Over the weekend, I listened to some tech podcast that recommended that users replace routers that are over four years old. The broadcaster cited security risks (hacking mostly) being enhanced when older kit is used. As far as I know, the broadcaster wasn’t incentivized to push more routers.
Does anyone have an informed opinion about this opinion? And ,what would be your current router recommendation? I currently use a Nighthawk X6 R8000.
If your router still is supported by the manufacturer, and firmware updates are made available, there is no reason to upgrade your rouer for security reasons. (Performace is another matter, if you wound need more bandwidth, and your provider can deliver).
I would say this is true if your definition of “Router” includes “Wireless Access Point.” The wireless radios in combo units tend to deteriorate from heat over time, and also can cause deterioration of the bundled routing hardware as well.
A best practice for those who want more stable network configurations is to have a router that is separate from wireless capabilities, where you replace your WAPs occasionally and keep your core routing on a stable path. This can be done inexpensively with a router based on something like pfSense, OPNsense, etc.