How many years does a router last and when should you replace it with a new one?
Routers are the heart of any network, they are designed to be permanently on, providing us with internet connectivity, but also cable and Wi-Fi connectivity locally, so that we can communicate between different computers or laptops with NAS servers or smartphones among other devices. Routers are not eternal, and over time they can not only deteriorate, but they can also stop receiving firmware updates from the manufacturer. Today in the Houhou Informatics blog we will explain how long a router can last, and how to know if you should change it for a new one.
- Router life
As we said earlier, routers are always ready to go, however, over time, their internal components can start to deteriorate, especially if they are top-of-the-range models that do not have good heat dissipation. In general, the useful life of a home router is usually between 4 to 5 years, and after this time, it is highly recommended to replace it with a new one, whether mid-range or high-end, to achieve the best overall performance possible.
As a general rule, a router that is around 4 or 5 years old has already served its purpose, and it is time to renew it to enjoy the latest Wi-Fi standards, hardware features, and also new features that manufacturers have included.
- How do I know if I need to change my router?
If you have had your router for many years and do not know how to detect that it needs to be changed, you should know that it is very easy to notice the effects of a router that begins to exhaust its productive life. In general, we will see the following symptoms:
- Loss of internet connection.
- Loss of connection via Ethernet cable.
- Automatically disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- The router crashes and it is necessary to restart it manually.
However, it is advisable to do a cross-test, that is, temporarily install another router to test if it is the cause of the connection problems. If the faults we mentioned are gone, then the culprit is the current router we have, because we have completely ruled out that other devices are the cause.
You should also be aware that these older routers no longer have firmware support, so they are likely vulnerable to security vulnerabilities. Manufacturers typically drop firmware support for their devices after about 4 years, and by law they are required to provide updates for several years after their release, but it is rare to find routers with frequent updates after 6 years.