How Do You Know When Your Wireless Router Needs To Be Replaced?

I just had to replace a wi-fi router recently, and over the years I’ve developed a method for troubleshooting them so I know when to replace – because after all, you don’t want to spend cash on a new router unless you have to.

Is it the network cable itself?

Back in the late 1990s, a LAN Administrator said to me, “99% of all network problems start with cables”. This is absolutely true even on wi-fi routers. Cables are obviously cheaper than routers, so start with those first and always.

Internally to the router this can solve wi-fi speed issues, because if the primary network cable to the modem from the router is somewhat bad, replacing the cable will speed up things significantly.

Is the network connection periodically dropping for no reason?

Many consumer routers are unfortunately constructed these days with form over function, meaning they have a sleek low-profile look, but that chassis causes internal heat which causes the physical connection to drop.

You will know this is the case if you’ve already replaced the network cable but the router keeps resetting the Internet/WAN connection, either repeatedly or every 15 to 30 minutes – and it didn’t do this before.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When connected to the router via wired connection to one of the LAN ports, sometimes this problem can be fixed easily by switching from port 1 to port 4. Internet/WAN and port 1 are usually right next to each other. If you physically separate them by moving your PC connection to port 4, this may solve the problem instantly.

Is the router physically making a noise?

Consumer home routers do not have any moving parts, so they run silent. If when you power up the router it makes a barely-there-yet-audible noise that sounds like interference (usually a high-pitched whine), that is most likely a capacitor that’s about to go bad. What will happen eventually is that the capacitor will pop (and you’ll hear it) and the router will cease to function entirely.

When you hear noise and you’re absolutely sure that it’s not coming from anywhere else, replace the router immediately.

For those of you that do know how to replace capacitors on a board, I wouldn’t recommend doing this on a consumer router because most were never meant to be cracked open. What I mean by that is that sure, you’ll be able to open it up and replace the capacitor, but getting it back together is the hard part. Not impossible, but difficult.

Is the wi-fi signal nonexistent or very poor?

This is a tough one to troubleshoot because you have to go through several steps.

First, you have to ensure it’s not the connecting device that’s the problem. If for example your laptop won’t hold a signal properly, test your wi-fi router with another laptop to ensure yours doesn’t have a bad wireless network card.

Second, try channels 3, 6 and 11 on your wi-fi router, again with at least two wireless devices such as two laptops.

If after all that the signal is still poor and won’t hold no matter what wireless devices attempt to connect to the router in close range, the router is due for replacement.

Is the router over 4 years old?

Some routers, like the Linksys WRT54G or WRT54GL, can last a really long time. Most others however will start to exhibit problems right around the four-year mark.

I will note up front that if your wi-fi router is 4 years old or older and still works fine, keep it. Don’t replace it just because it’s old. Only replace if it has problems you cannot repair.

The reason why consumer routers fail when they get to that age is because the consistent connection to your modem and computers simply wear it out. It’s not the type of wear you can see, but it does happen.

Consider for the moment that once you turn your wi-fi router on and get it connected, chances are the only time it’s ever powered off is from a power failure. The rest of the time it is always on and always connected. That’s a lot a network traffic for a little device.

Does this mean routers that are powered off when not in use last longer? Generally speaking, yes – but it’s no guarantee of increasing the router’s lifespan.

What this means is that it is typical to replace a consumer router once every 3 to 5 years due to “network wear”, so to speak. It is a common occurrence. But again, if your router is over 4 years old and still works fine, keep it until it breaks.