I purchased my Orbi RBK50 (AC3000) system in early 2017 at Best Buy. The router and 2 satellites have been working flawlessly at my previous home for 2 years and at my current home for the last 3 years. Until a week ago, router disconnected from internet many times. I checked the internet on Spectrum modem, and their lights is solid so the problem is not from the service provider. I checked all the connection cables to make sure a good contact. I then proceeded to unplug and reconnect the power from the router and internet is back on. It has happened several times this week.
I am wondering if the 5 year old Orbi system is aging even though its technology is still current. What do you think? How long is a lifespan of a router?
I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestion. Thank you.
WiFi routers are solid state devices. There are no 'moving parts' or things that wear out. Just like a TV, they should function for many years. Certainly more than 4-5 years.
There have been numerous posts recently about the latest firmware release V2.7.3.22, which appears to cause major problems for some users. I have an Orbi that I purchased in 2018 that has run flawlessly since then and is running fine on this newest firmware. (Actually, I have two.) I intend to keep it working for at least another couple of years. (I have zero devices that can benefit from WiFi6.)
All I can suggest is to experiment by manually loading the previous firmware V2.7.2.104 on the Orbi and then blocking it from updating the firmware. There is a guide on the internet for how to do this:
While these devices tend to by quite solid hardware wise (and especially the orbi range has been very good for me in this regard so far), they do age like any other electronics - quite often starting with the capacitors in the power delivery (leading to crashes and finally completely ceased operations).
Regressions in recent firmware upgrades are something to look at first, though.
I only just bought a used Orbi, so I cannot talk about them specifically.i will say that a lot to f router issues in general are either firmware or related to the power supply.
