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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

#111

Post by philjohn »

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.

This. I've got a TPLink Repeater (RE450) and a Netgear R7800 router, both are running LEDE and have given me a slew of great features out of the box, and many more that can be installed after the fact using the packaging system.

There's also a third router, an old TP-Link 1043ND running as a wireless bridge to connect devices in my AV setup, once again running LEDE.

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

#112

Post by philjohn »

stordoff wrote: post #96
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).

There's a patch to enable Qualcomm FastPath in LEDE, this offloads simpler TCP and UDP traffic from the Kernel stack and gets me 960Mbps LAN to WAN on a Netgear R7800.

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

#113

Post by philjohn »

nerdponx wrote: post #95
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.

And repeaters are also supported by Lede, the TPLink RE450 being one such (I should know, I run a totally LEDE stack at home, and have an RE450 to get the signal better upstairs).

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

#114

Post by UncleEntity »

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.

The restaurant I was 'stealing' wifi from (not to mention my landlord) probably would've had a problem with me running a hundred meters or so of ethernet cable so a $60 repeater + aluminium can parabolic dish and Bob's your uncle. Worked for around two years until the interference from my neighbors' wifi made to signal too dodgy and (I think) they got wise and changed the password.

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

#115

Post by ce4 »

tobbyb wrote: post #78
ce4 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just install https://lede-project.org firmware, the successor of OpenWRT.

It's not so clear cut. You need to benchmark before and after. Often acceleration modules on Broadcom, Qualcomm, Mediatek etc are proprietary and without acceleration in OpenWrt/Lede the router is going to be dog slow. The wifi modules are also proprietary and need be well supported by Openwrt/Lede or you will see throughput drops. Of late it's just best to use what's in the router and not bother. And we move to fast…

You're right. I always consult LEDE's supported hardware wiki first before making a purchase decision. It's not user friendly at all and since EU's Radio Equipment Directive [1], things haven't become easier.

[1]: http://www.etsi.org/technologies-clusters/technologies/regul...

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

#116

Post by zoe1337 »

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…

Powerline Ethernet might be a solution for the cable problem. I'm thinking of connecting the extra AP(s) through Powerline Ethernet to the router if there is no copper Ethernet available.

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

#117

Post by rvanmil »

w0utert wrote: post #93
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 al…

Or better yet, get the AmpliFi’s instead of the UniFi’s :)

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

#118

Post by kalleboo »

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.

Apple Airports are also not compatible with all network configurations - it would not work with my fiber connection due to the MTU, and I had to buy a router from another brand.

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

#120

Post by djaychela »

colanderman wrote: post #119

> an always-on Windows device will use around 1,6 KB per month How is this possible? Is the author ignoring Windows Update?

I'm thinking he's just referring to the traffic relevant to the TP-Link firmware - otherwise there's no way to make any relevant comparison.
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