WiFi Router Life Expectancy

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AxisOfBeagles

45 posts

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#319388 20-Apr-2025 15:19

My WiFi router recently died. I purchased it (Asus RT-AC5300) back in May of 2019. It died earlier this month - just shy of 6 years on.

Initially somewhat miffed I asked a couple friends and did a quick Google search ... seems to be the general consensus that these things have a lifespan of only 3 to 5 years. Which I guess means I got a reasonable life out of this very good router ... but still seems somehow wrong that it only lasted 6 years.

What's your experience with lifespan of a decent router?

PS ... for the record; still happy with Asus, and am replacing it with an Asus RT-AX5400.

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#3365998 20-Apr-2025 15:27

That seems about right, there is flash memory in them that is constantly being written to which will then result in it corrupting and not booting when at the end of life. Also, there are capacitors that are being baked by the design of the device.

Richard rich.ms

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djtOtago

1140 posts

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#3366001 20-Apr-2025 16:10

My Fritzbox 7490 lasted 8 years or so. It was only the power supply that stopped working, which I could have replaced

Decided to upgrade to a WiFi 6 setup.

Senecio

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#3366002 20-Apr-2025 16:40

My Amplifi HD router lasted about 7 years before it died at Christmas just gone.

allan

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#3366052 20-Apr-2025 18:06

A friend and I both had Orbi RBK50 routers die within three months of each other. Both were between 5 and 6 years old.

Behodar

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#3366055 20-Apr-2025 19:04

What on earth are you doing to them?!

Mine, an AirPort, was 17 years old when I replaced it, and that was only because it couldn't handle gigabit rather than due to failure.

openmedia

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#3366066 20-Apr-2025 21:52

Netgear R7000 is currently 11 years old and has run a range of dd-wrt based firmwares and is currently on FreshTomato.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

traderstu

331 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3366079 21-Apr-2025 07:26

Behodar:

What on earth are you doing to them?!

Back in the day, one of mine got zapped by lightning. it didn't like that

farcus

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#3366194 21-Apr-2025 13:29

My fritz 7490 is 9 years old and still going strong.

Dunnersfella

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#3366202 21-Apr-2025 14:03

My honest view on WiFi routers is that they're plastic boxes that seem to favour sticking on antennas over incorporating heat sinks or other cooling type solutions. And that makes sense, lots of aerials appeals to people who 'MUST HAVE ALL THE SPEEDS' and those who are looking to win the signal arms race with their neighbours (foolishly... but there you go).

The fact that people put routers in boxes, never clean dust / muck off them... means many units simply cook over time and eventually expire.

Tinkerisk

4198 posts

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#3366280 21-Apr-2025 16:24

FritzBox 7170 from 2009 … still in use as a VoIP server via Eth only (no updates, but protected by a firewall of cause).

- NET: FTTH, OPNsense, 10G backbone, GWN APs, ipPBX
- SRV: 12 RU HA server cluster, 0.1 PB storage on premise
- IoT: thread, zigbee, tasmota, BidCoS, LoRa, WX suite, IR
- 3D: two 3D printers, 3D scanner, CNC router, laser cutter

drajk

202 posts

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#3366282 21-Apr-2025 17:04

I have a TP-Link TL-WR641G from 2006 which still provides a secondary network.

Radiotron

176 posts

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#3366315 21-Apr-2025 20:06

Successive ISP routers did 3-4 years and simply got flaky. Replaced with an Edgerouter Lite, and a AC-LR AP on the ceiling, and a little Cisco/Linksys switch from a yellow site. Sorted. It's boring, it just works.

acetone

179 posts

Master Geek

#3366322 21-Apr-2025 20:53

My ASUS DSL-AC68U is coming on 11 years and still going strong (touch wood).

spacedog

482 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3366433 22-Apr-2025 07:56

I've got a couple of RT-AC68Us that have got to be pushing 10+ years. Running DD-WRT and use it as a media-bridge and wifi extender from one side of the house to the other. It's not routing, but given all the 4K content and streaming we do, it certainly is pushing a lot of data on daily basis.

robjg63

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#3366453 22-Apr-2025 10:17

I have found around 5 years seems normal.

They stay switched on 24/7 and seem to often lack great ventilation - so they run pretty warm.

Rather than just break (which would be preferable), they start doing strange things - connections start becoming unreliable and sites failing to load properly etc.

The comment about flash memory wearing out is interesting and probably accurate - I hadn't considered that - but no doubt it does wear out and become unreliable.

Perhaps the more expensive gear is engineered a bit better.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

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