"Changing any parameter on it could cripple TV and the Internet."
This is utter nonsense plain and simple -- Sorry but NOTHING you could do in your "wireless" settings could/would have anything to do with loss of your internet or TV connection (unless your tv was using wireless - <grin>)
"What you may be confusing is"
As I already posted, I am not worried about power saving - so no I am not confused at all. I shut down my wifi for 1 reason, and that is to not get ads in the game I might be playing
But to the battery life, I read somewhere that all the battery life times for the KF were with the wifi OFF.
yup here you go right on the amazon page for the KF, scroll down
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Fire-Am.../dp/B0051VVOB2
Battery Life Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback,
with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content.
"There is no logical reason to keep manually disconneting devices from the network. " -- Again yes there is that has nothing to do with power anything, ads in games are pulled from the internet -- I don't want those ads! So not being connected to the internet makes it impossible for those ads to be displayed - very logical reason if you ask me to turn off the KF wireless when I am not using something that needs it.
"What you are saying is like telling someone to change their own car battery"
Uh no what I am saying is for the user to set if their lights auto turn off, or what display their trip meter shows, avg full usage, miles left in the tank. Do you want your wipers on high or low - or if you want speakers to play more in the front or back of the car. Or using the power adjustment of your side mirrors so that they provide the proper viewing angle for the person driving the car.
The wireless settings on the router are there for the "consumer/user" of that said router to set how they need/want them set. It is NOTHING at all like doing mech maint on your car -- no where did I suggest the user change out the firmware of their router, or change anything that is not a simple easy drop down setting that is "designed" to be adjusted per the needs of the user of that device.
Have you adjusted the brightness or volume on your KF? Have you adjusted the font size to suite you on your KF? There you go the wireless settings on a router are NO different than those sorts of settings! Can you break your KF by adjusting the font size?? I don't think so
edit:
"If you get ATT TV, you are required to use their Residential Gateway."
But there is NOTHING saying you can not adjust the wireless setting to your needs, nor is there anything saying that you even need to use that wireless portion of their device. You can go to your local computer store and buy as many wireless accesspoints/wireless routers you want to connect wireless devices to your network. Just like you can buy different floor mats for your car, or tint your windows or put on a bug bra on the front of it.