Wi-Fi Router Replacement or Upgrade: When Is It Time?

Is it time to replace my Wi-Fi router? I receive questions like that regularly. Since the introduction of Wi-Fi 7, folks have been worried about Wi-Fi hardware replacement, sometimes for the wrong reasons. They think that their router is “dated,” “out of life,” or “no longer relevant”, especially those who still use a Wi-Fi 5 router that “no longer has firmware updates.”

And that’s understandable. Wi-Fi 7 is two generations newer than Wi-Fi 5—two and a half if you include Wi-Fi 6E. The marketing hype and the online clickbait can create a huge FoMO, at the very least.

However, just because there’s a new standard doesn’t mean older Wi-Fi devices are automatically obsolete. Getting a new router never means existing clients also magically get updated, and existing devices will remain using Wi-Fi 5 (or even older standards) for the rest of their lives.

Addtionally, while the latest Wi-Fi devices will work with any existing (old) router, the other way around is not necessarily true: A router of the latest Wi-Fi standard doesn’t always work with all existing clients.

Consequently, you shouldn’t replace a Wi-Fi broadcaster—router, access points, extender, or mesh system –just because of the Wi-Fi standard they support. No standard is obsolete if you can still use it. So, the real question is when it makes sense to upgrade or replace your networking hardware beyond the desire to stay on the cutting edge.

This post is a long and complete answer. The short answer: the cutting edge is narrow, and you won’t last long counting on it. Don’t bother! Replace a device only when it is no longer useful to you.

Dong’s note: I first published this post on March 18, 2023, and updated it on June 20, 2024, to add up-to-date, relevant information.

Wi-Fi hardware replacement: It’s always case by case

It’s mid-2024, and I’m still using or managing many Wi-Fi 5 routers at various locations, including an Asus RT-AC86U, a Netgear Nighthawk XR500, and a Synology RT2600ac.

The reason is simple: they have worked well. (In fact, the XR500 is even better than the latest Netgear hardware since it still has web-based remote management—when it’s time to replace it, I won’t be able to use another Netgear router). Restarting each of them occasionally and upgrading them to the latest firmware when applicable have been all the necessary maintenance.

So, despite having a garage half-full of practically-new hardware I used for the reviews, I’ll keep these old routers in their place for the foreseeable future, like a few more years. But at the same time, I’ve also replaced many routers in the past few years for one or more of the following five reasons.

1. Broken hardware

This case is the most obvious. If something is broken, then you need to replace it.

When it comes to networking hardware, stuff often breaks on the inside. A router can look fine physically, but its internal memory or circuitry is damaged for one reason or another—a botched firmware update is often enough to render it useless.

My latest experience of a router going bye-bye was another Synology RT2600ac. After five-plus years of working nonstop, one day, it started to reboot constantly. As it turned out, its internal flash memory’s endurance ran out and could no longer hold the information necessary for the boot process. Another is a 3-year-old TP-Link Archer C5400X that stopped working properly one day for no apparent reason.

So, if your hardware is broken, you have no choice but to replace it. But this applies to everything and could happen to a brand-new piece of hardware.

2. Security risk

Security risk is probably the most important factor determining whether a router is worth keeping. But not all risks are equal. Specifically, there are two sides of a router where security applies differently: the local network (your home) and the Internet (the outside world.)

Security on the local network (LAN) side

Within your home, the router’s security keeps connected clients in check. In most cases, you want to keep unwanted devices from your network. Consequently, here are the considerations:

• If your situation doesn’t require restriction, such as an intentionally open SSID (a Wi-Fi network without a password), then security doesn’t apply. In this case, any Wi-Fi standard or security level is a go.
• If you need to keep your network private, keep this in mind: WPA with AES encryption method is the minimum requirement, WPA2 is generally the norm, and WPA3 is required for all Wi-Fi 6E and newer devices. In this case, a replacement is generally recommended when the current router doesn’t support WPA2.

So, on the home front, security can be optional. It depends on if or how much you want to keep your devices safe against local threats, which are generally limited by physical proximity.

Security on the Internet (WAN) side

On the other hand, the security against online threats—those from the outside world via the Internet connection—is more severe since geophysical boundaries do not limit them. It’s where you don’t want to overlook or compromise when applicable.

If a router has a known vulnerability on the WAN side and has no security patch, you must let it go. However, note that “known” is the keyword. That’s because all devices are vulnerable to a certain degree when they connect to the Internet. It’s a matter of keeping that secret, or unknown, to interested parties.

It’s only when a vulnerability becomes known that the device—hence the users—is in danger of being taken advantage of by a remote party. So, when you hear about a vulnerability, and it’s not yet patched or will not be fixed (soon enough) via firmware updates—there are a lot of online security “experts” standing by to talk about it—it’s time to get a different router model (better yet, from another vendor.)

Not all routers have (known) vulnerabilities, and those that do often have fewer or even none the longer they have been on the market. Plus, the older a router is, the less of a target it becomes since fewer people have it.

In other words, newly released routers might have more vulnerabilities than older ones. That is partly why Wi-Fi broadcasters tend to update their firmware less frequently the older their models become.

Again, security is about nuance. Just because a router no longer has firmware updates doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be replaced. But if you want to be sure, security is always a good excuse for getting new devices.

3. Broadband speed grades

We generally use local networking devices to access the Internet. So, if you upgrade your broadband to a significantly faster grade, such as from a sub-Gig to a full Gig or multi-Gig, then it’s likely time to upgrade the hardware.

That’s if you want to enjoy the new speed. If you only want to have a connection fast enough for the application at hand, in most cases, upgrading is still unnecessary. I wrote about broadband in detail in this post on Gigabit Internet, but the table below breaks down the Wi-Fi standard applicable to certain Internet speeds.

Broadband Speed	Minimum Wi-Fi Standard to Consider for a Single Broadcaster (Router / Access Point)	Minimum Wi-Fi Standard to Consider for a Mesh System
50Mbps or slower	Any Wi-Fi Standard	Any Wi-Fi Standard
Up to 150Mbps	Wi-Fi 4	Wi-Fi 4 (via wired access points)
Up to 250Mbps	Wi-Fi 4 (top-tier) Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 5
Up to 500Mbps	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 5 (wired backhauling) Wi-Fi 6
Up to Gigabit	Wi-Fi 6 or 6E	Wi-Fi 6 or 6E (top-tier, preferably via wired backhauling)
Up to Gig+	Wi-Fi 6 or 6E (top-tier)	Wi-Fi 6 or 6E (top-tier with Multi-Gig wired backhauling)
2Gbps or Faster	Wi-Fi 7	Wi-Fi 7

All Wi-Fi standards work with all Internet plans, but the higher standards can deliver faster broadband speeds in full. So if your Internet is 500Mbps or slower, you only need a Wi-Fi 5 router. Getting a Wi-Fi 6 or newer router doesn’t hurt, but that’s unnecessary.

On the other hand, even if you have 10Gbps broadband, it’s worth noting that Wi-Fi 6 and 6E devices sustain Gig+ at best, and Wi-Fi 7 will be about 20% faster in real-world applications using 2×2 at 160MHz specs. The point is no Wi-Fi connection can deliver over 5Gbps in full. Most importantly, 500Mbps is about as fast as anyone would need on a device.

4. Moving from wireless to wired networking

Wi-Fi is always wireless, but to have the best Wi-Fi around a large property, running network cables is a must. With physical wiring, your Wi-Fi network benefits from a strong backhaul link. In this case, with the help of Multi-Gig hardware, you can even get multi-Gigabit bandwidth.

So, if you’ve always used your Wi-Fi mesh system in a fully wireless setup, getting your home wired might necessitate a network hardware upgrade, where you move from Gigabit-class hardware to multi-Gigabit. That’s especially true if you want to use Wi-Fi 7 hardware, in which Multi-Gig ports are the norm.

The other way around is also applicable. If you move from a wired home where low-end dual-band Wi-Fi 6 or tri-band Wi-Fi 6E mesh hardware has worked well to a large house without wiring, better hardware might be needed for a fully wireless setup.

5. Features and privacy risks

Over the years, routers have become increasingly sophisticated. Many routers can work as mini NAS servers or have built-in practical features such as online protection, QoS, or Parental Controls.

So if yours doesn’t have the feature you’d like, maybe it’s time to consider one that has.

Note that some routers have all these features for free, while others might sell them as premium add-ons.

Another thing to note is online privacy risks.

If the router requires a login account, it will collect your information to sell to advertisers. If you’re uncomfortable with that, avoid routers from known data miners such as eero or Google Nest Wifi—so, if you’re using one, replace it.

Other routers won’t collect anything by default, but once you’ve turned on a particular feature, your traffic will be passed to a third party. But that’s a given since, even in real life, you must be exposed to the party that protects you—your security details—if you want to be protected.

And that’s it. If you find yourself in one of the situations above, it’s time to get a new Wi-Fi machine. You’re justified in doing so. In this case, you can get the latest and greatest or the just-right one that delivers the best bang for your buck.

How about range? Isn’t a new router supposed to offer wall-to-wall coverage?

If you’ve read somewhere that a new router would offer “wall-to-wall coverage,” that’s utter nonsense. How close are those walls to each other? Range, or coverage, is the most nuanced notion of Wi-Fi, breading all sorts of nonsensical ideas and claims. Here’s the deal:

The range of a Wi-Fi broadcaster depends on the radio frequency and the broadcasting power. The latter is generally limited due to regulation, so typically, only the former counts.

Wi-Fi 7’s AFC, available in select hardware, allows for more broadcasting power on the 6GHz band to improve its range to be comparable to that of the 5GHz band.

That said, the range of a band—2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz—is generally identical on broadcasters of the same hardware tier. However, a good router will deliver faster or more stable connection speeds further out. After all, the range is meaningless without usable data rates.

Open the cabinet below if you want to learn more about the Wi-Fi range, but the gist is that starting with Wi-Fi 5, a new router, doesn’t necessarily improve the coverage. That depends.

Extra: Three bad excuses for Wi-Fi router replacement

And there are “bad” reasons to purchase things you don’t need. Here are a few examples when it comes to Wi-Fi routers:

• I want to stay on the cutting edge and “future-proof” my home: There’s no such thing as future-proofing. Even if you get into Wi-Fi 7 today, by the time you can truly enjoy it—when supported clients are widely available, which is not soon—there’ll likely be Wi-Fi 8 or something similar on the horizon.
• Because “I found a great deal”: It’s only great if you need a new router. If your current one works well, getting a new one, even as a deal, only means money down the drain. Plus, the act is bad for the environment.
• I’ve used mine for a few years already: A Wi-Fi router has no expiration date.

Again, as long as your current router works for your needs, there’s no need to replace it—not until your situation changes and you require more bandwidth, features, or both.

Wi-Fi Router replacement: The takeaway

You can replace your router at any time—it’s up to you to handle your money and time however you see fit. But it only makes sense to spend resources on stuff that works for your needs or provides tangible improvements you expect.

Getting a new Wi-Fi router just because you feel compelled or pressured to do it, for no practical reason, is a waste of precious resources. But you’ve made up your mind? These posts on how to pick the perfect Wi-Fi routers or a mesh system will almost guarantee success. After that, here’s the link for the up-to-date best routers and mesh systems you can confidently bring home today.