{"id":564985,"date":"2023-03-17T14:00:31","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T11:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/"},"modified":"2023-03-17T14:00:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T11:00:31","slug":"6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/","title":{"rendered":"#6 Signs It\u2019s Time to Upgrade Your Wi-Fi Router"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3dc803391b0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3dc803391b0\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/#%E2%80%9C6_Signs_Its_Time_to_Upgrade_Your_Wi-Fi_Router%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;6 Signs It\u2019s Time to Upgrade Your Wi-Fi Router&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/#Why_Care_About_Upgrading_Your_Wi-Fi_Router\" >Why Care About Upgrading Your Wi-Fi Router?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/#Your_Router_Is_Hot_Noisy_or_Erratic\" >Your Router Is Hot, Noisy, or Erratic<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/#Your_Router_No_Longer_Receives_Updates\" >Your Router No Longer Receives Updates<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/#Youre_Not_Getting_the_Full_Internet_Speed_Youre_Paying_For\" >You\u2019re Not Getting the Full Internet Speed You\u2019re Paying For<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/#Your_Router_Cant_Handle_All_Your_Devices\" >Your Router Can\u2019t Handle All Your Devices<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/#Your_Router_Doesnt_Provide_Enough_Wi-Fi_Coverage\" >Your Router Doesn\u2019t Provide Enough Wi-Fi Coverage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/#Your_Router_Was_Released_Five_or_More_Ago\" >Your Router Was Released Five or More Ago<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9C6_Signs_Its_Time_to_Upgrade_Your_Wi-Fi_Router%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;6 Signs It\u2019s Time to Upgrade Your Wi-Fi Router&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage  wp-image-877647 size-full\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/52732186704_a9161584f8_o.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"An old Wi-FI router on a table.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-credittext=\"Hannah Stryker \/ How-To Geek\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\">Hannah Stryker \/ How-To Geek<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If your Wi-Fi router is five years old or older, can&#8217;t handle your full internet connection, drops devices off your network, or requires you to frequently reboot it, then it&#8217;s time for an upgrade.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to treat your Wi-Fi router like an <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>liance, just running it like an old fridge until it eventually dies and you\u2019re forced to replace it. Here are some key signs that your router is due for an upgrade (and why you shouldn\u2019t wait to replace it).<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Care_About_Upgrading_Your_Wi-Fi_Router\"><\/span>Why Care About Upgrading Your Wi-Fi Router?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re not a tech enthusiast and hobby network nerd, you can certainly be forgiven for not thinking about your Wi-Fi router very often.<\/p>\n<p>In most homes, the router just sits there in the background, silently doing the heavy lifting of keeping your home network up and operational, ignored until something wonky happens, and you <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/165110\/do-i-really-have-to-unplug-my-cable-modem-for-at-least-10-seconds\/\">restart the router.<\/p>\n<p>But just because your Wi-Fi router gets the same attention as a water heater or furnace doesn\u2019t mean you should wait until it\u2019s malfunctioning or refuses to turn on before getting a replacement.<\/p>\n<p>Your Wi-Fi router greatly influences everything from the security of your home network and personal information to how well-streaming services work (and how the network load is balanced between critical and non-critical activities).<\/p>\n<p>Your router might not be lights-out dead yet, but if it\u2019s really old, the entire internet experience in your home is likely significantly degraded without you even realizing how bad it is. Even though we encourage people to get the most value out of their hardware and we even have some great tips for improving your Wi-Fi without buying anything, there is only so much extra life those kinds of tips and tricks can breathe into an old router.<\/p>\n<p>So let\u2019s look at some big signs that it\u2019s time to upgrade your router and enjoy a more stable Wi-Fi experience with increased security and coverage.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_Router_Is_Hot_Noisy_or_Erratic\"><\/span>Your Router Is Hot, Noisy, or Erratic<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Before we dive into the more nuanced reasons why you should upgrade your router, let\u2019s look at the most pressing ones right out of the gate.<\/p>\n<p>If your router is very hot to the touch (and it is not a product well-known for running hot), that\u2019s a good sign that the router cannot keep up with the demand you\u2019re putting on it and\/or close to hardware failure.<\/p>\n<p>Most routers are completely silent and cooled by passive cooling without a fan. If your router is making strange noises like a whining sound that\u2019s a strong sign one or more of the components are on the way out.<\/p>\n<p>And, finally, if the router is behaving in an erratic way like it turns off randomly, all the connections in the house drop and reconnect, or you find yourself frequently rebooting your router (or even resorting to setting a smart plug to restart it every night) it\u2019s time for an upgrade.<\/p>\n<p>Barring firmware updates restarting your router, uptime should be measured in months, not hours or days. If you can\u2019t leave your router alone and have it run smoothly for months at a time, then you need a new one.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_Router_No_Longer_Receives_Updates\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_2\">Your Router No Longer Receives Updates<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Most of the time, cruddy coverage and connection speed push people to upgrade their router, not security concerns.<\/p>\n<p>But if your router is so old that it no longer receives routine firmware updates (or any at all!) then it\u2019s time to upgrade to a newer model.<\/p>\n<p>No product is perfect, and new vulnerabilities and exploits are always uncovered. A new router with active development ensures that critical vulnerabilities will be patched quickly, and you\u2019ll get consistent updates that patch bugs, add new features, improve things like channel optimization, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Once a router no longer receives updates, it\u2019s effectively dead to the manufacturer and should be dead to you too. Home network security and stability are too important to leave in the hands of abandoned hardware.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Youre_Not_Getting_the_Full_Internet_Speed_Youre_Paying_For\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_3\">You\u2019re Not Getting the Full Internet Speed You\u2019re Paying For<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You throw good money at your Internet Service Provider (ISP) every month, so you want to be sure you get the most for that money.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re rocking an older router and you\u2019ve upgraded your internet package or <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/181695\/how-to-find-the-fastest-isp-in-your-area\/\">switched to the fasted ISP in your area, it\u2019s quite possible that your old router simply can\u2019t handle the full bandwidth capacity of your new connection.<\/p>\n<p>While modern routers have a gigabit (or even 2.5 or 5 gigabit) WAN ports to connect to your internet modem, and every modern router has gigabit ports for the network switch portion, older routers do not.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, a combination of slow ports and hardware can lead to a situation where you\u2019re paying for, say, a 500 Mbps or even a gigabit internet connection, but your router is choking on the bandwidth.<\/p>\n<p>So if you\u2019re paying for a faster broadband connection, but every time you run a speed test, you\u2019re only getting a fraction of that speed, consider your router as a potential culprit in the slowdown.<\/p>\n<p>Do note that you should conduct any speed test using a computer connected to the router via Ethernet for maximum accuracy. Using your phone won\u2019t give you accurate speed test results because of how Wi-Fi works and how the maximum theoretical speed of your Wi-Fi router is allocated.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_Router_Cant_Handle_All_Your_Devices\"><\/span>Your Router Can\u2019t Handle All Your Devices<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Maybe years ago, your router was adequate for the needs of your home. But the number of connected devices has exploded thanks to the inclusion of network connections in everything from smart TVs to smart plugs.<\/p>\n<p>Your router can\u2019t make your internet connection faster than it is, but it can ensure that whatever internet bandwidth you have is properly allocated between devices and those devices can all maintain a stable connection to the router.<\/p>\n<p>If you find that your smartphone frequently drops off the Wi-Fi, your spouse is complaining that their work Zoom calls keep dropping, and the situation can\u2019t be explained away by too many high-demand activities on a very limited slow internet connection, it\u2019s time to consider replacing the router with a modern model that can handle a high-density environment.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/368332\/wi-fi-6-what%E2%80%99s-different-and-why-it-matters\/\">Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7 all include design choices specifically for optimizing Wi-Fi connectivity in modern high-density environments so if you\u2019re still rocking a Wi-Fi 4 or Wi-Fi 5 router, it\u2019s best to upgrade so your router can keep up with the demands your home puts on it.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_Router_Doesnt_Provide_Enough_Wi-Fi_Coverage\"><\/span>Your Router Doesn\u2019t Provide Enough Wi-Fi Coverage<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In addition to a router that lacks the hardware oomph to handle all your connected devices, another common and frustrating scenario is a router that lacks the coverage range to reach all the areas of your home and yard you frequently use your devices in.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve gotten into the habit of switching off Wi-Fi to use your mobile data while using your phone in the bathroom on the far end of your house or when you\u2019re out on the patio, that\u2019s a good sign your router is significantly underpowered for your home.<\/p>\n<p>The same goes for any situation where you\u2019ve slapped <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/770180\/best-wi-fi-range-extender\/\">Wi-Fi extenders into outlets around your home in a bid to get coverage out on the patio, in the kid\u2019s playroom over the garage, or in any other out of the way spot.<\/p>\n<p>At best, Wi-Fi extenders are a band-aid. We strongly recommend that people upgrade their router to a more powerful model or, better yet, switch to a mesh system to better blanket their home with Wi-Fi. Mesh systems are so great, we even recommend them for people who only need a single access point.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_Router_Was_Released_Five_or_More_Ago\"><\/span>Your Router Was Released Five or More Ago<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Note that we didn\u2019t say, \u201cyou <em>bought<\/em> your router five years or more ago,\u201d but that the manufacturer introduced the router five years or more ago.<\/p>\n<p>You can pop over to Amazon or walk into a Best Buy right now and buy surprisingly old routers that lack many modern features, don\u2019t <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/339765\/what-is-wpa3-and-when-will-i-get-it-on-my-wi-fi\/\">support WPA3, and so on. With that in mind, it\u2019s not important if the router is new to you or not, but when the router was introduced to the market.<\/p>\n<p>Five years ago, from the time we\u2019re writing this list in early 2023, it was 2018. WPA3 had just been announced (and it wouldn\u2019t be until July 2020 that WPA3 was mandatory for Wi-Fi Alliance certification.) Manufacturers were just beginning to announce Wi-Fi 6 routers. If your router was released in 2018 or earlier, you\u2019re missing out on a lot of improvements.<\/p>\n<p>And if you bought a new-to-you but not actually new-to-market router five years ago, you\u2019re rocking even older technology. It\u2019s time to recycle your old router. A good modern Wi-Fi router is light years ahead of its older counterparts and absolutely worth investing in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/878617\/signs-its-time-to-upgrade-your-wi-fi-router\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;6 Signs It\u2019s Time to Upgrade Your Wi-Fi Router&#8221; Hannah Stryker \/ How-To Geek If your Wi-Fi router is five years old or older, can&#8217;t handle your full internet connection, drops devices off your network, or requires you to frequently reboot it, then it&#8217;s time for an upgrade. It\u2019s easy to treat your Wi-Fi router&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":564986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/52732186704_a9161584f8_o.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-564985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=564985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/564986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=564985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=564985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=564985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}