Your laptop is just a metal brick without the internet… Think about it, what do you do on your computer that doesn’t require a connection? Your WiFi router is an unsung hero, quietly going about its business without a noise. We would forget it was even there without a glowing light. If you’re upgrading, worried about electricity usage, or living in an RV (or another vehicle) you’ll be keen to know its power consumption.
Below we will discuss and test WiFi router wattage, explain how to work it out for yourself, and calculate the total electricity required.
How Many Watts is a Modem WiFi Router?
The average WiFi router uses between 4 and 10 watts.
The exact number depends on the size and model of your modem. For example, a standard home router runs at around 4W, while longer-range devices will use 10W or more.
This difference in power consumption comes down to performance. The higher the range and faster the speed of your router, the more power it draws. This is simply because it will be working harder, and large units can include cooling systems like fans.
How to Find Out Your WiFi Router Wattage
There are 3 ways you can work out the wattage of a modem.
- Check Product Specification
The quickest way is to look at the WiFi router’s specifications. The max watts (W) is usually written on a sticker on the base of the appliance. If not, you can check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for technical details.
- Use a Wattmeter
A wattmeter is brilliant for getting a live wattage reading and tracking total energy usage of your modem. You can simply plug it into your WiFi router to get instant information.
I used one to test my WiFi router modem which gave a live reading of W.
- Wattage Formula or Calculator
If you know the amperage and voltage of your WiFi router you can use this to find the maximum watts. Simply use the formula Amps x Volts = Watts. Or you can head over to the ‘Watt Calculator’ to work this out. This number will be much higher than the actual running watts so is not always helpful.
WiFi Router Wattage Test
Let’s take a look at a specific example of how many watts a WiFi router draws. Below is a power test of a TP-Link and ASUS WiFi router.
As you can see, the power ratings vary between different WiFi routers. So you should take the time to check your own appliance.
How Much Electricity Does a WiFi Router Use?
You can use WiFi router wattage to work out how much electricity it uses. Plus this can be useful in understanding how much it costs to run your modem.
A watt (W) is a measurement of power at a single point in time. A watt-hour is the total amount of electricity used in an hour. For example, a WiFi router drawing 5W would use 5Wh when running for an hour.
Happily, electricity bills are recorded in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is simply 1000 watts. So a 5W WiFi router running for 1 hour uses 0.005kWh.
A key consideration is that you use a WiFi router for 24 hours a day. This means a WiFi router uses about 120Wh or 0.12kWh electricity a day. That’s 3.6kWh a month and 43.8kWh a year.
That’s a rough electricity cost of $0.54 a month or $6.57 a year to keep your WiFi modem switched on 24 hours a day.
Using a WiFi Router Off-Grid
If you’re planning to use your WiFi router in an off-grid situation like a power outage, RV, boat, van, or semi-truck the information above is key. You can use it to install the correct power products and understand how long you can run.
You can either use a power inverter, portable power station, or generator for AC electricity.
To make sure everything runs smoothly you should check two things on this equipment – wattage capacity and total energy capacity.
Your power source, like an inverter, should have a wattage capacity of at least 20% more than your modem. This ensures it will be able to deliver enough power as they are never 100% efficient. To access the internet, you will need at least 75W of power capacity. This is easily enough to run a router and charge a laptop, plus it is the smallest sized inverter you can find.
Secondly, you need to ensure your energy source, like a battery, has enough energy to run the WiFi router for the required amount of time. As we already know, it will use about 120Wh electricity every day. This is the equivalent to 10Ah on a 12V battery.
How Many Watts Does a WiFi Router Use Summary
I hope you now clearly understand how many watts a modem uses.
As you’ve discovered, these are very low powered devices that run on a fairly constant power draw. You might notice a spike when switching on but the wattage will settle down quickly. Even running your internet 24/7 won’t use up too much electricity, certainly less than 10 bucks a year. Plus, you can easily use a small router for stable internet in a vehicle like a campervan or semi-truck.
