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TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

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Re: TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

#91

Post by mort96 »

ksec wrote: post #69
ktta wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I realize people's opinions differ on this, but having Google's wifi router is one of the most privacy compromising things one can do. Security wise, sure, great idea. But there's so much data to collect at the router level. From wireless MAC addresses (which it already does), and to every single IP address visited by every device in the household. I might sound paranoid, but with continuous news of Google's privacy…

Apple Airport is probably the best router I have ever owned. Not the fastest, but extremely Stable, based on NetBSD and from a company that makes money on my hardware rather then my Data. I really hope they will have an 802.11ax version once they iron out all the crap that is going on in there.

My biggest issue with Apple routers is that you _need_ an Apple device to do anything with them.

I have an AirPort Extreme, and while I'm not opposed to having Apple devices, I also don't exclusively buy from them, but rather what I deem to be the best product for my purposes at the time of purchase. That currently means an iPhone, an iPad, and a Dell laptop running Linux, but has in the past included both Apple laptops and Android phones and tablets. Because of my choice of router, I need to make sure that I always have at least one Apple device, preferably as a main device for convenience (because running a server means I need to mess with ports now and then).

A simple web interface would've solved this. They could still have their own app to make it just as user friendly for people who don't have an Apple device immediately at hand.

I will likely never buy a Mac again becauss I absolutely need Linux, and they're making their Macs worse and worse for Linux. I plan to eventually replace my need for a tablet with one of those Dell XPS convertible machines with a touch screen. That means there will come a time when I need to choose between letting the router be a factor in what phone I buy, or get a new, non-Apple router, and that kinda sucks.

Re: TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

#92

Post by Xylakant »

jlgaddis wrote: post #86
Xylakant wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I fail to see the problem with affiliate links in that context. The site openly disclosed that they use affiliate links to amazon. The site provides a value, a ranked list of compatible devices. I might actually use it if I were shopping around for a device. Building and maintaining it probably takes some effort. It deserves to get paid. If you think that all for-profit pages should be banned from mention then this h…

> The site openly disclosed that they use affiliate links to amazon. Did it? I was on an iPad and only realized they were affiliate links after I clicked on one and it took to Amazon. Immediately, I looked at the URL to see if there was a referral tag in there. I then went back and noticed "DISCLOSURE" at the very bottom, in the footer, but I don't recall seeing any mention of it before that. > If you think that all…

> Did it?

It says first thing on the top that links go to amazon. There's a link at the bottom to the full discussion. What's the issue if the links to amazon are affiliate links? It's not like they're forcing you to buy or that the value you get from the site is reduced by that. They don't hype a specific device either.

> Did I say anything even remotely close to that?

I very much understood your complaint about "spammy, since he links to a page that he's affiliated with" to go in the direction that nobody should link to a monetized service he's somehow affiliated with, yes.

Re: TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

#93

Post by w0utert »

herpderperator wrote: post #59

Don't bother with repeaters. Get normal access points, and install several of them if you need to disperse the range around a large area/building/complex. If the SSID and security passphrases match, clients will roam seamlessly between the different APs. I suspect the reason people buy repeaters is that they don't realise that this is possible, or they don't want additional cabling. Repeaters add latency and I can't…

>> Don't bother with repeaters. Get normal access points, and install several of them if you need to disperse the range around a large area/building/complex.

Or better yet, buy a bunch of Ubiqity UniFi's, which were specifically made for this purpose and should provide the most seamless and efficient way to blanket your house in Wifi (provided you already have cabling to the access points). They are not cheap, but also not extremely expensive compared to a decent router either.

Re: TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

#94

Post by megaman22 »

Xylakant wrote: post #92
jlgaddis wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The site openly disclosed that they use affiliate links to amazon. Did it? I was on an iPad and only realized they were affiliate links after I clicked on one and it took to Amazon. Immediately, I looked at the URL to see if there was a referral tag in there. I then went back and noticed "DISCLOSURE" at the very bottom, in the footer, but I don't recall seeing any mention of it before that. > If you think that all…

> Did it? It says first thing on the top that links go to amazon. There's a link at the bottom to the full discussion. What's the issue if the links to amazon are affiliate links? It's not like they're forcing you to buy or that the value you get from the site is reduced by that. They don't hype a specific device either. > Did I say anything even remotely close to that? I very much understood your complaint about "sp…

I'm of the oppinion that all links to amazon, for example, should be affiliate links. Somebody should be getting that cut.

Re: TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

#95

Post by nerdponx »

ktta wrote: post #9

PSA Anyone with commodity routers, repeaters, etc. please check out LEDE project https://lede-project.org . Check if your device has support here - https://lede-project.org/toh/start LEDE firmware is amazing. You will be able to do a lot more with your router and they have quick security fixes. The recent krack vulnerability was fixed within 2 days after the announcement.

FWIW this only affects repeaters, not routers.

Re: TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

#96

Post by stordoff »

ktta wrote: post #9

PSA Anyone with commodity routers, repeaters, etc. please check out LEDE project https://lede-project.org . Check if your device has support here - https://lede-project.org/toh/start LEDE firmware is amazing. You will be able to do a lot more with your router and they have quick security fixes. The recent krack vulnerability was fixed within 2 days after the announcement.

FWIW, it can be worth checking beyond whether or not your device is _supported_. I had DD-WRT running on an ASUS RT-AC68U for a while, and ended up switching back to a fork of the official firmware (Asuswrt-Merlin) for better performance once I upgraded to a >100Mbps WAN connection (IIRC it was something to do with hardware-accelerated NAT).

Re: TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

#97

Post by EwanToo »

megaman22 wrote: post #94
Xylakant wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Did it? It says first thing on the top that links go to amazon. There's a link at the bottom to the full discussion. What's the issue if the links to amazon are affiliate links? It's not like they're forcing you to buy or that the value you get from the site is reduced by that. They don't hype a specific device either. > Did I say anything even remotely close to that? I very much understood your complaint about "sp…

I'm of the oppinion that all links to amazon, for example, should be affiliate links. Somebody should be getting that cut.

Ideally I think it would be https://smile.amazon.com/ but I know it's never that simple..

Re: TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

#98

Post by cesarb »

ksec wrote: post #69
ktta wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I realize people's opinions differ on this, but having Google's wifi router is one of the most privacy compromising things one can do. Security wise, sure, great idea. But there's so much data to collect at the router level. From wireless MAC addresses (which it already does), and to every single IP address visited by every device in the household. I might sound paranoid, but with continuous news of Google's privacy…

Apple Airport is probably the best router I have ever owned. Not the fastest, but extremely Stable, based on NetBSD and from a company that makes money on my hardware rather then my Data. I really hope they will have an 802.11ax version once they iron out all the crap that is going on in there.

We've used Apple Airport access points at a previous company, and while they work great, they are a pain to configure: you have to either interrupt a Mac-using coworker and use his machine, or try the more limited Windows version of the software on Wine and hope it works.

Re: TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

#99

Post by stordoff »

Xylakant wrote: post #80
jlgaddis wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice referral links on your page. I see from your comment history that you've spammed HN with it several times in the past as well. --- Edit: To be clear, there's nothing inherently wrong with affiliate links. To me, though, it's the same as someone here mentioning their product or service in a comment without disclosing their affiliation. It's one thing to tell another person "The FooBar 9000 is a good router.". It'…

I fail to see the problem with affiliate links in that context. The site openly disclosed that they use affiliate links to amazon. The site provides a value, a ranked list of compatible devices. I might actually use it if I were shopping around for a device. Building and maintaining it probably takes some effort. It deserves to get paid. If you think that all for-profit pages should be banned from mention then this h…

I agree that the use of affiliate links isn't a huge issue, but I'm not sure I'd agree that the site _openly_ discloses the use of Amazon affiliate links. To learn that information, you have to notice "Disclosure" in the footer (which doesn't indicate what sort of disclosure it is), and even then the resultant page doesn't have a straight-forward statement along the lines of "This site makes use of Amazon affiliate links".

I also feel like the following is possibly _slightly_ misleading, or at least intended to induce the use of the provided links:

> By using any link on this site – affiliate or not – you will get a better deal by purchasing a corresponding product through that link than you would by going directly through the linked company’s site

Re: TP-Link firmware sends six DNS requests and one NTP query every 5 seconds

#100

Post by mtgx »

cbhl wrote: post #13
xamlhacker wrote: post #2

Well I run a TP-link repeater and now thinking of getting something better. Someone know any routers or repeaters with reputation for good firmware?

If you trust Google, consider buying into Google Wifi mesh routers. If not, consider eero.

Amplifi HD seems better in terms of range and signal strength.
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