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Hidden Networks in TP-Link Routers

jahed.dev

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Re: Hidden Networks in TP-Link Routers

#11

Post by andrewxdiamond »

formerly_proven wrote: post #6

So after the Ubiquiti debacle I went out and looked for a similar combination (solid hardware + not-too-annoying software). After briefly considering Mikrotik (which has issues with ac (wifi 5) and no ax (wifi 6) support) I settled on Grandstream for now. They don't just make phones but a small set of fairly nicely featured wifi APs for ok prices. Hardware seems solid, Software not annoying. I've bought a few pieces…

> So after the Ubiquiti debacle…

I was in this same boat, but did you know that data breach was completely fabricated by a disgruntled employee? They didn’t actually leak any data or had any real breach. It’s still not great that this was doable, but at some level, someone has to have the keys to the kingdom.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29411775

I think Ubiquiti makes really nice gear for prosumers, and it is completely unfair that their good reputation has suffered so much over this incident.

Re: Hidden Networks in TP-Link Routers

#12

Post by mhitza »

This type of whackery is (the primary reason) why I try to buy computing devices on which I can flash a clean OS (OpenWrt/DD-WRT for routers)[1]. It sucks because it limits my choices down to a few, but at the same time I feel like I don't throw out money at abandonware.

[1] don't even get me started on TP-Link releasing routers with the same name but v2/v3/2020/2021 update where it's hard to even know if I'm buying the one that supports the custom OS flash.

Re: Hidden Networks in TP-Link Routers

#13

Post by bpye »

andrewxdiamond wrote: post #11
formerly_proven wrote: post #6

So after the Ubiquiti debacle I went out and looked for a similar combination (solid hardware + not-too-annoying software). After briefly considering Mikrotik (which has issues with ac (wifi 5) and no ax (wifi 6) support) I settled on Grandstream for now. They don't just make phones but a small set of fairly nicely featured wifi APs for ok prices. Hardware seems solid, Software not annoying. I've bought a few pieces…

> So after the Ubiquiti debacle… I was in this same boat, but did you know that data breach was completely fabricated by a disgruntled employee? They didn’t actually leak any data or had any real breach. It’s still not great that this was doable, but at some level, someone has to have the keys to the kingdom. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29411775 I think Ubiquiti makes really nice gear for prosumers, and it i…

There was more to the debacle, for example, putting ads for their other products in the controller UI.

Re: Hidden Networks in TP-Link Routers

#15

Post by amenghra »

treesknees wrote: post #7
SavantIdiot wrote: post #3

Huawei AX3 does something similar. As does any Xfinity router (but I think you can turn that off) but the Xfinity mesh is actually pretty decent if you have a subscription. Similarly, in Vietnam HCMC you can connect to wifi anywhere in the city because every telco/isp router creates a mesh like Xfinity. It's not a bad idea: having wifi network everywhere, but I suspect 5G will obviate this need. Wouldn't surprise me…

The public hotspot systems are actually much "worse" in terms of the overheads the author wrote about. With a couple of unused SSIDs, they're just sending out a simple 802.11 beacon frame every so often and that's it. The energy cost and disruption to surrounding networks/channels must be minimal. With a hotspot, not only do you have regular network traffic flowing and causing more potential interference, your router…

Too bad fon/fonera didn’t span out. The idea was to share your access point (in a secure way) and earn credits for doing so.

Re: Hidden Networks in TP-Link Routers

#16

Post by alerighi »

formerly_proven wrote: post #6

So after the Ubiquiti debacle I went out and looked for a similar combination (solid hardware + not-too-annoying software). After briefly considering Mikrotik (which has issues with ac (wifi 5) and no ax (wifi 6) support) I settled on Grandstream for now. They don't just make phones but a small set of fairly nicely featured wifi APs for ok prices. Hardware seems solid, Software not annoying. I've bought a few pieces…

I like products from GL-inet. I have one of their small routers for my house, native support for OpenWRT, without doing anything difficult to install it (no need to flash via serial port, there is also a nice uboot recovery web interface in case you brick the device by flashing the wrong image as I did!), everything works nicely out of the box.

They are small AP so not that big range, but rather inexpensive and you can have a lot of them in your house (of course if you already have a wired network).

And by the way if you don't want to bother flashing OpenWRT... the stock firmware is already a custom build of OpenWRT, and fully unlocked, you can connect in SSH, install Luci, and install packages without limitations. Of course you can also use the simplified web ui that they provide that is nice. I installed a custom version just because I wanted to have more updated packages, but the stock one works fine if you only need an AP.

Re: Hidden Networks in TP-Link Routers

#18

Post by encryptluks2 »

Many TP-Link products are absolutely terrible. Their Mesh products at Costco, you have to use an app on your phone to manage them and they are tied to an online account so presumably they are shipping your network info back to China. They won't even let you change your login email address once you've registered.

Re: Hidden Networks in TP-Link Routers

#19

Post by azinman2 »

mhitza wrote: post #12

This type of whackery is (the primary reason) why I try to buy computing devices on which I can flash a clean OS (OpenWrt/DD-WRT for routers)[1]. It sucks because it limits my choices down to a few, but at the same time I feel like I don't throw out money at abandonware. [1] don't even get me started on TP-Link releasing routers with the same name but v2/v3/2020/2021 update where it's hard to even know if I'm buying…

The author touched on right of repair. I’d love to see a law requiring all devices to either be supported, or if being sunset, being required by law to provide tools/source/schematics to take over the device and extend its utility beyond the manufacturer’s willingness. Particularly a last firmware that disables anything requiring phoning home to continue to function. We saw that with OnHub recently, when after only 6 years Google decided to render a lot of devices e-waste. The least they could do is recycle them for you at their own cost.

Re: Hidden Networks in TP-Link Routers

#20

Post by tannr »

having exactly same expirience with tp-link, firmware is always outdated and I find it at every flat for rent (long-term or airbnb), hotels small coffee-shops etc. So much space to have fun :\

I've moved to Mikrotik and don't know all disadvantages I have, but I am super happy about configuration options they provide. Happy to find alternatives here in the thread

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