Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Router Model WNDR3400v3
When I shut down my PC, the router's LAN port LED for my connection turns amber. The User Manual says that this means there is still a 10 Mbps link with the PC. If I disable my PC's connection to the router -- easily done with a small application whose icon is on the notification area (for earlier Windows versions, the tray) -- the LED goes out, which means there is no link between my PC and router.
Why does a link remain active between the router and a shut-down PC? Is this not a security issue?
Both wired to the router. Router settings have WiFi disabled.
After I posted my original note, I saw that someone else had a similar question about a different router model. In that case, the amber LED was blinking. Disabiling "wake on LAN" resolved the issue.
In my case, the amber LEDs were on steadily, not blinking. I disabled "wake on LAN" on both my and my wife's PCs. That seems to have resolved the issue for my PC but not for my wife's PC.
> Why does a link remain active between the router and a shut-down PC?
Because your "a shut-down PC" keeps its Ethernet interface active, even when you think that it is "shut-down".
> Is this not a security issue?
Typically not. If it worries you, then you'd need to use a real power switch, or disable the Ethernet interface in stand-by mode in the computer's firmware/BIOS, or use your (unspecified) "a small application".
The primary value of using the computer's stand-by power supply to power its Ethernet adapter is to enable a feature called Wake-on-LAN.
Re: WNDR3400v3 Remains Active for a Shut Down PC -- SOLVED
On my wife's PC, I finally solved this problem. Besides disabiling Wake-on-LAN (WoL) in BIOS, I had to go to the Control Panel, where I had to disable several WoL capabilities. Now, when her PC is shut down, the router's LAN port LED for that PC goes out, not amber.
