5 Signs Your Wi-Fi Router Is Officially Too Old
- Whether it's for your home network or that of friends and family, knowing when to upgrade your router can be a bit tricky.
- If your router feels noticeably hot to the touch, that's a sign it's working too hard.This can happen if it's constantly processing a lot of data, or if...
- Get a fast Wi-Fi mesh router kit to keep speeds high all over your home
Whether it’s for your home network or that of friends and family, knowing when to upgrade your router can be a bit tricky. Not everyone is keeping up with the latest developments in Wi-Fi standards and technology, and it can all feel a little overwhelming (even to those of us who purport to). A working Wi-Fi and home internet are some of those “don’t touch it,it’s working” kinds of things. Especially if you’ve got a family to worry about. Breaking your home internet coudl be anything from a slight pain to an enormous problem for families and children who are trying to get some work done (or chat to their friends on Discord). It’s challenging to no when to make a change, or when to leave something that’s working in place for provided that possible. With that in mind, here are five signs that it’s time to get an upgrade for your Wi-fi router.
Your router doesn’t support newer Wi-Fi standards
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No Wi-Fi 5 or 6 support? It might be time for an upgrade
If your router feels noticeably hot to the touch, that’s a sign it’s working too hard.This can happen if it’s constantly processing a lot of data, or if it’s not getting enough ventilation. A hot router can experience performance issues and even fail prematurely. Make sure your router is in a well-ventilated area, away from direct sunlight and other heat sources. If it continues to overheat, you might need to consider a more powerful router though, it’s probably worth getting one with Wi-Fi 7 support.
Overheating is a problem
check if your router is noticeably hot to touch
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Get a fast Wi-Fi mesh router kit to keep speeds high all over your home
We mentioned earlier that Wi-Fi 6 introduced WPA3, a more modern security protocol for Wi-Fi. WPA-3 introduces a higher standard of encryption,as well as introducing per-device encryption (preventing other devices on the network monitoring the traffic of your device.) It also mitigates some known attacks in WPA-2, which could force devices to disconnect and then attack the four-way handshake protocol used by WPA-2, among some other security and functionality improvements. WPA-2 isn’t as vulnerable as WPA once was, which could easily be cracked by brute force alone by a competent attacker.
We’ve mentioned WPA-3 separately to Wi-Fi 6 because, in theory, older devices can receive firmware updates to receive WPA-3 support while only supporting Wi-Fi 5 or even Wi-Fi 4. In practicality though, not all devices will receive these updates, and it might be easier to consider devices without Wi-Fi 6 (especially embedded, or IoT devices) as not supporting WPA-3.
No 5GHz support
It’s time to modernize
Another reason to upgrade your Wi-FI router specifically is if it lacks the most modern dual-band 2.4 or
Netgear Orbi CBK753 Faces Security Vulnerabilities
Netgear’s Orbi CBK753 mesh Wi-Fi system, released in May 2023, contains multiple security vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to gain unauthorized access. Researchers at Tenable, a cybersecurity firm, disclosed these flaws on January 26, 2026, detailing how an unauthenticated attacker could potentially compromise the device.
Vulnerability Details
- CVE-2025-6412: A command injection vulnerability exists in the web interface. Tenable reported a critical severity score of 9.8 out of 10. Triumphant exploitation allows remote code execution.
- CVE-2025-6413: A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability is present, enabling attackers to inject malicious scripts into the web interface. Tenable assigned a severity score of 7.5.
- CVE-2025-6414: A sensitive facts disclosure vulnerability allows attackers to access potentially sensitive data. Tenable rated this vulnerability with a severity score of 6.5.
According to Tenable’s advisory, these vulnerabilities stem from insufficient input validation and improper handling of user-supplied data.The vulnerabilities affect all versions of firmware released before January 26, 2026.
Impact and Mitigation
An attacker exploiting these vulnerabilities could potentially:
- Gain complete control of the Orbi CBK753 router.
- Modify network settings,including DNS servers and firewall rules.
- Access sensitive information stored on the device or transmitted through the network.
- Launch attacks against other devices on the network.
Netgear released firmware version 4.6.8.126 on January 27, 2026, to address these vulnerabilities. Users are strongly advised to update their Orbi CBK753 systems to this latest firmware version promptly. Instructions for updating can be found on the Netgear support website.
“These vulnerabilities highlight the importance of regularly updating network devices with the latest security patches,” said Robert McArdle, Director of Research at Tenable. “Failure to do so can leave networks vulnerable to attack.”
As of January 30, 2026, the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has not yet issued a specific advisory regarding these vulnerabilities, but encourages users to follow Netgear’s recommendations. Users can find more information on CISA’s website at https://www.cisa.gov/.
