When was the last time you thought about the devices that run your home network? You might have some devices that are officially too old to be using in 2025.
While your networking gear might still “work,” that doesn’t mean youshould still be using it. Here are seven networking devices that you should seriously stop using if you still have them running in your network.
Apple AirPort Express and Extreme
The Apple AirPort Express and Extreme were regarded as some of the best Wi-Fi routers in their day—but that day has long come and gone. The AirPort Express was limited to 802.11a/b/g/n (Wi-Fi 4) with only two 10/100 Ethernet ports (meaning no Gigabit networking.) The AirPort Extreme did at least get updated to Wi-Fi 5 and gained gigabit Ethernet, but it’s still very much old and unsupported.
Apple officially retired both devices in 2018—seven years ago. Yes, for over half a decade, these devices have been at end of life and have not received any updates. If you’re still using one of these two Wi-Fi routers, please upgrade to something more modern. You’ll enjoy faster networking—and also gain at least seven years of security updates you’re currently missing.
Apple AirPort Time Capsule
Apple didn’t just make the AirPort Express and Extreme, they also made the AirPort Time Capsule. This was essentially an AirPort Extreme with built-in storage for Time Machine backups, which is actually pretty cool. While the AirPort Time Capsule did have Wi-Fi 5 and gigabit Ethernet, it was similarly discontinued and received its end of life sentence in 2018.
Most modern routers support hooking up an external hard drive to their USB port for networked storage. It’s also easy to build your own NAS (or even just buying one) to use as your Time Machine hub if that’s something you’re still using. Just please stop using the AirPort Time Capsule.
Google Wifi
Google Wifi was one of my favorite product releases from—checks glasses—2016?! Yes, Google Wifi is nearly a decade old at this point. It offered Wi-Fi 5 support, but only at up to AC1200 speeds, which is pretty outdated at this point.
While Google Wifi is still receiving security updates, that will likely stop soon as Google only promises five years of updates from the date of release, and we’re now well past that at almost a decade since release.
Really, Google Wifi is just slow by modern standards. I definitely wouldn’t buy this system in 2025, and if I was still using one, I’d retire it for one of the many routers out there now (like eero or Unifi). Google Wifi was great when it came out, but it’s just old now and it’s time to retire this aging networking setup.
Google OnHub
Google’s OnHub router was a unique offering launched in 2015—making it officially a decade old now. Made by either TP-Link or ASUS, both OnHub models offered Wi-Fi 5 with AC1900 speeds and dual gigabit Ethernet ports.
Google hasn’t officially supported OnHub routers since December 2021, which is coming up on four years ago. If you’re still using an OnHub router, it might function just fine, but you’re putting yourself at a pretty great risk by using a Wi-Fi router that doesn’t have official security updates or software support. It’s time to retire your OnHub router.
First generation eero
I’m a pretty big eero fan, though I do prefer Unifi when I’m able to deploy it. For whole-home networking, though, it’s hard to beat what eero offers—unless you’re using the first generation system.
With Wi-Fi speeds and a rating of AC1300, these routers might still do the job in your house, but official support for these decade-old Wi-Fi routers was ended three years ago. Surprisingly, this is the only device that eero has given the end of life sentence to.
All other eero devices will receive support untilat least 2030, meaning you could upgrade toany newer eero system and be set for another half a decade.
eero 6 Mesh Wi-Fi Router
- Brand
- eero
- Range
- 1,500 sq. ft.
The eero 6 mesh Wi-Fi router allows you to upgrade your home network without breaking the bank. Compatible with the wider eero ecosystem, you'll find that this node can either start or expand your wireless network with ease.
Anything Wi-Fi 5 or older
While Wi-Fi 5 and 2.4GHz connections are still the standard in many smart home devices, it’s time to move on from them in terms of your primary wireless router. Wi-Fi 5 had a good run, being introduced in 2013, when the iPhone 5s and Galaxy S4 were the newest smartphones on the market.
If you wouldn’t use a smartphone from back in 2013 today, then you really shouldn’t be using Wi-Fi tech from back then, either. Modern Wi-Fi 6, 6e, or even 7 routers are becoming more and more affordable as time goes on. If you’re trying to get started with a newer Wi-Fi standard on a budget,eero 6 starts at $90 and is often heavily discounted throughout the year.
Anything without gigabit Ethernet
If your networking equipment doesn’t haveat least gigabit Ethernet, it’s time to upgrade. Most major metropolitan areas don’t even offer 100Mb/s networking plans anymore. In my area, the slowest plan you can get from any of the major providers is 300Mb/s, which is three times faster than standard 10/100 Ethernet.
It’s rare to find networking equipment without gigabit Ethernet, but itis out there, and itdoes exist—the Apple AirPort Express proves that.
If you’re still using sub-Gigabit networking, it’s time to upgrade your networking gear, full stop.
Why should you stop using an old networking device if it still works?
If you made it this far into the article, you might be yelling at your monitor, “But my 15-year-old Wi-Fi router still works, why shouldn’t I still use it?!” To which I would reply, “Security updates. That’s it.”
Seriously though, there’s exploits hitting every area of tech almost every day, it seems. Manufacturers are constantly trying to update and patch the holes found in their software. However, once your device becomes end of life, the manufacturer stops updating it and any vulnerabilities discovered after that time will no longer be patched.
It’s a pretty big security risk to continue using a Wi-Fi router after it reaches end of life. Especially when modern and affordable Wi-Fi systems with defined support lengths of half a decade or more.
While the networking gear above is definitely due to be retired, not all networking gear dies the same type of death as the items I’ve mentioned. I’ve personally switched away from buying single-use systems, like a traditional router, and insteadbought into an ecosystem with Unifi.
Unifi is definitely a bit more on the complicated side of networking setups, but it’s also extremely versatile. You can buy a central “hub” type of device and the plug in Wi-Fi access points and swap them out as technology changes.
Another option is tobuy into an ecosystem like eero. You can mix-and-match multiple generations of eero devices, meaning you can have an older eero Pro (that’s still supported) in the same networking setup as the latest eero Pro 7.
So, if you want the most robust home network you can get right now, go with Unifi. If you want a simple system that’s easy to setup and doesn’t have tons of extra bells and whistles you won't use, you can’t go wrong with eero.
