I use UPnP. My Fritz!Box router disables it by default, controls UPnP access with per-device controls, and permits using it to open IPv6 ports on the WAN side as well.
None of the IoT crap can open ports but I don't need to use a web UI to temporarily open a port on my computer.
I know plenty of shitty routers have terrible security on it and should have it disabled by default, but the protocol itself is pretty useful.
I do not use UPnP myself but I agree with the notion, hate the bad implementations not the protocol itself. When limited to specific ports by specific devices it does have its uses.
Isn't fritz a derogatory term for Germans? That's a weird choice of a name for a router. Or is it like a joke? Or maybe Germans aren't familiar with that slur?
Aren't those Fritz!Box routers (common in Europe) precisely examples of "shitty routers with terrible security?"
The first thing I would do with a typical residential Internet connection is to ask the ISP to give me an ONT so that I can use my own router, a commodity x86 PC running Linux. Their underpowered plastic boxes simply won't cut it when it comes to complex firewall rules and high VPN throughput. I also don't want to deal with their shitty web UIs and would rather script the setup I want.