Five things to take off your network today

1 Frayed cables

Can you see the little coloured internal conductors anywhere on a cable? In the bin with it, forthwith. Lots have transparent plastic plugs, held in place by a simple friction grip, so you can see the eight tiny leads through the plastic. If you see them anywhere else, such as through a rip in the outer sheath or at either end, then that cable is toast. Replacements are cheap and have real benefits for reliability and performance.

2 Low-speed hubs

The original building-block of twisted-pair Ethernet, these seem to combine complete dimwitted unmanageability with an eternal lifespan, so there are plenty of them knocking around to this day. They may still have a role if you want your internet connection to be attached to by several different devices, but the advantages of a proper network switch are becoming undeniable. At least try dropping in a decent modern switch in place of Old Faithful; you can always change back.

3 Cheap appliances using long-dead operating systems

One good example is those “embedded” CCTV systems whose appeal relies largely on flashy chrome trim rather than technical capabilities.

Most haven’t seen a security patch in years and represent an appalling security hole, quite aside from probably clogging up your network. Don’t worry about who bought them, or why – you have a responsibility to get them offline quickly and permanently. I recommend snipping the mains and data cables as flush to the casing as you can.

4 Powerline network extenders

These became popular in the 2000s, allowing small businesses to extend their networks without having to invest in proper cabling or grapple with newfangled Wi-Fi services. However, powerline data rates no longer cut the mustard, and some systems are also very insecure: it’s much safer to put together a few bits of fibre-optic Ethernet and some hybrid switches, and your users will thank you for the huge speed boost.

5 Routers older than your phone

It may sound a bit mean, but it’s a good rule of thumb. Typical Wi-Fi and DSL routers are by far the cheapest part of an SMB’s mobile estate, yet they’re typically replaced only once in a blue moon. Thus we get to the absurd position where employees’ personal devices support 5G and Wi-Fi 7, while the company’s infrastructure lags several generations behind. Do the right thing and keep up.