Hi Folks,
So I received this notice from Netgear that my Nighthawk AX- WiFi 6 AX4300 has reached the end of firmware updates etc. They want me to buy a new one. Any body have thoughts on this. It is a WiFi 6 - do I really need a WiFi 7 router? Little Snich helps with any incursions.
Paul
I think it is well worth spending money to buy up-to-date modems, Wi-Fi base stations, and routers. Why? These pieces of hardware are your first line of defense against attackers. Home networking gear and residential Internet connections are a popular target for criminal hackers. And, perhaps most importantly, think of the value of your time. Wirecutter’s recommendation for “most people” is around $100. Pretty much everybody, especially if one isn’t technically adept, will end up spending way more than a hundred bucks worth of time dealing with a successful breach or incursion.
In 2024 the Wirecutter router review said:
Huh? Don’t get Wi-Fi 6E because 7 is better but don’t get 7 because it is too new?
Now they still say to avoid Wi-Fi 6E, but do recommend some Wi-Fi 7 routers.
You have to be very careful, though. The big new feature in Wi-Fi 7 is 6 GHz radios, but there are Wi-Fi 7 routers for sale that do not have a 6 GHz radio! They’re actually Wi-Fi 6 routers, but with a slightly faster modulation in the 5GHz band.
The TP-Link Archer BE230/BE3600 is an example of a Wi-Fi 6 router in a Wi-Fi 7 box.
Hmm, where have I heard of this failure to make new features mandatory for certification before? Oh yeah…
| Standard Owner | Label on the Box | What’s Inside |
|---|---|---|
| USB-IF | “USB 3.2” | Could be 5, 10 or 20 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi Alliance | “Wi-Fi 7” | Could have 6GHz or not |
Off topic - this is perhaps the worse possible subject for a TidBITS Talk thread. I read mostly by email so when I got an email with the subject “[TidBITS Talk] End of Service notice” I thought TidBITS Talk was going away!
Sorry I don’t have any thoughts on Wi-Fi base stations and such, other than agreeing that having one firmware updates are still available for is a good idea.
Indeed. Folks, please try to make your subjects specific yet concise. I’ve updated this one.
I received a similar notice some months back about my Netgear Orbi that is about 7 years old. I am disinclined to buy another Netgear router due to my Orbi’s bad web admin interface (extremely slow) and their weak record of updates (my router and satellite both say their firmware is up to date, but the Netgear website shows a newer version was published 8 months ago). Oh, and their iOS app (which seems to require connecting to the router over the internet instead of directly via local network) has silly restrictions on the number of devices you can put into groups before it makes you pay for a subscription.
I didn’t love the last TP-Link device I bought, either (a WiFi range extender), so based on the research I’ve done, I’m looking at the ASUS Zen WiFi BT8, personally. This is a mesh-oriented router (though you can buy a single unit and run it solo)—there may be better stand-alone options if you don’t want/need a mesh WiFi system (most people don’t really benefit from a mesh vs. a single well-located router).
At the risk of being too repetitious, if you’re tired of router vendors who abandon their products or force you to create yet-another-online-account to configure them or pressure you into installing their proprietary app, consider getting a router that is OpenWRT-compatible. The OpenWRT firmware is easy to install and gives a consistent user experience across hundreds of different router models. They are far less likely than a proprietary vendor to abandon your product.
You might even be able to do the planet a solid and reincarnate an end-of-life unit. (The last router I bought I paid $3 for, when I fortuitously saw a model with which I was familiar while wandering through a thrift store.)
Or if you want new-and-shiny, you could opt for the OpenWRT One router, an open-source hardware platform designed for OpenWRT. I don’t believe it supports 6 GHz, though.
I have no financial affiliation with OpenWRT except as an occasional donor, I just think it’s a Real Cool Project™ in a world of increasingly consumer-unfriendly routers.
Ok thanks all- I got the picture-Thanks Ron- I dunno the OpenWRT looks like too much work.
I’ll go simple and just get a newer router.
And Sorry to all (and Adam) about the original topic title. I was going to write ‘Netgear end of service’, the brain didn’t transfer the info fast enough for the hands.
Paolo
You only need wifi 7 if you have or will have soon a wifi 7 device but if you’re buying a new one anyway then I would get 7. I moved on from Netgear myself for a variety of reasons and went with the UniFi Dreamrouter 7 mesh system. Looked at TPLink as well but did not choose them.