Most Melbourne small businesses replace their computers on a 4 to 5 year cycle. Fewer have any plan at all for replacing their network hardware — routers, switches, firewalls and Wi-Fi access points. Network hardware gets forgotten because it lives in a cabinet or on top of a shelf, quietly doing its job until it doesn’t. By the time problems appear, the hardware is often years past its useful life and the business has been exposed to both reliability and cybersecurity risk without realising it.
Business-grade network hardware has a meaningful lifespan before it should be considered for replacement. Consumer-grade hardware (the type sold at JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman) has a shorter useful lifespan in a business environment because it is not designed for the duty cycle of continuous commercial use.
Business routers from Cisco, Fortinet and Draytek typically last 5 to 7 years under normal conditions. Consumer routers in a business environment should be replaced after 3 to 4 years due to heat and duty cycle.
Good quality managed switches (Cisco, HP Aruba, Netgear) are among the longest-lived network devices. However, firmware support ends well before hardware failure — check vendor end-of-support dates.
Firewalls need more frequent replacement than other network hardware because security threat intelligence and firmware updates are critical to their function. An out-of-support firewall provides a false sense of security.
Wi-Fi standards evolve significantly every few years. Access points supporting only older standards (802.11n / Wi-Fi 4) significantly limit the speed of modern devices. Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is now the business standard.
Every network device has a vendor-defined End of Life (EOL) or End of Support (EOS) date. After this date, the manufacturer stops releasing firmware updates, security patches and vulnerability fixes. The device continues to function — but any security vulnerabilities discovered after the EOL date will never be patched.
🚨 End-of-life hardware is a direct cybersecurity risk. Security researchers and cybercriminals both analyse end-of-life devices for vulnerabilities. When a vulnerability is found in an EOL device, it is publicly disclosed — but no patch is ever released. Any business still running that hardware is permanently exposed. This is not theoretical: several major ransomware campaigns have specifically targeted known vulnerabilities in EOL network hardware from Cisco, Fortinet and Netgear.
The good news: modern business-grade network hardware has come a long way. Products from Ubiquiti UniFi, Cisco Meraki, Fortinet, HP Aruba and Ruckus are more affordable, more powerful and easier to manage than equivalent products from 5 years ago.
| Device type | 2025 recommendation | Key improvement over older hardware |
|---|---|---|
| Router / Gateway | Fortinet FortiGate 40F or 60F, Cisco Meraki MX67 | Integrated next-gen firewall, IPS, web filtering, automatic threat intelligence updates |
| Switches | Cisco Catalyst 1000, HP Aruba 1830, Ubiquiti UniFi Switch | PoE+ for Wi-Fi and cameras, VLAN support, cloud management, higher port speeds |
| Wi-Fi Access Points | Ubiquiti UniFi U6, Aruba AP-515, Cisco Meraki MR46 | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) — 3× faster throughput, better performance in high-density environments |
| Firewall / UTM | Fortinet FortiGate, Sophos XGS, SonicWall TZ | Real-time threat intelligence, deep packet inspection, automatic security updates |
Replacing all network hardware at once is neither necessary nor realistic for most small businesses. A phased approach spreads cost and minimises risk.
The firewall and router are the most security-critical devices on your network. If these are past their end-of-life date, they should be replaced as a priority regardless of whether the rest of the network is due for refresh. A compromised firewall exposes everything behind it.
Wi-Fi performance directly affects staff productivity and satisfaction. Upgrading to Wi-Fi 6 access points delivers an immediate, noticeable improvement that staff experience every day. PoE+ switches (which power the access points over the network cable) should be upgraded at the same time.
Managed switches are the longest-lived network hardware and can often be the last to be replaced. However, if your switches don’t support VLANs, are running without firmware updates or are showing port failures, include them in the refresh plan.
Unifill IT approach: When we conduct a network audit for a Melbourne western suburbs business, we document every device, check its EOL status and performance, and provide a prioritised replacement plan with indicative costs. You get a clear picture of what needs replacing now, what can wait 12 months and what is still fine for 3+ years. This means you can budget accurately and avoid emergency replacements.
Costs below are approximate hardware only for a 10 to 20 person Melbourne small business. Installation, configuration and project management are additional.
Compare this to the cost of a ransomware incident through a compromised EOL firewall ($10,000 to $50,000+ for a small business) or sustained productivity losses from poor Wi-Fi affecting 15 staff for 12 months.
Unifill IT conducts free network audits for businesses across Tarneit, Hoppers Crossing, Truganina, Point Cook and Werribee. We check every device, identify EOL hardware, assess security gaps and give you a clear replacement plan with costs — no obligation to proceed.
Book a Free Network Audit →The best time to plan a network hardware refresh is before something fails — not after. Unifill IT manages network hardware replacements for businesses across Melbourne’s western suburbs with after-hours cutovers and 30-day post-migration support. Call 0452 330 180 or visit unifill.com.au.