Life expectancy of a router

Any idea of the life expectancy of a router/modem. I don't know where the
fault lies, but increasingly I'm unable to detect its presence, even though
all lights on it are suggesting that it's OK. Re-booting it usually seems
to work, but this is a pain.

Ken

"Ken" <Reply to NG only> wrote in message
news:45bcd7ee$0$2448$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Any idea of the life expectancy of a router/modem. I don't know where the
> fault lies, but increasingly I'm unable to detect its presence, even
though
> all lights on it are suggesting that it's OK. Re-booting it usually seems
> to work, but this is a pain.
>
> Ken

Make, model?

To give you an idea, I have run a Netgear DG834G, 24/7 since late 2003.

On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 17:12:57 -0000, "Steve"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
>"Ken" <Reply to NG only> wrote in message
>news:45bcd7ee$0$2448$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Any idea of the life expectancy of a router/modem. I don't know where the
>> fault lies, but increasingly I'm unable to detect its presence, even
>though
>> all lights on it are suggesting that it's OK. Re-booting it usually seems
>> to work, but this is a pain.
>>
>> Ken
>
>Make, model?
>
>To give you an idea, I have run a Netgear DG834G, 24/7 since late 2003.
>
>
If it's a Belkin then it's under guarantee if it gives out, at least
all the ones that I've seen have a lifetime guarantee.

I've had 2 replacements and I bought the original one over 3 years
ago.

Suppose you could infer that they break easily. I don't know about
other makes and how they compare, but I'm not aware of any other
manufacturer who gives that sort of guarantee.
GA

Ken wrote:
> Any idea of the life expectancy of a router/modem. I don't know where the
> fault lies, but increasingly I'm unable to detect its presence, even
> though
> all lights on it are suggesting that it's OK. Re-booting it usually seems
> to work, but this is a pain.
>
> Ken

Many brands, between three days and six months.

Gaz

GA wrote:
> On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 17:12:57 -0000, "Steve"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>
>> "Ken" <Reply to NG only> wrote in message
>> news:45bcd7ee$0$2448$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> Any idea of the life expectancy of a router/modem. I don't know where
>>> the
>>> fault lies, but increasingly I'm unable to detect its presence, even
>>> though
>>> all lights on it are suggesting that it's OK. Re-booting it usually
>>> seems
>>> to work, but this is a pain.
>>>
>>> Ken
>>
>> Make, model?
>>
>> To give you an idea, I have run a Netgear DG834G, 24/7 since late 2003.
>>
>>
> If it's a Belkin then it's under guarantee if it gives out, at least
> all the ones that I've seen have a lifetime guarantee.
>
> I've had 2 replacements and I bought the original one over 3 years
> ago.
>
> Suppose you could infer that they break easily. I don't know about
> other makes and how they compare, but I'm not aware of any other
> manufacturer who gives that sort of guarantee.
> GA

A 3com router i just RMAd was bought in 2004 and is, when i went through the
rma process, under warranty to 2012, not sure how but there you go..

Gaz

On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 17:05:49 -0000, "Ken" <Reply to NG only> wrote:

>Any idea of the life expectancy of a router/modem. I don't know where the
>fault lies, but increasingly I'm unable to detect its presence, even though
>all lights on it are suggesting that it's OK. Re-booting it usually seems
>to work, but this is a pain.

As with most modern electronics that isn't handling extremes of
voltage, current, temperature, vibration, etc, which generally applies
to any signal processing gear that just sits on a shelf in a room, if
it lasts a month it will probably outlast its own obsolescence.

And yours too, no doubt.

Rod.

Ken wrote:

> Any idea of the life expectancy of a router/modem. I don't know where the
> fault lies, but increasingly I'm unable to detect its presence, even though
> all lights on it are suggesting that it's OK. Re-booting it usually seems
> to work, but this is a pain.

Life expectancy as with almost all electronic devices these days should
theoretically be so long as to be beyond any normal cause for conern.

I've heard that 'lead-free' soldering as required by the EU now has adversely
impacted product lifetimes though,

Graham

A very sore point with me - after the third router went down in what
seemed about as many years, I compiled stats for my experiences:

Item Price Pur'd Died Life Dep'n Run Cost/yr
Intel Hub £99.99 11/98 na 8.19 £12.20 £3.91 £16.11
Barricade £328.93 11/02 10/04 1.92 £171.51 £14.07 £185.59
Netgear £89.99 3/03 4/05 2.06 £21.84 £8.60 £30.44
Dynamode £32.65 4/05 4/06 1.06 £30.72 £9.38 £40.10
Netgear refund -£45.00 7/05
Addon ARM8200 £29.99 11/06 na 0.19 £161.01 £9.38 £170.39
Total/Ave £536.55 2.68 £79.44 £9.07 £88.51

Notes:
1) Cut'n'paste into Notepad or other fixed font editor to line up the
columns;
2) The Intel Hub's PSU packed in about a year ago, but guess what, I
wasn't short of replacements, so it still appears as functional;
3) The figures for the current, last one are ongoing because it hasn't
died yet (types with crossed fingers).

So I concluded that the average life expectancy of a router was about 2.7
years and that including depreciation of the cost over that time and
electricity consumption they cost about £90pa. If you remove the hub (as
it's not a router), the figures are about 1.3 yrs and £107 respectively.

I don't know if I've just been really unlucky, or whether there was/is some
factor at work, but I had my suspicions that perhaps a 3Com 3C905 netcard
was causing spikes when I turned on its PC, so I've swapped it for a D-Link
DGE528T. Trouble is, the latter doesn't have a DOS/W9x driver for backing
up with Ghost - a PITA.

"Ken" <Reply to NG only> wrote in message
news:45bcd7ee$0$2448$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Any idea of the life expectancy of a router/modem. I don't know where the
> fault lies, but increasingly I'm unable to detect its presence, even
though
> all lights on it are suggesting that it's OK. Re-booting it usually seems
> to work, but this is a pain.

In message <(E-Mail Removed) >, Java Jive
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>I don't know if I've just been really unlucky, or whether there was/is some
>factor at work, but I had my suspicions that perhaps a 3Com 3C905 netcard
>was causing spikes when I turned on its PC,
I suspect you're wrong but if that's true you've got a *really* faulty
card there, there should be galvanic isolation between the PC and the
network, the data signals are passed through coupling transformers which
should be good for 1500V isolation and any 'spikes' should never make it
across that.
--
Clint Sharp

On Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:30:30 -0000, "Java Jive" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>A very sore point with me - after the third router went down in what
>seemed about as many years, I compiled stats for my experiences:
[...]
>So I concluded that the average life expectancy of a router was about 2.7
>years
[...]
>I don't know if I've just been really unlucky, or whether there was/is some
>factor at work,

You certainly have been unlucky. The electronics in a router is
subjected to no more stress than a portable radio, and they generally
work for decades. I've no idea what can have been happening to your
routers, but if it's costing you that much it would be useful to find
out in case it damages something more expensive.

Modern electronics really only fails in hostile environments. Low
voltage stuff usually just sits on a shelf gathering dust until it
becomes history. You should expect anything without moving parts to be
in perfect working order when you throw it away.

Rod.