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TP-LINK Won't Sell Reprogrammable Routers in U.S., Blames FCC Firmware Rules

posted by cmn32480 on Sunday March 13 2016, @09:46AM   Printer-friendly
from the apparently-we-don't-own-the-hardware dept.

takyon writes:

The Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) rules on Wi-Fi router firmware are having an effect on the market:

Network gear maker TP-Link will no longer allow people to install customized firmware on its Wi-Fi routers in the US – and the FCC is to blame. In a brief statement and FAQ posted this week, TP-Link – which is based in Shenzhen, China – said the FCC's revised rules on radio-based equipment makes user reprogrammable firmware illegal in America, and therefore it cannot sell in the US routers that can be re-flashed by their owners.

"Devices sold in the United States will have firmware and wireless settings that ensure compliance with local laws and regulations related to transmission power," TP-Link said. "As a result of these necessary changes, users are not able to flash the current generation of open-source, third-party firmware."

[...] The FCC earlier backed off a bit on the matter, but maintains it will not allow devices that can be re-flashed to operate outside authorized radio frequency bands. TP-Link, however, said that the FCC rules as they stand will not allow it to offer people the ability to reprogram their router firmware.

"The FCC requires all manufacturers to prevent users from having any direct ability to change RF [radio frequency] parameters (frequency limits, output power, country codes, etc)," TP-Link stated. "In order to keep our products compliant with these implemented regulations, TP-LINK is distributing devices that feature country-specific firmware."

Previously: New FCC Rules Could Ban WiFi Router Firmware Modification
FCC Clarifies Position on WiFi Routers: Okay to Modify OS but Not Radio Firmware

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 13 2016, @10:55AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 13 2016, @10:55AM (#317589)

    Intent isn't magic. Even if the FCC did not intend for this to happen, laziness and cheapness makes this type of response to the new rules an inevitability. The result will be fewer devices that respect the users' freedoms.

    Instead of creating rules that have terrible practical effects and all sorts of collateral damage, it is better to punish offenders when they are found, even if that is often difficult. A good-faith effort to design the software so that the user can't break the rules without re-flashing should be good enough in most cases, and it would not have all this collateral damage. If someone decides to make an effort to break the rules, that is on them; don't punish everyone for that.

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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 13 2016, @11:10AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 13 2016, @11:10AM (#317591)

    Dearest Pleeb,
    Replacing the firmware in your router would result in the removal of our tracking and monitoring abilities. These capabilities provide us with the information necessary to provide you with the best possible Internet and shopping experiences, which are double plus good.

    Sincerely,
    Anonymous Guardian and Benefactor

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 13 2016, @01:47PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 13 2016, @01:47PM (#317626)

    Oh, to be so young and uninformed again. Look, reflashing the router firmware and upping the signal output will allow us to create a mesh net in the event that the government decides to change regimes without our consent and shut down the net.

    This is about an attack on mesh networks under the guise of protecting everyone from "rogue baddies" who would interfere with their neighbor's wifi signal -- As if you couldn't just make a directional jammer out of any transmitter, and are still pretending that many software defined radios aren't cheaper than routers. Point being, it's just another threat narrative designed to manufacture consent, like "turrism!" or "drrrugs!", etc.

    Anytime the government is "afraid" that someone might do something, they're lying to you about what that something is. "Someone might shoot up a school!" => "Everyone might have the ability to resist a regime change!"