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from the apparently-we-don't-own-the-hardware dept.
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
(Score: 2) by bitstream on Sunday March 13 2016, @02:25PM
The headline should been "TP-LINK Won't Sell Reprogrammable WiFi devices in U.S because of FCC Firmware Rules". Router isn't the same as WiFi access point. The router I think of without any qualifiers is a big metal box with 128 RJ45 jacks and various optical plugins with loud fans or for home use one that separate networks from a collision domain.
Anyway, Make these device chips have separate areas for the radio and the routing handling. The reason to do this at chip level is to reduce cost. Because more chips will mean more cost. While changing the chip is cheaper in volume production.
Oh btw.. mesh networks is an interesting thing. Might make it hard to control ;)
(Score: 2) by fnj on Sunday March 13 2016, @03:18PM
Funny, that's not what I think of at all. A router to me is something with two network interfaces, packet inspection/selective forwarding, and packet header rewriting. Period. Anything more than that is either multiple routers in a box, or the addition of network switches, a firewall, etc.
A "network interface" could be an ethernet port, a WiFi transceiver, etc.
I happen to like separation of focused functionality (pretty much the same as Unix philosophy), so IMHO, yes, combining a router with a WiFi access point is, to me, stupid.
The most that combining makes sense to me is a router with a firewall.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 13 2016, @04:43PM
I suppose that for many householders, the untidiness entailed by your approach outweighs the flexibility, longer time until obsolescence, and easier troubleshooting that it affords.
Some people use Wi-Fi in order to have fewer wires. For them, having the access point separate from the router is unappealing because it implies an additional Ethernet cable and another power supply, which in turn requires another mains outlet and possibly the use of an outlet strip where one wouldn't have been needed (outlets commonly coming in pairs). A single unit must be cheaper to manufacture, besides.
Standing with those who dislike nests of wires are, I suppose, people who prefer the appearance of a single box to that of two, three or four (modem + router + Wi-Fi AP + VOIP ATA), and people who assume the former is simpler to live with. For those who aren't good at cable management, that assessment can easily be correct. Ever broken the tab off an RJ-45 connector, then used it anyway?