2 ms·
Ask HN: Is a new router worth it?
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?
- dfawcus 5y agoPlace 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.
- sgt 5y agoNo, keep it. Just change the passphrase regularly.
- keikobadthebad 5y agoYes, there are dozens and dozens of CVEs in wpa_supplicant alone since 2015. https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list.php?vendor_id=12005&product_id=29296&version_id=0&page=1&hasexp=0&opdos=0&opec=0&opov=0&opcsrf=0&opgpriv=0&opsqli=0&opxss=0&opdirt=0&opmemc=0&ophttprs=0&opbyp=0&opfileinc=0&opginf=0&cvssscoremin=0&cvssscoremax=0&year=0&cweid=0&order=1&trc=37&sha=f1b76a292df36f0758e47f872779d1c1f8d8a9bc https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list.php?vendor_id=...
- gwbas1c 5y agoHow do I know what product that is for? I can't see a vendor name or product name on that page. Ironically, when I open https://www.cvedetails.com/product/4933/Apple-Airport-Extreme.html?vendor_id=49 https://www.cvedetails.com/product/4933/Apple-Airport-Extrem... or https://www.cvedetails.com/product/4932/Apple-Airport-Express.html?vendor_id=49 https://www.cvedetails.com/product/4932/Apple-Airport-Expres..., I see many less reports.
- NoahKAndrews 5y agoIt's an extremely common piece of software that is presumably responsible for running the Wi-Fi hotspots in a large percentage of routers, from many manufacturers.
- PaulHoule 5y agoIf you want to banish dead spots you should get a wired router and get a few of these https://www.ui.com/wi-fi https://www.ui.com/wi-fi
- gwbas1c 5y agoThanks. Any suggestions for a wired router? Every time I looked, the results always have hubs and switches mixed in.
- PaulHoule 5y agoI use this https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/load-balance-router/tl-r470t+/ https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/load-balance-... which has an affordable load balancer (e.g. somehow it doesn't infringe on Mushroom networks' patents) Mine is plugged into two DSL modems and together it's almost like having cable.
- gwbas1c 5y agoThe link states that it's end-of-life. Looks like you're in the same situation that I'm in! Edit: This looks like a newer version: https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/vpn-router/tl-r600vpn/ https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/vpn-router/tl...
- hedora 5y agoPC Engines APU2; install your own OS.
- ThePowerOfFuet 5y agoI recommend staying far away from Ubiquiti. OPNsense is a great choice that's fully open-source and runs on almost anything you can throw at it.
- NoPicklez 5y agoI second this. I know there's a bit in the press at the moment around Ubiquiti. But I have been using the Ubiquiti suite for 5+ years now and I still think its excellent. Grab yourself a UI router and a couple of their access points.
- etaioinshrdlu 5y agoPiggybacking 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/deco-x90/ 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?
- treis 5y agoI looked into this relatively recently and AFAICT there's not a true 1 gigabit consumer wifi. All of the ones that claim it combine their 2.4 & 5 ghz bandwidth. Briefly looking at your router it looks like it's pulling the same nonsense. I can't seem to find the max bandwidth for an individual connection, but I doubt it's 1 gig.
- etaioinshrdlu 5y agoMy AT&T u-verse router/modem at home got 850mbps from both my laptop and phone. I'd be happy with that.
- Someone1234 5y ago> I've never seen a speed test above 450mbps Is the client Wi‑Fi 6, 2x2 MIMO? What is the client(s)?
- NoPicklez 5y agoStraight up, you will be hard pressed to get 900mbps through a wireless router. Especially in an office setting with other people connected to the network or where you have any obstructions in the line of sight of the router. It's possible in the sense that if the stars align and you only have one device connected that is rated at the latest WiFi standard and you have a MIMO router. If you really really need those speeds, especially if you need those speeds sustained just go ethernet to the router.
- fsflover 5y agoIf you want a lifelong supported router, consider buying one based on free software: https://ryf.fsf.org/categories/routers https://ryf.fsf.org/categories/routers.
- Phrenzy 5y agoI'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.
- ThePowerOfFuet 5y ago> 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
- bcrl 5y agoI 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.