I've done some searching for an answer to when to upgrade/reflash but my terms / phrases didn't find anything.
So the question is does your currently flashed build ever give you notifications about "Hey this version has been found to have some security issues, flash to current!"? Do you guys just reflash every time there is a new stable, based on other criteria or do you flash and leave for a few years because "if it ain't broke..."?
I'm running OpenWrt 24.10.5 at present but 25.12.2 is current for my device.
Keeping up to date is best practice in order to keep your device secure. I recommend upgrading whenever a new version is available. 24.10.6 is also available if you need to stay on 24.10 for any reason, but this is the last release as it is EOL now that 25.12 is out.
OK so just to be clear your 'current flashed' doesn't have a "y0 there is a new [channel] build!" or "This version is EOL." notification and we should just always monitor releases?
(Thanks for the quick reply)
Starting with 25.12, the OpenWrt Upgrade Tool (OWUT) is pre-installed and will ask you if you'd like it to check for updates when you login to the router.
You can install OWUT / ASU on 24.10 without a problem, too.
And releases are announced here as well as via the mailing list (you can subscribe to either).
I added 2 RSS feeds to watch for new releases yesterday. Comically during my search for RSS feeds I saw mention of a release mailing list but the posts I found said that was planned for the future but not implemented yet...and the posts were old heh.
Good to hear there will be a notification. I'm so used to routers getting like 1 update every 5 years when some vulnerability gets tons of publicity. I'll jump to 25.12.2 and keep an eye on things. Thanks again for the info!