I figured those $15 'refurbished' routers from the surplus store were junk

My old one died and I grabbed a cheap one from the surplus place on 5th Street. It looked pretty beat up. I set it up expecting it to fail in a week, but it's been running my whole apartment for 8 months now without a single drop. The guy at the counter said they test them, but I didn't believe him. Anyone else had a win with surplus electronics?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery19910d ago

Those surplus routers are often just old business gear that got cycled out. They're built like tanks compared to the flimsy plastic stuff sold at big box stores. My buddy's been running one for years after his fancy new router crapped out. Sometimes the ugly duckling is just a reliable workhorse.

finleym4310d ago

That's some serious luck right there. For every one that lasts, there are ten of those surplus routers with outdated, insecure software that never gets updates. The hardware might be solid, but running old firmware is just asking for trouble with hackers and weird connection bugs. It's a gamble that isn't worth the few bucks saved.

williams.jenny9d ago

No kidding, I got a ten dollar switch from a school surplus sale. Thing is ugly and missing a rubber foot, but it's handled my home office gear for over a year. Sometimes the old stuff just won't quit.