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TP-Link actually has quite a few(not the newest models though, but the not-newest-model should work for 95% of the customers) that runs openwrt well.
All my routers are running non-vendor firmware(e.g. openwrt) for the last 15 years, never had any troubles.
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…
Ubiquiti's Unifi line seems riddled with issues. Why would I want an account or the internet involved in any part of my network control? However, I am quite happy with the Edgerouter series. I just wish it got more updates. The last update to EdgeOS is 6 months old. I don't like my security gateway not being patched with weekly security updates.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There was more to the debacle, for example, putting ads for their other products in the controller UI.
Or the new version of their controller software missing huge chunks of functionality causing you to keep switching from new UI to old UI depending on what you needed to get done.
I still hate that the iOS Protect UX/UI has never used their own app beyond 9-5, as dark mode was removed and the interface is PURE WHITE. The iOS Network UX/UI designer has clearly used their app at night, hence a dark mode existing.
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…
A bit of a tangent, but I recently discovered GL.iNet[0] and ordered a couple of routers and hotspots. HK vendor for network devices running forked OpenWRT with a bunch of extras and customization. I haven't had the time to dive deep enough into all of the code yet, but so far I'm very optimistic. Not perfect; some of the more interesting functionality (like site-to-site VPN) is tied to a proprietary closed SaaS with…
Not sure what they mean by "build my own router", it's easy enough to flash open firmware on a lot of tp-link models. https://download1.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/betas/2021/1...
Tried it, but Wifi speed on the Archer C7 was significantly reduced.
Not sure what they mean by "build my own router", it's easy enough to flash open firmware on a lot of tp-link models. https://download1.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/betas/2021/1...
it sounds interesting, however manufacturer claims it can stop functioning if you install "wrong" locale (whatever that means) while I cannot get how hardware can die from install different "driver" warnings like that put me off from using tp-links. Perhaps I'll buy a cheap tp-link and give it a try just as experiment to see how far I can get
There are many ways that could happen. For instance, the software could configure as an output a pin which, on that particular board, is hard-wired to a power rail; when the opposite value is set as the output (low when the pin is hard-wired to power, or high when the pin is hard-wired to ground) it would be a short-circuit. Or the software could configure a programmable voltage regulator to output a voltage which is higher than the maximum allowed voltage for one of the chips on that power rail. Or the software could configure more than one chip on a shared bus to output opposite values at the same time (again a short circuit, unless it's something like an open-collector bus). Or it could program invalid values on one-time-programmable antifuses, for instance setting the chip to use an external clock which doesn't exist. Or it could write an invalid program to the bootloader (for instance, it might be expecting memory to reside at a different address, so it always crashes) and there's no recovery method other than externally flashing the NAND (that one is technically a "soft" brick, but most people wouldn't be able to recover from it). And so on.
But I am wondering why the author does not value his personal time. I can‘t help but think of opportunity costs. He spends a lot of time writing this article, reverse engineering backups and whatnot instead of shelling a hundred dollars to get a new device? I see this pattern so often in the tech world.
I aggree that the situation the author describes is unacceptable. But I am wondering why the author does not value his personal time. I can‘t help but think of opportunity costs. He spends a lot of time writing this article, reverse engineering backups and whatnot instead of shelling a hundred dollars to get a new device? I see this pattern so often in the tech world.
Maybe, because it is fun reverse engineering stuff?