Way to Go, FCC. Now Manufacturers Are Locking Down Routers

Ron Czapala

http://www.wired.com/2016/03/way-go-fcc-now-manufacturers-locking-routers/

Excerpt:

HEY, REMEMBER WHEN the FCC reassured us last year that it wasn’t going to lock down Wi-Fi routers? And everyone breathed a sigh of relief, because custom router firmware is actually a really good thing? Sure, it’s fun to improve your router by extending the range or making your network friendlier for guests. But open firmware is important for other reasons: it enables critical infrastructure, from emergency communications for disaster relief and building free community access points to beefing up personal security.

Well, there goes that. Because even though the FCC said its new requirements were not intended to lock down router software or block the installation of open source firmware, at least one large manufacturer has reacted by doing just that. And more could follow.

Buck Rogers

Sadly yes. It's been discussed and even demolished to the point of confusion over on Hack A day.

Heater.

This debate is very confusing. Confused by the total muddle over terminology.

Back in the day:

"Hardware" was all that silicon and wires that made up your computer. It was "hard" in that it was real physical stuff that you were not about to be changing.

"Software" was those bits in memory or disk etc that a user could flip by running other software on his machine.

"Firmware" was those bits in PROM, EPROM, etc that worked like software but was not changeable from within the system using it. It required a chip change or a EPROM erase/rewrite.

Today we hear people talking of "updating their routers firmware" when they mean getting the vendors Linux installation to rewrite itself with OpenWRT or whatever. That is not "firmware".

We hear people complaining about crappy Linux drivers when they mean the firmware blobs that are loaded into the devices and really have nothing to do with Linux at all.

So call me confused. What is getting locked down here? Is it becoming impossible to load OpenWRT onto these routers? Or is it just becoming impossible to load new firmware blobs into the WIFI chip sets or otherwise tweak with the radios parameters?

Or what?

DavidZemon

Heater. wrote: »

This debate is very confusing. Confused by the total muddle over terminology.

Back in the day:

"Hardware" was all that silicon and wires that made up your computer. It was "hard" in that it was real physical stuff that you were not about to be changing.

"Software" was those bits in memory or disk etc that a user could flip by running other software on his machine.

"Firmware" was those bits in PROM, EPROM, etc that worked like software but was not changeable from within the system using it. It required a chip change or a EPROM erase/rewrite.

Today we hear people talking of "updating their routers firmware" when they mean getting the vendors Linux installation to rewrite itself with OpenWRT or whatever. That is not "firmware".

We hear people complaining about crappy Linux drivers when they mean the firmware blobs that are loaded into the devices and really have nothing to do with Linux at all.

And heater strikes again with an incredibly succinct description of the problem.

I would suspect the word "firmware" in this article's context means "the vendors' Linux installation."

Cluso99

I guess we all stop buying TP-Link routers and move on to another brand.

I thought that TP-Link used a version of the open source software and that licence makes it mandatory to release the source, doesn't it???

And FCC will be laughing all the way - threats caused a lockdown which is likely precisely what they wanted.

Heater.

Interesting. As far as I can tell these routers are often using Linux and other open source software licensed under the GPL. So yes the manufacturers are obliged to give you the source code if you ask.

That does not imply they have to make it easy for you to re-flash the router.

An example would be if I sold PROMs with GPLed code burned into them. It's not possible for my customers to re-program those PROMs. I don't think the GPL has a problem with that.