No matter how capable your router is, the performance can still deteriorate after a few years. Because of obsolete Wi-Fi security standards and vulnerabilities that remain unpatched, time will come that you need to replace your old router and get a new one.
You will get better speed if you do so, but there are other benefits in replacing your old router.
New Routers Have Better Wi-Fi Security Standards
The Wi-Fi security standards keep your network safe, and it requires a password to connect to your router. Also, it can encrypt your wireless data so other people can't intercept and read it, according to CNET.
Since 1997, Wi-Fi encryption standards have improved over the decade as older methods fell to hacks. The first one to go was WEP, then WPA, and WPA2.
All of the older security standards are now considered obsolete, and if you use them, you are immediately vulnerable to people nearby using your network without permission or spying on your internet activity.
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Currently, WPA 3, which was introduced in 2018, is the best Wi-Fi encryption standard to protect you against Wi-Fi intrusion or eavesdropping. If your current router does not support WPA3, it is time to upgrade.
To check if your router supports WPA3, you will need to log in to your router's configuration interface, and take a look at your wireless security settings. If WPA3-Personal is not available, your router needs an upgrade, according to Lifewire.
Unpatched Vulnerabilities
Aside from hacks to security standards like WPA2, individual router models can have bugs that make them vulnerable to hacking-locally through Wi-Fi, or through the internet, according to PCWorld.
Usually, if a router device is new, the manufacturer will issue software updates to patch these issues and keep your router secure.
But if a device is old enough, it might not be getting firmware updates like it used to. If so, you are more vulnerable to hacks.
To make sure that you are protected, log into your router's configuration interface and check for any firmware updates, or you can check the manufacturer's website. If there is not a firmware update dated 2021 or later, it is time to get a new router.
New Speed Standards
If your router is old enough, it might not take advantage of the fastest Wi-Fi speeds your newer Wi-Fi devices like tablets, laptops, and smartphones can support. Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E introduced much faster Wi-Fi transfer speeds, and Wi-Fi 7 is coming.
If you would like the best Wi-Fi performance possible and your router was manufactured before 2019, you will benefit from faster Wi-Fi speeds if you upgrade to a newer router today.
Also, if your router is old enough, it might not have Gigabit Ethernet jacks, which allow faster wired Ethernet connections than the old 100BASE-T standard. Upgrading to a modern router will give you that benefit too.
Better Configuration Tools and Parental Controls
Compared to the configuration interfaces that shipped in older router models, newer routers tend to have easier-to-use interfaces with more features.
More features can add confusion, but one router that you may appreciate is parental controls, which were lacking from old routers.
Synology routers have amazing parental controls that make it easy for parents to block certain sites or put time limits on internet usage by device.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sophie Webster
