Is a new router worth it?

Question

I have an Apple Airport Express router that I bought in 2015. It works great, but no longer receives security updates.I'm mostly afraid that some unpatched bug will leave my home network vulnerable; or that I'll wake up one day and find that my router turned into a paperweight because of an unpatched vulnerability.Better reception would be nice, but, except for one problem spot, I have great reception throughout my home.Thoughts? Should I replace my router just because it's old and unsupported?

keikobadthebad · Accepted Answer

Yes, there are dozens and dozens of CVEs in wpa_supplicant alone since 2015.https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list.php?vendor_id=...

dfawcus · Answer

Place it in to L2 mode, and use as an AP rather than as a router. Use it as long as the wireless 'security' offered is suitable.After that place it on an untrusted VLAN, and provide the security via at attached router of whatever make and model is desired.

PaulHoule · Answer

If you want to banish dead spots you should get a wired router and get a few of thesehttps://www.ui.com/wi-fi

bcrl · Answer

I just replaced an Airport Express for a customer last Friday. They were getting a whopping 10Mbps downloads on their gigabit fibre connection. That's not exactly a decent performance for a wireless router these days. The replacement TP-Link Archer C80 delivers more than 500Mbps download and 400Mbps upload over the wireless, along with better coverage due to beamforming.

etaioinshrdlu · Answer

Piggybacking a bit here, I got fiber internet at the office, tested at about 900mbps up/down, got this router: https://www.tp-link.com/us/deco-mesh-wifi/product-family/dec... and I've never seen a speed test above 450mbps, including 10 ft from the router. It's a decent size building and other areas get 80-200mbps.Any good recommendations?

ThePowerOfFuet · Answer

> Should I replace my router just because it's old and unsupported?You answered your own question:> some unpatched bug will leave my home network vulnerable

Phrenzy · Answer

I'm a fan of PFsense. You can install it on almost anything. You'll need to find a Wi-Fi solution to go with it.

sgt · Answer

No, keep it. Just change the passphrase regularly.

fsflover · Answer

If you want a lifelong supported router, consider buying one based on free software: https://ryf.fsf.org/categories/routers.

Is a new router worth it?

Yes, there are dozens and dozens of CVEs in wpa_supplicant alone since 2015.
https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list.php?vendor_id=...

Place it in to L2 mode, and use as an AP rather than as a router. Use it as long as the wireless 'security' offered is suitable.
After that place it on an untrusted VLAN, and provide the security via at attached router of whatever make and model is desired.

If you want to banish dead spots you should get a wired router and get a few of these
https://www.ui.com/wi-fi

> Should I replace my router just because it's old and unsupported?
You answered your own question:
> some unpatched bug will leave my home network vulnerable

I'm a fan of PFsense. You can install it on almost anything. You'll need to find a Wi-Fi solution to go with it.

No, keep it. Just change the passphrase regularly.

If you want a lifelong supported router, consider buying one based on free software: https://ryf.fsf.org/categories/routers.