A router, at first glance, may seem like a harmless device. We all have one at home and have never bothered to protect ourselves from it. There is no risk in the waves or in their use, but poor care or misuse of it can generate certain dangers for users. Therefore, it is necessary to know what you can do with it and how to prevent something dangerous from happening.
Since its installation, the router is a piece of equipment that is usually working uninterruptedly throughout its useful life, and becomes an object in the house that is not paid attention to. That is why we do not give it the importance of its correct use, its care and the danger it may have. If you have small children or pets at home, the router is a potential danger and you should take it into account and we will explain why.
Hazards and risks
The first thing to keep in mind is that the router works with electricity and needs to be connected to a socket. In many cases, it connects to a power strip or multiplier to which many devices are already connected. This practice can cause an overvoltage to occur and the router and all the devices you have connected to it end up burning or stop working.
Another danger is in the fiber optic itself: the cabling of modern routers has a fiber optic connection. This type of cable does not have an electrical current, but the material with which they are made can be dangerous if misused. You should know that the interior of these cables is fiberglass, which in addition to being very delicate and, although it has several layers of coating, can be a problem if your pet or baby puts it in their mouths.
As we have already said, electricity does not run through the fiber optic cable, but a beam of light does. This beam of light, although it is not visible, is quite powerful because it has to travel many kilometers and that is why all its connections are marked with laser radiation danger. Special care must be taken with this, as keeping your eyes focused directly on the laser output can cause serious vision problems.
Something very important to keep in mind is the importance of the location of the router. When the technician goes to do the installation at your home, you must decide where the equipment is going to be installed. He tries to find a well-ventilated place, away from the windows to avoid the sun during the day, not cover it with rags and clean it so that dust does not accumulate. This will prevent it from overheating and could be a fire hazard.
Finally, there are models that are heavier, or that have a vertical position that makes them less stable, and as a general rule they tend to have corners and antennas. A fall from a certain height can do quite a bit of damage and is a fairly easy hazard to avoid. This, taking into account that they are devices with cables that may be hanging, is a potential risk if there are children or babies or pets at home.
How to avoid them
Whenever there are children and pets at home we must take extreme precautions. Watch plugs, pay attention to all kinds of electronic devices or keep them away for your safety. The same thing happens with the router: you don’t have to do without one for fear of something happening, of course. But if you have one, you must take these risks into account and find a solution. Luckily, they are quite easy to prevent. To do this, we just have to follow a series of tips that will make there no problem
Avoid overheating in your router. We can achieve this by placing it in a ventilated place and avoiding all kinds of hiding places that seem like a good idea from the point of view of design and decoration but are a bad idea for the device. In addition, it is important that we have the router connected to a single outlet. In the case of being connected to a power strip, make sure that it has the CE marking and is approved. Using cheap power strips or from unreliable stores can multiply the risks.
Another of the most basic tips is that you do not manipulate the wiring and pay special attention to the fiber cable so that the little ones in the house and pets cannot reach it. You can hide the cable behind a piece of furniture or in a place that is difficult to access. Also, make sure when you go to do the fiber installation to your house, that the socket is installed with the connector facing downwards, this will make it more difficult to expose the view to the beam of light.
Also, although it is logical and we must take it into account in any type of electronic device, it is also important where we place the router. Choose a firm and stable place to place your router to avoid falls or bumps that may cause damage. In this case, newly built buildings have a PAU prepared to place the device and avoid risks: nobody is going to touch there. But if you don’t have one, surely there are other alternatives in which it is impossible to pull the cable and make it fall.
