How many watts does a wifi router use?

In many homes, our Wi-Fi routers are on for many hours of the day. While not as power-hungry as appliances like air conditioners or washing machines, it's important to know how much electricity your Wi-Fi router uses when you're looking at your whole home's energy usage.

Generally, Wi-Fi routers use between 5 and 20 watts (W) of electricity, depending on the model. Most Wi-Fi routers use about two amps, connect to a 120-volt outlet, and pull somewhere around 5 to 7 volts.

Different wattage Wi-Fi routers use different amounts of electricity over the course of a year. Routers are generally always on 24/7 - here's how much electricity you'll use over the course of a year with a few different wattages of the router:

How many watts do different Wi-Fi routers use in a year?

We'll mostly be referring to the electricity used by Wi-Fi routers in terms of kWh in this article. The reason is simple: your electric bill is measured in kWh, and you get charged based on the kWh of electricity you use per month!

When you get your monthly electric bill, you only get to see the total amount you're charged, not how much each appliance contributes to your final bill. Based on an average wattage of 10 W for Wi-Fi routers (amounting to 87.6 kWh/year) and using state average electricity rates, here's how the cost to run a Wi-Fi router pans out over the course of a month and a year:

Monthly and yearly costs to run a Wi-Fi router by state

Note: average electricity rates are based on October 2021 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Looking to offset your electric bills (and the energy these appliances use) with solar? When you sign up (for free!) on the EnergySage Marketplace, you can compare solar quotes from high-quality, local solar installers. Make sure to keep in mind your current and future electricity usage, and talk about how that could change with your installer for the most accurate quotes.

Calculate how much energy your own Wi-Fi router uses.

If you want to know how much electricity your Wi-Fi router uses (or at least is supposed to use), take an estimated yearly electricity use in kWh and multiply this number by the average electricity rate in your area to get an estimate of how much you spend to power your Wi-Fi router each year. You can often find a wattage rating in the spec sheet for your router. For an estimated monthly cost, divide the estimated yearly cost by 12.

What's the best time to run a Wi-Fi router?

If you're on a time-of-use (TOU) rate plan, you are charged different amounts for electricity throughout the day. In general, it's cheaper to use appliances during "off-peak" hours, which are usually overnight.

What size battery do you need to back up a Wi-Fi router?

All popular home batteries are capable of powering a Wi-Fi router: most lithium-ion batteries like the Tesla Powerwall or Generac PWRcell have a power rating of 4 to 5 kW or higher and 10+ kWh of usable capacity. Wi-Fi routers use about 10 W (0.01 kW) of power at any one time, meaning just about any battery will be plenty suitable for backing up and powering your Wi-Fi router, even for long periods of time.

How many solar panels does it take to run a Wi-Fi router?

Average Wi-Fi routers use between 5 and 20 W of electricity to stay powered. On average, solar panels are rated at around 350 W, meaning you'll be able to power a Wi-Fi router easily with just one solar panel.

What are ENERGY STAR appliances?

ENERGY STAR is a U.S. government-backed system that certifies how energy-efficient appliances are. If an appliance is better than the average appliance in its category by a certain amount, it is labeled as "ENERGY STAR certified." ENERGY STAR appliances cost less money to run, given that they are more efficient with the electricity they use.

Solar savings vary widely, and your unique savings depends on factors like electricity usage, your location, electric rates and plans, and more. In general, most homeowners can expect to save somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000 over the lifetime of a solar panel system. On average, it takes between 7 and 8 years for most homeowners who shop for solar on EnergySage to get their solar panels to pay for themselves.

Going solar is one of the most effective ways to reduce or eliminate your electric bill, and you should make sure you are getting several quotes from reputable installers before you decide to move forward. Visit the EnergySage Marketplace to get solar quotes from installers in your area and begin comparing options.