Don't throw away your old router: simple uses you can give it
We all have an old router in our house. This is something very common, because when we change operator, it is normal that he gives us a new device. We must also take into account the technological change that many of us have made in recent years by switching from ADSL to optical fiber. All of this makes it common to have at least one router that we don't use. Many even choose to throw it away, because the economic value isn't really that high, unless it's a powerful terminal. Now we can use our old router and enjoy it. We will talk about it in this article.
The router, the centerpiece of our connections
Today we have seen in a very connected society. We have at our disposal a wide range of possibilities for this. The use of wireless networks particularly increased , for which it is necessary to have a competent router that gives us good signal speed, quality and stability.
It should be noted that the router is a fundamental part of our daily life. We can connect our computer by cable, but also a wide variety of devices via Wi-Fi.
Sometimes this device can fail. Perhaps due to age, this gives us problems which usually results in weak signal and, as a result, poor internet speed. We already know that having good wireless connections is something that users value a lot.
This can cause users to change router . We have a wide range of possibilities at our disposal and some can even be specially designed for the game. But of course if we buy a new router what do we do with the old one? We can give it a second life.
What uses can we give our old router
Un old router , although it no longer serves us because it does not have certain features that we might need, like having certain ports, Wi-Fi 6 technology or any other reason that makes us choose to change it, is still useful. We can give it some everyday uses, as we will see below.
We are going to mention some interesting functions that we can have thanks to a device of this type. The goal is to be able to take advantage of a router before throwing it away or reselling it very cheaply online.
Have a repeater
One of the most common and useful uses is to have a Wi-Fi repeater or even to be able to connect devices by cable. Without a doubt, this is a very interesting way to take advantage of our old router as long as it is compatible with what we want to do.
If we have a cable installation in our house, the better. We just need to connect the router to another place in our house and although it is quite far from the main router, the one that is actually connected to the internet, we can offer a connection to other points in the house.
This way we can connect over Wi-Fi through this secondary router . Something very interesting if a certain room does not receive adequate coverage and this equipment cannot be connected by cable, such as cell phones, for example.
But we can also connect computers via network cable. This way we will maintain the speed and stability of the connection even better. You can connect a TV, a computer or any compatible device directly to this old router that we have transformed into a repeater.
Use it as a switch
Our old router can be used as light switch without having to buy one. This way we can connect more devices by cable. Typically, a router has four Ethernet ports available. Maybe we need to connect more equipment and we have no more free ports.
An old router can be connected by cable to the main router and thus be able to connect three other devices to its three ports which are free. An inexpensive switch and, ultimately, one more utility that you can give a router before you throw it away.
Create a server
Another strong point is the possibility of creating a NAS server thanks to an old router. We could do this as long as it has a USB port and we can connect a hard drive. In this way, we could access these files from anywhere in an easy and fast way.
Once again, this is a way to save money. We don't need to buy a NAS server, because we will just have to have a hard drive that we can connect by USB cable and thus connect it to the old router.
Guest network
Our router allows you to create a guest network for other people to connect. However, we can also use another router that we have without using to have precisely this function.
We can use an old router to create a alternative network with another name, for example. So we can use it for the guests. This way, we won't have to give out the password for the main Wi-Fi router and avoid issues that might affect our security and privacy. Having an alternative network can be very interesting in this regard.
Try alternative systems
Do you want to install different operating systems on the router and do some tests? What could be better than using an old router that you don't want before putting the main one in danger and disconnecting.
Basically it's like we have another computer that we want to run different tests on without compromising our files, but in this case we are talking about a router. Of course, the interesting thing is that this device allows for alternative operating systems, since some are not compatible.
Enjoy compatibility with older devices
Some older devices may have difficulty connecting to newer routers. It is definitely something that can take a heavy toll on all those computers that we want to use but cannot connect to the Internet.
If we have an old router, we can use it to have these older devices can connect to the Internet and receive updates or simply take advantage of its features. For example, if we have an old computer or any other device that needs to connect to the internet but is not compatible with the most modern encryption and technology.
Create a virtual private network
Another feature that allows us to take into account when we have an old router is to create a virtual private network (VPNs). We already know that this is something that allows us to improve our privacy and security while surfing the net. We can create one so that the connection goes through this router.
We already know that VPN usage has increased a lot lately. We can use a lot of tools both free and paid, but we could also make our own through an old router.
Network printer
If we have a Printer compatible, we can connect it to the router and thus have a network printer. An inexpensive way to print from other devices connected to the network. It is, in short, one of the functions that an old router allows us to before throwing it away or selling it.
So we can say that our old router has many features. Before throwing away a device of this type that we feel is no longer useful at all, it is worth considering some of the functions that we have indicated. In this way, we will take advantage of a device that can be very useful.
Perform ethical hacking tests
The router attacks , in particular attempting to breaking the Wi-Fi password, are very present in the network. If we have an old router, we can run some tests like this and see how we might protect other equipment. In this way, we will have a better knowledge of the possibilities that a hypothetical attacker would have. We can perform tests of all kinds without compromising the main network and without running out of internet or exposing our personal information.
We have many tools at our disposal that we can use on the computer and other devices to be able to test wireless networks. If we have an old router with which to test these programs, we can learn and test ethical hacking.
What do you think of these uses that we can give to our old router?
