TP-Link locking down US firmware starting in June 2016

After June 2, TP-Link firmware targeting the US market will no longer allow flashing custom firmware. This is their pointy-haired and clumsy way of complying with new FCC regulations that require that radio operating parameters not be changed.

http://www.tp-link.us/faq-1058.html

via

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...ware-still-pretends-to-value-creativity.shtml

 

FCC rules, making life better for everyone but consumers!

 

There's other brands that still would allow custom firmware, I don't see the problem.

 

@Mobius 1 I own a TP-Link router, so I'll be archiving the last unlocked firmware release for whenever I decide to sell it. It's easy to bury your head in the sand, but it does matter to some people. This is just the first announcement from a manufacturer too -- all of them will have to react to this in some shape or form. If you live and work in the USA you'll be affected one way or another.

 

Here's an update, Linksys says it will not prevent loading alternative firmware, but will still comply with the FCC rules by storing radio parameters in separate memory:

http://arstechnica.com/information-...block-open-source-firmware-despite-fcc-rules/

 

What... That is ridiculous, but maybe they want to pretend they are high-end now?

 

I don't know if they had upgraded their lockdown mechanism, but it was trivial to bypass in its previous implementation. You just need to set your 3rd party firmware to "international" and it would install since Tplink sells US/non-US model with same hardware. There are a number of threads on OpenWRT and DD-WRT regarding bypassing the lockdown.

The FCC made this happen because of a few people running amped up 5ghz wifi near airport that messed with their radar, which is a tiny percentage of wifi user. Manufacturers simply took the easiest route by locking down the firmware.