How many watts does a Wi-Fi router use?

The cable gateways (modem and Wi-Fi in one box) in CableLabs' energy reports draw 17 to 29 W: 18 W for an Xfinity XB8, 29 W for an XB10 and 17 to 23.6 W for the two XB7 models. A Wi-Fi extender pod, the Sagemcom XE2, is 6.5 W. These are ready-state figures measured as the operators deploy the equipment.

How long will a power station run a router?

About 50 hours for an 18 W gateway on a 1,070 Wh Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 at an 85% conversion factor, and about 13.5 hours on the 286 Wh EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus. On a BLUETTI AC180, BLUETTI's 15 W self-consumption figure and 90% depth of discharge bring it to about 27 hours, because the station's own draw is close to the router's.

What size power station do I need for Wi-Fi?

A small one. An 18 W gateway needs about 430 Wh of energy a day; a station with 500 Wh of usable capacity covers a day, and the EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus, the smallest in our table, covers about 13 hours. Check whether your internet provider's network stays up in an outage; a powered router can't help if the line is down.

How long will a power station run your Wi-Fi?

A day or more on most stations. The cable gateways in CableLabs' energy reports draw 17 to 29 W. On a load this small, the station's own idle draw can matter as much as the router.

Last updatedOct 18, 2026

Router powerCableLabs Energy Reporting, Comcast and Cox equipment lists, read Oct 18, 2026

Your network and station

Your network equipment

Gateway or modem

Gateway watts (in watts)Filled from CableLabs; type your own from the adapter label for other providers

Wi-Fi extender pods example (count)Sagemcom XE2, 6.5 W each

Anything else on the network example (in watts)A separate router, fiber terminal or switch, in watts

Station

Power station example

Rated capacity (in watt-hours)From the maker's spec page

Inverter and conversion efficiency (percent)Jackery's published runtime factor is 0.85

Share of capacity you can use example (percent)Depth of discharge

Station's own idle draw example (in watts)BLUETTI gives about 15 W for its AC180; most makers don't publish it

Hours to cover example (hours)

Result

Your provider's network can go down in an outage too. If your gateway's power adapter puts out 12 V DC, a 12 V cable from the station's car socket skips the station's inverter; makers don't publish the saving, so the tool doesn't count it.

Every station against this setup

Hours from full. Each row uses that maker's own published depth of discharge, efficiency and idle draw where there is one (only BLUETTI publishes all three for the AC180) and your figures otherwise. The shaded row is the smallest station in our table that covers your hours. Prices are what each maker's US store showed on Oct 18, 2026.

Links marked “affiliate link” go through Awin to that maker’s US store (Jackery or BLUETTI); if you buy, the maker may pay us a commission at no cost to you. It never changes the hours, the checks or which row is shaded. Affiliate disclosure.

Every station in our table against this load
Station	Capacity, Wh	Runs it for	AC output, W	Surge, W	Store price	Verdict

Gateway power from CableLabs

Ready-state power, models bought from 2023 on, read Oct 18, 2026
Equipment	Type	Watts	Hours on 1 kWh usable

CableLabs publishes the cable operators' reports under the Small Network Equipment Voluntary Agreement. The figures are measured with the equipment set up as the operator deploys it, running the operator's software; an individual box may vary. Fiber and phone-company gateways aren't in these reports, so read the watts or the volts × amps on your adapter's label; that rating is an upper bound.

How the hours are worked out

Hours = capacity × share you can use × efficiency ÷ (gateway watts + pods × 6.5 W + anything else + the station's idle draw). At around 20 W the idle draw is a big share of the load: BLUETTI's 15 W figure for the AC180 nearly doubles it (BLUETTI). Other makers don't publish theirs, so it defaults to 0 W for them, which flatters every other station by an unknown amount. Sources are on Methods and sources.

Runtime calculator
Wi-Fi plus the fridge, lights and phones on one station.
CPAP on a station
Another small, all-night load where idle draw matters.
Charge time
How fast each station refills from the wall, car or sun.