Can you still use your router if it doesn't get firmware updates?

Internet router manufacturers often do a good job of keeping their devices updated, but what should you do once they cease support? Here are some simple tips.

It won't stop working, but newly discovered security flaws may go unfixed. So long as the hardware is healthy, a router will continue connecting your devices to the internet long after the manufacturer stops releasing firmware updates. There's no built-in kill switch outside of eventual hardware failure that will silence your router forever.

Unfortunately, once firmware updates cease to be a regular thing, your router loses its most dependable attribute for fixing newly-discovered security flaws. What it means is that your router could now be vulnerable and may remain so with every passing day. Attackers often target vulnerable routers in bulk, using them to relay malicious traffic or join a larger group of compromised devices controlled without their owner's knowledge.

Five years is a checkpoint. A five-year-old router isn't necessarily outdated, especially if "internet access" to you is web browsing for recipes or streaming TV shows. There's also not a set-in-stone timeframe for when firmware updates cease. View it as a checkpoint for making sure that the exact model you own will continue receiving security updates. Netgear suggests the four- to five-year timeline, but it's not an absolute decree.

互联网路由器制造商通常会很好地保持设备更新，但一旦停止支持该怎么办？以下是一些简单的提示。它不会停止工作，但新发现的安全漏洞可能无法修复。只要硬件健康，路由器将继续连接设备到互联网，即使制造商停止发布固件更新。除了最终的硬件故障外，没有内置的开关可以永久关闭路由器。不幸的是，一旦固件更新不再是常规事项，路由器就会失去修复新发现安全漏洞的最可靠属性。这意味着您的路由器现在可能变得脆弱，并且每天都在变得脆弱。攻击者通常批量针对脆弱的路由器，利用它们中继恶意流量或加入更大的受控设备群，而所有者对此毫不知情。五年是一个检查点。五年的路由器不一定过时，特别是如果对您来说“互联网访问”只是浏览食谱或流式观看电视节目。固件更新停止也没有固定的时间表。将其视为一个检查点，以确保您拥有的具体型号将继续接收安全更新。Netgear建议四到五年的时间线，但这不是绝对的命令。关键实体：公司：Netgear，Open Wrt常见问题：我如何知道我的路由器需要固件更新？首先，在路由器的标签上找到型号和硬件版本，通常位于路由器下方或背面。登录路由器或打开相关应用，找到固件更新设置，并检查已安装的版本与提供的更新版本。接下来，在制造商的官方支持网站上查找相同的型号和版本。将已安装的版本与其最新列出的版本进行比较，阅读发布说明并检查是否有终止生命或终止支持的通知。常见问题：我如何知道我的路由器需要固件更新？首先，在路由器的标签上找到型号和硬件版本，通常位于路由器下方或背面。登录路由器或打开相关应用，找到固件更新设置，并检查已安装的版本与提供的更新版本。接下来，在制造商的官方支持网站上查找相同的型号和版本。将已安装的版本与其最新列出的版本进行比较，阅读发布说明并检查是否有终止生命或终止支持的通知。