Average life of a wireless router

There are a couple of things to consider when we write about a router’s age.

First, routers are small computers dedicated to routing internet traffic to and from your devices.

Like any other desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet, it wears out over time—all the happy little components inside won’t stay happy forever. If you’re experiencing dropped connections and slow speeds, the router’s age could be the culprit.

Second, the Wi-Fi specification plays a vital role in age, too.

Do i need a new router or modem

Let’s say you splurged on the $1,799 Google Pixel Fold smartphone—wait while we pause to snicker at the price because, you know, wow—but you’re still rocking a Wi-Fi 4 router. The phone supports Wi-Fi 6E and the new superfast 6 GHz band, but your router doesn’t.

That’s like buying the equivalent of a Lamborghini, but you can only drive it on a dirt road at 10 MPH.

Finally, your router officially becomes “older than dirt” when it stops receiving firmware updates. It’s a security risk because the manufacturer is

what to do when you get a new router

when you get a new router does your ip address change