Hello eli5, i tried looking online and in eli5 but couldnt find anything specific to my question
I was wondering if is there any damage to a device (such as routers) if i power it off from the main power outlet instead of pressing the on/off button via device? I have read that TV has a standby mode thus it helps not to just power off via power outlet. It make sense for devices such as PCs/console as they would need to power down
Wondering if this is the same for devices without standby/power down functions
In: Technology
If a device has a power switch, best to use it. Some cases it doesn’t matter at all, but other times it does. Sometimes there is a clock or configuration data that will need to be reset after a hard power off, and even if you don’t do this manually, it can make the next boot take longer.
For high current draw devices, always use the power switch if you can, only pull the plug on something like a hair dryer or vacuum cleaner if it’s on fire or fallen into water or something. The reason for this is that the switch inside the device is designed to break large currents, whereas if you just unplug it without turning it off, there will be an arc that can damage your power outlet. Single instance shouldn’t matter too much, but over time you’ll get a poor or no connection when you plug something into that outlet.
If the device’s on off switch is a big meaty clicky switch that is switching mains, then no there’s no functional difference.
If on the other hand it’s like a power switch on the back of a NAS say, that isn’t a straight up pull the plug power switch. What that’ll do is tell the device to power down, which might involve various housekeeping tasks, stopping hard drives, all that kinda thing before finally switching off.
So the answer, as is often the way with this kinda thing is “It depends.”
Some devices, even devices that have soft off switches (which is what that NAS example is) won’t mind being pulled from the wall direct. A TV is a decent example, most TVs won’t care if you just unplug them.
If you did that to a PC or NAS while it was writing files for example, then you’d cause data loss. If nothing was happening and the machine was idle it’d (probably) do no harm.
The simple answer is to use the switch if it has one before unplugging.
The slightly longer answer is that most electronics have been designed to deal with power failure so it is unlikely that your average home electronic device would suffer any damage from a plug pull but it could happen.
Lots of things also have basic batteries in them to keep a clock or simple settings so a quick power loss doesn’t put you into blinking clock hell; that’s where the power switch kills most of the power but passive modes (standby) will still be on to improve startup, boot, and passive patching times.
There are numerous devices that have parts that stay on even when the power switch is off. The circuits for receiving signals from remote controls for example, must always be powered in order to receive the “power on” signal from the remote control. Apple desktop computers have “soft power” switches in the keyboard, so they never really turn off unless actually unplugged. Devices that have batteries often charge the batteries even while the “power” is off. So, if you’re going to repair something, it makes a big difference whether the device is unplugged versus turning it off.
The parts that stay on when the power switch is off consume power, and some devices use significant amounts even when off. Old CRT television sets, for example, may keep tubes warm by running current through their heater circuits, so that it takes less time for the television to turn on, and so to avoid the television not working as well when the tubes are at lower temperature.
Also, some devices just pretend to turn off, and when they have a computer inside, the power switch may not really make the device restart the same way as when they’re unplugged. If a device is misbehaving, unplugging it may be more reliable than using the power switch for a reset. Some devices may have capacitors inside that can store power for a significant time, and may benefit from being unplugged long enough for the capacitors to discharge – this can take several minutes in some cases.
Some devices use a fan to cool off hot parts. When you turn it off with a switch, the fan stays on for a little while to cool off the hot part. If you just pull the plug, the fan won’t be able to cool off the hot part and it could burn out.
(I’m referring specifically to projectors, but it can apply to other electronics)
Depends. Removing power on a desktop is like holding the power button down. Sometimes it is a soft power switch like a computer and other times it’s a hard power switch like a fan.
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