APs, the wireless router graveyard

[sinshiva]

Most here have likely accumulated quite a collection of SOHO routers. As I've been phasing out routers based on age and NAT performance, my routers typically become Access Points. By this point, i've probably given away 5 or 6 G spec'd and older routers. I have a dual band linksys that's collecting dust because for a long time, there was no way to get rid of WPS. this ended up being a dedicated router with the radios disabled when my DIY router kicked the bucket. Now, i could flash dd-wrt, but it only has 100mbit lan, despite having n300 on both bands simultaneously. So, yet another router i'll likely give away, after a dd-wrt flash.

That said, the day will likely arrive that i move my n66r to the 'graveyard'; thinking about it made me wonder what people are doing with their old devices. I thought about donating them to a church, etc, but am now wondering if there might be a better option, involving tax returns. I may or may not look into what's available locally, but even if i do, probably wouldn't learn of a better option unless i ask here.

 

[thiggins]

In the U.S. any donation to qualified non-profit organizations are tax deductible. Where you can get into trouble is in setting a value on your donation, which is generally up to you, not the recipient.

If you can't donate them, please recycle responsibly. What I typically do now is buy a recyling box from Office Depot (they have three sizes, $5, 10 and $15) and spend an afternoon from time to time taking things apart I'm recycling. The packaging and plastic enclosures go into regular recycling, leaving only the circuit board for the Office Depot box.