Your old router has a lot of potential on your network, so give it a new job. Unlike many devices in your home, you probably don't think much about upgrading your router. Routers can work for a long time, and it's easy to overlook when one isn't getting firmware updates anymore or doesn't support the latest Wi-Fi standards. This can make upgrading to a new Wi-Fi router more difficult, since throwing away a perfectly functioning piece of equipment feels wasteful. Thankfully, this doesn't need to be an issue. Old routers can easily be repurposed to have use even as a secondary or tertiary device. While newer models offer better security, range, and performance and are thus the best for your primary device, old routers can take advantage of the fact that most networking fundamentals haven't changed in decades. You have many ways to repurpose an old router instead of sending it off to the landfill or for recycling.

Turn your old router into a Wi-Fi repeater or mesh node. If your new Wi-Fi router struggles to reach corners of your home, consider using your old router as a dedicated access point. With this method, you don't need to buy a wireless extender or another single-purpose piece of tech. There are two approaches you can take: wired or wireless. A wired connection brings stable connectivity and fast speeds, but you need an Ethernet line running back to your primary router. This might not be possible several rooms away unless you're comfortable pulling cable through your walls. I recommend against broadcasting two Wi-Fi signals in close proximity, since this can lead to wireless interference and worse performance. The good news is that you can disable specific frequencies on both routers to avoid congestion. A good option is configuring the old router to broadcast on the 2.4GHz band, while disabling that frequency on the newer router. This is because 2.4GHz signals penetrate walls better, while most of the Wi-Fi improvements over the past decade have applied to higher frequencies like 5GHz and 6GHz. Many routers support wireless repeater or bridge functionality, so check the admin panel or manual for those terms. On my older TP-Link router, this feature is hidden within several sub-menus under the WDS bridging label. The downside with this approach is that your router has to use part of its limited wireless capacity to communicate with your router. This translates to slower real-world speeds when you're connected to the secondary router. A small number of routers can also double up as a mesh Wi-Fi node. Asus calls this feature Ai Mesh on its routers, and it allows you to mix different models to create one unified network. If you haven't chosen a new router yet and your old one offers this, buy one in the same family to take advantage of it.

Use the LAN ports for an easy network switch. If your new router doesn't have enough LAN ports to connect high-bandwidth devices like smart TVs, computers and gaming consoles, you can use your old router as a switch. A basic network switch typically costs between $10 and $20, and is yet another single-use device you don't need to buy if you have an old router lying around. Setting up a router in switch mode is relatively easy. Simply run an Ethernet cable from your new router to the old one, using LAN ports on each, and connect your devices to the remaining ports on the old router. Make sure you don't plug anything into the old router's WAN port. Many routers offer Access Point (AP) or Switch modes in their administrative settings, which you'll have to enable by accessing the router's admin panel. If you don't see one of these modes, you'll have to disable the router's DHCP server, along with any other routing options like firewall and NAT, manually. The same warning about wireless interference applies here as well. You should disable all wireless functionality on the old router if you only care about the onboard Ethernet ports. Create a dedicated IoT network. If you're concerned about security, you can use your old router to create a separate network for your Internet of Things devices. This way, your smart bulbs, cameras, and voice assistants won't be on the same network as your computers and phones, which can help prevent a compromised device from spreading malware to the rest of your network. To do this, you'll need to connect the old router to your new one using an Ethernet cable, and then configure the old router to use a different subnet. You'll also need to disable the DHCP server on the old router, and assign a static IP address to it. Once you've done this, you can connect your IoT devices to the old router's Wi-Fi or Ethernet ports, and they'll be on a separate network from the rest of your devices. This can give you peace of mind knowing that your sensitive data is safe, even if one of your IoT devices is compromised.