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New Wi-Fi Router

Rocky Raab

I read an article the other day that advised to check your modem/router's "End of Life" support date to be sure of the latest security fixes and such. Imagine my surprise to learn that I've had my old router since 2015 and it is looooong out of support. Ordered a new Netgear unit - they have routers ranging from $60 to $600 and the cheapest one not only seemed to meet my needs but got the best customer reviews.

Got it and installed it yesterday. Have not changed the cable modem yet (that may be next) but my download speed literally doubled with the new Wi-Fi router, from 25 to 50 Mbps. I use Comcast on copper cable; they don't plan to upgrade my neighborhood to fiber unless the cable fails, they say. That's moot for me because 25 Mbps were fine and 50 will be gravy. But wow what a difference.

So...look up your own modem/router and see what it's EOL date is. If you are past it, you aren't getting the security updates you should and it is time to upgrade. I can hereby vouch for the Netgear AC1000 (R6080 - 100 NAS) as an affordable unit for Wi-Fi.

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Comments

3 comments

Date Votes
  • Old-Colts

    That's good advice!!!!!! I suspect too many folks treat their routers as set and forget after initial installation.

    I started out using Linksys and then Netgear and I'm currently using ASUS and will probably stick with them. My current setup is an ASUS RT-AX88U with 51 connected devices (5 wired and 46 wireless). I also have two older ASUS routers (RT-AC68U & RT-AC88U) as backup or for use in a AiMesh configuration. What can I say; I like playing with tech stuff! 🙄 I also like using Merlin's Custom ASUS firmware.

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  • nmyers

    Routers don't wear out, & there's little need for support. An EOL date is established by the sales department, not the engineers.

    Of course, newer models have dual channels, rather than the single channel of your old one. And, new ones will give you much faster throughput & minimize buffering.

    The latest scam of several manufacturers is the "poison pill"; a month or two after the warranty expires, your router will stop working. Phone customer service, & they will remotely "fix" your router IF you sign up for a service contract. Refuse, & you will be stuck with a paperweight. Then, you will wish that you bought it at Costco, who will give you a refund regardless of the warranty.

    Neal

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  • Nanuq907

    I talked to my buddy the lead tech at my ISP and asked what routers they use? Microtik. So I had him sell me one from their stores and said I’d configure it. He smiled and said “don’t even try”. So they came out and configured it, and wow. There is no WAY I would have got it right, and I know what I’m doing.

    It is nearly infinitely configurable and lets you create massive rules and NAT, to make it do anything you want. Seriously anything. Want to reject hack or DDOS attacks by port or IP? No problem.

    And it cost about as much as the high end of home consumer gear.

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