Previously, my family was using a Linksys WRT54GL. After some years of running 24/7 the router stopped working as well so it was replaced with another Linksys WRT54GL running an open-source OS (whose name I cannot find at the moment). The problem we are having with this router, is that its performance slows down after being on for a certain amount of time (~1-4 weeks).
Could this be a software-related issue? Or is it more likely to be happening because of the hardware. I feel like it's the latter of the two.
edit: I should note that the second router was most likely purchased second-hand. Which could also explain why it is slow at times.
Thanks
It would definitely help to know which custom firmware you're using. A WRT54G, as the name suggests, has pretty limited wireless speeds, but if you're fine with the speeds you get for a while, but it eventually degrades, then something must be going wrong that accumulates over time. Worst-case scenario: most custom router firmware that I know of offers command line access, so you could always write a simple script that reboots the router in the middle of the night (when no one is using it) once a week and that should be an effective workaround. DD-WRT (the router firmware I know well) and most (all?) other custom router software is based on Linux, so it should be pretty easy to look up how to write a scheduled reboot script.
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Why not just turn it off occasionaly? Could be overheating etc. Or as @DynamicRanger said - just needs a reboot.
Hmm is it actually a WRT54G or is it the slightly newer WRT54GL or GS? There's been many versions of this access point. The WRT54G was a hugely popular access point back in the day. It first launched in 2002, so in the AP world it's considered super old. I believe it is a single-band b/g access point, which is severely limiting if you have modern mobile devices and a decent internet plan. If you have a small budget to purchase a new access point, I would highly recommend it - especially if you use modern dual-band mobile devices. As long as you aren't being bottlenecked by your ISP plan, you should see performance increases when upgrading to a 802.11 g/b/n access point. No need to upgrade to an 802.11ac supporting device unless you use mobile devices that support ac.
In my opinion, access points should be replaced every 5 years or less if possible. Many APs have very high failure rates and short shelf lives.
I checked the model and it is indeed a WRT54GL, sorry for the confusion. I'm not very worried about the internet plan though, since the speeds are fairly low. Anyways, thanks for the help. I think I'll start looking in to buying a new router, preferably new.
Also, in hopes of having something longer-lasting, could an enterprise-grade WAP be an option? Or would you recommend something, less expensive, on the consumer level that could be swapped out every few years?
No need to invest in something enterprise grade. In my opinion, spending more than $100 on an AP is questionable unless you have specific needs for a higher grade one. Just grab a decently priced dual-band b/g/n access point and you should be good. I'd recommend some manufacturers, but people pretty much have gripes about all of them. In my opinion, netgear has improved their devices in the last ~5 years. Some folks don't like newer Cisco/Linksys firmwares - some people like their current products, while others don't. ASUS's RT-N66U and RT-AC66U are super popular, but I've had issues with them from time to time. Its a bit of a crap shoot to be honest. I would recommend staying with a known brand( Netgear, Cisco/Linksys, ASUS, Actiontec) at least though since support will be more available online if you do have issues.
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If you are looking towards another router that is cheap but has a bit more power then I would say TP-Link TL-WR1043ND. They are dirt cheap then if you want to up on that Asus RT-N56U is a bit more expensive but more powerful. After that you get TP-Link Archer C7 and Asus RT-AC66U as popular devices.
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