How To Know When It's Time To Replace Your Wireless Router

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If you are like most people, your wireless router sits collecting dust in a corner in your home or office, silently serving you internet access day in and day out. It is the ultimate "set it and forget it" appliance. When it comes to your office or home security having a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is a dangerous mindset to have. If your router hasn't been touched in a while, it may be time to start looking to upgrade or replace your router. Here's what you need to know.

Your wireless router is a silent workhorse—installed once and ignored until the internet goes down. While it is tempting to leave a functioning device alone, an aging router can be a significant liability.

Here are four indicators that you are due for an upgrade:

You're unplugging your router constantly to restore the Internet. Sometimes, your Internet service provider may experience difficulties on their end, causing you to need to reboot your router. In most, instances these occurances should happen once every great blue moon. If you have to pull the plug on your router regularly, it's time to replace your router.

Your Router Firmware can no longer be updated. Hackers are relentless. They constantly search for bugs in encryption algorithms and operating software. Manufacturers fight back by releasing firmware patches to plug these holes.

However, routers have a product lifecycle. If your device is several years old, the manufacturer has likely stopped supporting it. This means new vulnerabilities are no longer being fixed, leaving your home or office network permanently open to attacks that were discovered after support ended.

The encryption process is no longer supported by your wireless devices. When you set up Wi-Fi, you choose a security protocol. If your router relies on WEP or WPA, it is time to upgrade immediately. Here is the history of encryption for routers:

• WEP: The oldest standard with major security flaws.

• WPA: An improvement, but one that hackers have long since cracked.

• WPA2 & WPA3: Modern routers use WPA2 (AES encryption) or the newest standard, WPA3. If your router cannot support at least WPA2, your personal data is at risk.

Your router doesn't offer advanced security features. Newer routers do more than just connect you to the web; they protect your home and office from intruders. Older models often lack modern features, such as:

• Guest Networks: This creates a separate Wi-Fi point for visitors, keeping them off your private main network where your files and devices live.

• Advanced Firewalls: Better inspection of incoming traffic to block malware.

• Parental Controls: Granular control over content filtering and screen time.

Your Internet speeds don't match what's being offered by your Internet Provider. When you bought your old router, you might have had one laptop. Today, your network is likely juggling a ton of computers in your offices, and at home smart TVs, phones, tablets, gaming consoles, and smart home devices. Older routers running on legacy standards (like 802.11g or n) simply cannot handle the bandwidth required by modern streaming and gaming. New routers utilize Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) or Wi-Fi 7, which are designed specifically to handle dozens of devices simultaneously without slowing down.

You don’t need to panic, but you should stay aware. If your router is more than five years old, it is likely a bottleneck for your speed and a liability for your security. It’s time to retire "Ol' Trusty" and upgrade to something secure.

When it comes to routers, my advice is to always rent your router from your Internet service provider. Indeed, you can probably purchase a router much cheaper than renting it, but when you rent your router from your ISP, you can simply trade out your old router for a new one. You also get much more robust support from your ISP when it comes to support when you have problems with your router. If you purchase a 3rd party router from another company like Netgear or Linksys, your ISP will make you call those companies, which can be a challenge, especially if you aren't tech savvy.

Every piece of technology you own at home or work needs updates, including your router. Keep up on these updates to ensure your Internet and network is fast as well as safe and secure.

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About Burton Kelso. Burton Kelso, the Chief Technology Expert at Integral, a computer repair and managed IT services company that for over 30 years has focused on helping people, not just computers, by building relationships and turning bad days into good ones, not just the technology. He is also a Top 2x TEDx Keynote Speaker and Expert on Cybersecurity, AI, and Digital Marketing as well as an On-Air TV Tech Expert appearing on TV and Radio stations all over the globe. He loves technology, he's read all of the manuals and he's serious about making technology fun, safe, and easy to use for everyone.

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