Nighthawk R7000 "End of service" - Do I need to buy a new router?

[Elleatious]

Believe it or not I've had it for nearly 11 years. Through the ups and downs of security flaws, but never had a real issue. Been solid and always handled my connection to internet without issue.

However, I see on the downloads page it is now EOS, despite the most recent update being October 3, 2024. Does this mean 100% there will be no more updates to patch possible security vulnerabilities in the future and I *need* to buy a new one or else expose my home to vulnerabilities?

[FURRYe38 · Accepted solution]

Yes and up to you. Can still use the router if it is working and not seeing any problems. 

[FURRYe38 · Accepted solution]

Yes and up to you. Can still use the router if it is working and not seeing any problems. 

[JWS9518]

If you start seeing disconnects with devices, especially if you have a lot of devices or start adding more devices, or notice other issues, it may be time to replace.

In addition, the newer wi-fi protocols and security that the newer routers have, would be a good reason to update to a newer router as well.

[Kitsap]

Technology has improved significantly since the R7000 was designed.

Some good background reading, with recommendations based on your needs, can be found here:

https://www.wiisfi.com/

There is a lot of material there, don't try to absorb it all at once.

[plemans]

Amazon has had quite a few "renewed" devices lately from netgear at pretty solid prices. Might be a good time to upgrade a generation

[Elleatious]

My R7000 works just fine - 20ish devices and handles 680mbit connection to the internet just fine. Which is why i've had it for nearly 11 years.s

This post was asking if there will be no more firmware updates, causing potential security issues. Unfortunately seems no one can answer that. Maybe a netgear employee only since it says End of Life? At what point will my router become a security vulnerability?

[plemans]

end of life usually means updates are over. 

Especially since that device was released in 2013. Support for that long is incredibly rare and I was impressed with how long netgear did continue to push updates to it. 

You can always look to dd-wrt/tomato (3rd party firmware). Thats open source and the R7000 was easily capable of running them. Brought a lot of advanced features to it. And it still gets updates. I normally warn users it'll void your warranty and you have to go through those forums for support but you're way way past your warranty 🙂 

[JWS9518]

I will second Plemans, EOL typically means they will no longer provide updated firmware to a device, unless it is under some special critical circumstance, but it is highly unlikely any new firmware will be issued for that device once NG has designated it as EOL/discontinued.  I will agree that the R7000 was a good router, I used it for years, before it started struggling once I got into the 30-ish range of devices that were connecting to it, which is likely the issue you will deal with before a security issue.

I personally stay away from third party firmware, as I am not comfortable running an open-source firmware on something vital to your network and security, but to each their own.

[Norbertop]

Hi, I have run years and years on freshtomato which is still updated regularly, really fantastic software. But remember there is always a risk of bricking your device so only do it if you do not see another option for a  problem. 

P.s. it was the best router I ever used.

Good luck!