy to handle:

• set-top box completely power-off: with switches and power strips, saving about 70 yuan a year, the highest return rate among FamilyMart network devices
• Unplugging idle devices: old routers and adapters plugged in cost tens of yuan a year, saving power and cooling
• checking power consumption when replacing boxes: some new boxes only have two or three watts on standby, which is an order of magnitude less than the 15 watts of old carrier boxes

three useless tricks that save you little money and just make things messy:

• Turn off the optical modem and WiFi to save power: saves less than half a watt, sacrificing corner coverage, not worth
• Stopping the router on time to save power: During the few minutes after restarting, the whole family is cut off from the internet, saving a few cents in electricity overnight. Fixing lag with scheduled restarts is a different matter. Don't mix
• install a timed power-off socket for the NAS: this is the worst part. Cutting power twice a day damages the hard drive and file system, and the electricity saved isn't enough to buy half a drive. My NAS UPS also consumes three or four watts, but that money protects the data. I agree, the bill is NAS electricity bill and UPS

the more the weak current box is packed, the more the electricity bill quietly rises

equipment can reproduce. Optical modem, main router, switch, mesh sub-router, camera, set-top box—each 3 to 15 watts—can add tens to hundreds of yuan in a year without realizing it. More important than electricity costs is heat: seven or eight power adapters are squeezed into a metal box, and in summer the box can reach 45 degrees. Heat damages equipment much more directly than electricity bills. I have written weak current box organization . By the way, the router's signal strength settings and WiFi switching times all have power differences within 1 watt. Don't expect power saving just by changing settings; optimize coverage however you want.

I took the opportunity to unplug three idle devices during that time while sorting through, sold the retired router second-hand, saving the cost of breakfast a year, and lowered the temperature of the cabinet by a few degrees. Electricity costs are a small account, equipment lifespan is a big account; counting both together is the most cost-effective option.

Taking the Fact: Which One Should You Upgrade

the steps are five steps: buy a metering socket and plug it in one by one to check the readings for a day; The set-top box was replaced with a power strip with a switch; Unplugging idle equipment; The optical modem router does exactly what it needs to do; A year later, I remembered and reviewed it again. In the end, it comes down to one thing: among network devices, set-top boxes are the only 'power tiger.' To save power, start by changing the habit of using the remote control.