Can somebody explain what this means? I'm still confused. Firmware lockdown, does it mean I can't install dd-wrt or something? Any other consequenses?
TP-Link begins router firmware lockdown due to FCC proposed regulation
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Re: TP-Link begins router firmware lockdown due to FCC proposed regulation
#32Can somebody explain what this means? I'm still confused. Firmware lockdown, does it mean I can't install dd-wrt or something? Any other consequenses?
Correct, no custom firmware, and it appears no downgrading your firmware to an older version without this restriction.
It's a trap-door upgrade.
Re: TP-Link begins router firmware lockdown due to FCC proposed regulation
#33Can somebody explain what this means? I'm still confused. Firmware lockdown, does it mean I can't install dd-wrt or something? Any other consequenses?
Probably means that there is now a restriction on the firmware upload page of the router, so that it won't accept any arbitrary image, most likely implemented via signing.
Doesn't necessarily mean you can't load your own firmware in, but it would raise the difficulty of doing so. Finding a serial console on the board, vulnerabilities in the software, things like that - more akin to jailbreaking/rooting your phone.
Re: TP-Link begins router firmware lockdown due to FCC proposed regulation
#34Doesn't the old gun argument apply here? They're just punishing the average tech guy -- smart criminals will just find a away around it.
Re: TP-Link begins router firmware lockdown due to FCC proposed regulation
#35Well crap... I have two C7s. IMO there might not be (or at least have been) a better mainstream router for the price.
I got an Archer C7 during the Winter Shopping Season, that was affected by this. In the current revision, I got around the lock by booting into recovery mode and uploading OpenWRT via TFTP. I expect that future models will close this hole, and then I definitely won’t be buying TP-LINK devices in the future. I think it’s a bit extreme to say the C7 is the best. It never was the best performer, and already 802.11ac Wav…
It's definitely not the best in the whole market, but in the sub $100 consumer router area? I've not used anything better. I replaced a couple much more expensive routers with these and I've been very happy. I feel like it is such a praised model because it is such a value by being good, maybe not great in most important categories at such a low price.
When these die or get obsolete I think I'll finally just move up to the entry level business products a la Ubiquiti or the like.
Re: TP-Link begins router firmware lockdown due to FCC proposed regulation
#36Well crap... I have two C7s. IMO there might not be (or at least have been) a better mainstream router for the price.
It's not cheap, but it's badass. https://omnia.turris.cz/en/
The page says starting at 99 and I literally couldn't find a buy button fast enough. After landing on the Indiegogo page and seeing how much it would cost for a few of the features I'm interested in- yeah, I'll pass. It sounds like a heck of a router but it got spendy fast.
Re: TP-Link begins router firmware lockdown due to FCC proposed regulation
#37Is this limited to devices sold in the US? They are going to impose it on every other place that sells them? Afiu tp-link has no obligations to manage two devices trees for a niche community. Stubborn minority effect at play here. [1] http://fooledbyrandomness.com/minority.pdf
That's something I'm also wondering about. IIRC, the first thing my stock WDR3600 firmware asked me about was which country I am in, which means that frequency locking can be easily bypassed (not power levels, though). To make this as bulletproof as FCC wants they would have to make separate firmware image for the US and prevent US firmwares from being "upgraded" to non-US. edit: And this is exactly what they did: Re…
Question: if a manufacturer has their radios/devices blessed by the FCC are they blessing the software the comes a long with it?
Would there be a gray market for international versions of routers because they're the exact same hardware and not as locked? If I'm a manufacturer I certainly don't want a whole new BOM variation just for US devices if I can solve the problem with software.
Re: TP-Link begins router firmware lockdown due to FCC proposed regulation
#38https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/blog/2015/11/12/clearing-air...
TP-Link may well be locking down firmware, but it is NOT because the FCC is forcing them to.
Re: TP-Link begins router firmware lockdown due to FCC proposed regulation
#39So sad, I got a nice tplink for my mother and installed openwrt to gain some more control over the device. Unfortunate to see this support go away due to government.
>Unfortunate to see this support go away due to government.
This support went away because people were abusing it running their routers on forbidden bands at higher than allow transmission levels.
The vendors are doing what they can easily do now and it's block the firmware modification since they can't replace the baseband/wifi cards as easily.
Re: TP-Link begins router firmware lockdown due to FCC proposed regulation
#40And this is why, in a nutshell, linux should switch to GPL3.
Right now there is no issue for TP-link to "preenmptively" block their hardware. If there was, they would think twice about it.