But before you buy a new router, run a speed test or two to get an idea how fast your connection is to the internet.
This will tell you whether the problem is really with the router or with your internet service provider. There are several speed tests online, including SpeedTest. It could be an issue on their end. Or if the speeds match, you may just need to pay for a faster tier of service to handle the demands you're putting on your system.
But if the data speeds coming into your home seem okay, it could be that your router is no longer up to the task. That might be particularly true if you have better connectivity in one part of the house than in another.
If it has been quite a while since you last upgraded your router, you might not know that a relatively new type of technology, called mesh networking, has become quite popular.
Routers that use this technology are typically sold in packs of two or three, and they work together to spread WiFi throughout your home. Right now there are 56 models in CR's ratings, split across two categories: wireless aka single-unit and multi-unit mesh WiFi models.
The following are some of the best of the bunch, with an emphasis on models that have automatic firmware updates. I've been covering consumer electronics for more than 10 years for publications like TechCrunch, The Daily R. When I'm not researching or writing about laptops or headphones I can likely be found obsessively consuming news about FC Barcelona, replaying old Super Nintendo games for the hundredth time, or chasing my pet corgi Winston to put his harness on so we can go for a walk.
Follow me on Twitter nicholasadeleon. We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. By Nicholas De Leon. April 30, Brandon Laufenberg. Outdated Software. Observing the above-stated symptoms and facts will indicate that your router is not working correctly, and either you need to get it fixed or change it.
Without upgrading the router, it will become difficult for you to continue using the internet connection. If you procrastinate, the connection fluctuation will continue, and the hardware issues will go undetected, and your work will suffer because of this delay.
The earliest detection of the symptoms necessitates analysis of the condition of the router. If it is beyond repair, it should be changed. You can avoid router failure by adhering to a few steps like :. They last long and perform well throughout, but these may wear out with overheating and lack of maintenance. If it is exposed to sunlight and the cables are frequently taken in and out, causing wear and tear and are overused, it seems to be a failing router.
Heat stress and lack of air circulation primarily lead to this situation. Additionally, keeping the router on the floor exposed to dust , near a window exposed to sunlight , in a bookcase jammed may lead to its wearing out. The advertisers promote saying that the routers can last for a decade.
If you maintain it well, it can last long. However, with the evolving technology, people keep changing the router. Although the material is durable for a long time, you must change it within four to five years for better efficiency. The average lifespan of a wireless router is four to five years if it is not damaged by overheating or replaced by newer technology.
The lifespan also depends on the usage and maintenance of the router. With overuse, it may develop overheating and become faulty. Generally, the routers work for three to five years.
After five years, it is less likely to perform at its best, so you must replace it after five years. If it no longer supports your device, you have to change it. You should replace the router with one that is built with high-quality material and supports all gadgets. Theoretically, the routers can support up to devices, and people do not even go near that number of devices at home.
However, practically if there are more machines, the speed on each is lesser. So it is not practically possible to support to devices. At home, people generally plugin ten or less than ten devices. Rebooting or resetting the device leads to removing the cache or excess information stored when an operation runs. In addition, resetting sets the sync of the hardware and the software and temporarily increases the speed. Since the Internet is Important , so you should identify these signs and replace your device so that you can enjoy the efficiency of a new and advanced router and access the advantages of the internet with ease.
Your email address will not be published. Table of Contents hide. Login Problems. Sudden Stoppage. Dropped Performance or Slow Connections. What you should do after you have successfully conducted the tests depends on the results that you have found.
If that is the case, you should first try rebooting the system just to rule that out. Then, you need to call your ISP and see what might be happening.
This would be the case if you have proven that the router does not seem to be an issue at all and the ISP seems to be doing its job. Then, you might be able to find out whether there is a cord problem.
Maybe your Ethernet cord is not plugged in well, or perhaps another cord has been damaged or unplugged. A cable issue can be resolved by replacing the cables. If you have gone through our list of suggestions and only come up with the conclusion that your router is bad, then the time has come for you to replace it with something newer and better.
If you live in a space that has a lot of streaming down at the same time, it might be that your router is not working, because too many people are online at the same time, hogging the bandwidth. A quality tri-band router should be able to show you its activity log to see if there are any devices that are hogging the bandwidth, making the entire network slow down. The first thing you might see is the price, but the important aspects of a router go beyond the price point.
The things you should be looking for in a router include:. If your router is simply not behaving as well as it once did, you are experiencing a major slow down, or you are noticing that the router keeps rebooting, there is a chance that you are due for a new router.
So asking yourself " do I need a new router " is a good place to start! You should not have to be incredibly frustrated online. You will be able to tell if your router has gone bad by following our suggestions. Then, go get a new one that is compatible with your ISP.
Always think about the features that you want to get from a router. That way, you can ensure that your router is perfect for you. Hey, it's Tomas here! I'm the founder and chief editor here at BlueGadgetTooth. After spending hours explaining my parents how to hook up their Internet, why it's being so slow etc.
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