Even if you don’t need the bandwidth improvement, upgrading is beneficial.
Here’s why you should give serious consideration to upgrading.
People have asked us, does it matter if I have an old router if I have slow internet?
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
And that’s a perfectly valid question.
Let’s look at why.
Whatever vulnerabilities are discovered after the last round of updates your router received, you’re stuck with.
And you won’t be able to usethe most advanced Wi-Fi encryptionwith your devices.
We’re not even talking about gamers enjoying improved performance in AAA game titles or other demanding activities.
We’re talking about basic day-to-day stuff like opening files, browsing the web, etc.
It’s that a decade of hardware improvements and optimizations makes doing so feel snappier and more enjoyable.
Your old router likely has a much weaker CPU.
It also has less powerful radios using older Wi-Fi technology.
Even the physical ports on older routers can be anemic.
Pair that kind of router with faster broadband, and you’re hobbling yourself right out of the gate.
Now, however, I have around 100 devices connected to my Wi-Fi data pipe at any given time.
The online grid landscape of the home has changed, andnewer routersare designed with that landscape in mind.
Takestreaming video bandwidth demands, for instance.
You only need about 5 Mbps of speed for HD video and about 15 Mbps for 4K video.
When you’re shopping for a car, you rarely shop for the fastest possible car you could buy.
What matters is comfort and ease of use.
Most of us don’t want a car than can go 200 MPH.
Speaking of automation, many older Wi-Fi routers don’t even haveQuality of Service(QoS) rules.
Or, if they do, you have to configure them manually.
But we also recommend buyinga single mesh router.
And if you need more coverageextending your connection with mesh nodesis dead simple.
