Every electronic device and gadget has a lifespan, and routers are no exception to this rule. Every router has a lifespan, after which it no longer functions as you might expect. If you’ve had a router for a few years, you might not be getting the performance you were hoping for. Most businesses upgrade their other equipment, such as their PCs, mobile devices, laptops, etc., every 3-4 years; however, when it comes to wireless routers, most businesses put them off, and even function is completely impaired.
This is a big mistake and should be avoided. Your router(s) are the key to your network, and it’s also important that your laptops, PCs, and other devices that require a fast Internet connection function properly. If you keep your router updated, it will ensure that all devices on the network are achieving top speeds and network performance is not slowing down.
Helps connect more devices at the same time without any performance issues
New WiFi routers come with new technology, and if you are looking to replace your old router, then selecting the latest model can be a wise choice. Currently, all the latest routers come with WiFi 6, which is the latest version and is much faster than previous generations. The maximum speed of WiFi 6 is 9.6 Gbps compared to 3.5 Gbps of WiFi 5. If you’re upgrading the Internet plan for your office, an older router you purchased a few years ago may be unable to handle these higher speeds.
For small and medium-sized businesses, it may not be necessary to have the latest router as they generally do not require as much speed to function effectively. The latest technology, such as WiFi 6, usually focuses on improving the performance of devices when multiple devices are connected. If you have multiple devices in your office, then a router would be a wise choice as it would ensure that every device connected to the network is getting the best performance possible. There is no slowdown or bottleneck in the network.
Great Security
Another reason why businesses should upgrade their router and purchase new ones is because newer routers have better security. Most older routers do not receive regular firmware updates, and this means that these routers do not have the latest security protections.
Additionally, some older routers do not have the WPA2 encryption protocol, which was the security protocol of choice before 2006. However, WPA2 has also been widely replaced by the latest version, WPA3. WPA 3 encryption is the most recent version currently available and has removed some of the bugs and security vulnerabilities present in the older WPA 2. With a new router, you’ll get the WPA3 protocol that makes it harder for someone to crack your WiFi network’s password and also has better encryption tools to share data securely.
You can find out the encryption protocol of your current router by looking at the router’s default gateway address, which might be 10.0.0.1, and then find the encryption protocol—the default gateway address may be 10.0.1 Pisa WiFi or another address, depending on the router manufacturer. You can ask an IT department employee about the router’s encryption protocols.
Performance Enhancing Features
With the latest routers, you’ll also get the latest performance-enhancing features. If the previously mentioned reasons don’t seem like enough, know that manufacturers are always trying to improve their products and are slowly adding new features to their routers to boost performance.
With features like smart antennas available, signals can be collected better, and these signals can be beamed to the devices better. Dual-band or triple-band connectivity allows data to be transmitted on more than one frequency. Additionally, there may also be features like a guest network, 4G support, VPN support, etc. All these features add up to enhance the performance of the router and go beyond simple WiFi connectivity.