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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 pendorbound on Monday March 14 2016, @02:02PM
They already make pretty much "two parts." Every access point I've ever looked inside had a dedicated chip for the actual radio portions. Frequently (but not always) it's on some kind of daughter card. That part is what gets FCC certified. They can change out the rest of the device without having to re-cert.
TP-Link's interpretation of the FCC's mandate is that because the firmware for that WiFi chip is loaded at boot from the Linux OS running on the main CPU, they have to lock the whole thing down so you can't make the OS load a "wrong" firmware. Seems a little silly considering under Linux, just about any WiFi device can be forced to load alternative firmware with different radio parameters.