Risks with buying a used router - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Miti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2025, 02:52:03 am
content: Hi,I have some concerns about a used router that I bought couple of weeks ago. It is a Netgear R7000.I bought the first one used in 2020, I installed Fresh Tomato right away, I used it since then and I have no complains.Recently I thought about upgrading from FT 2020.3 to 2025.3. Don't ask why, I just wanted. Instead of shutting down my network I bought a second one for $30.First thing was to install Fresh Tomato 2025.3, did an NVRAM erase, all that. However, the boot time of #2 is almost double than #1.First I thought is bigger software but then I got suspicious and I upgraded #1 to the same version. The boot time is still almost double.I swapped them immediately but is it too late? Is it possible that the bootloader is patched?The bootloader versions are different v1.0.21 vs v1.0.22 but is it enough to explain longer boot time? Should I be concerned?Cheers,Miti

author: Hogwild
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2025, 02:11:34 pm
content: Cross-linked from:https://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/netgear-r7000-different-boot-time-on-two-routers-with-ft.79356/

author: Sorama
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2025, 02:23:25 pm
content: Don’t be concerned.Nothing suspicious about that.

author: Miti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2025, 10:38:19 pm
content: Quote from: Hogwild on September 01, 2025, 02:11:34 pmYeah, nobody answered on this forum.

author: Miti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2025, 10:39:29 pm
content: Quote from: Sorama on September 01, 2025, 02:23:25 pmI think you are right, I did some more experiments and seems to be the bootloader.

author: radiolistener
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2025, 04:39:56 am
content: The main risk with purchasing used routers is that they have already been in operation for some time, and the lifespan of modern electronics is typically designed for around five years on average, at best. For example, I bought a new gigabit router back in 2012. Recently, I started noticing issues with UDP packet loss at high speeds. Initially, I didn’t think much of it, but the situation gradually worsened.After extensive testing, I managed to trace the problem back to the router itself. For some reason, iperf showed a high packet loss rate (about 1-5% loss) when transmitting through the device. I was about to discard the router, but upon opening it, I discovered swollen capacitors near the Ethernet PHY chip. Replacing these capacitors resolved the packet loss issue. However, the router’s PCB used a poor-quality lead-free solder that was extremely difficult to melt, even at 320°C, so desoldering the components was quite challenging.Interestingly, I first noticed the issue while debugging code that was transmitting a high-speed real-time UDP stream (~900 Mbit/sec). I encountered packet loss that should not have occurred and had not been observed previously. The problem was not noticeable with regular TCP traffic, due to retransmissions, but of course this still affected overall throughput.This experience highlights that even seemingly minor hardware aging issues in used routers can significantly impact performance, especially at high network speeds.

author: Miti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2025, 11:26:00 pm
content: I agree but I don't think Netgear R7000 has any electrolytics, other than the power adapter, which is welded.