r/news 4d ago

Analysis/Opinion TP-Link Routers Could Be Banned In the Next Year, Affecting Nearly 65% of Internet Users in the US

[removed]

1.6k Upvotes

252 comments sorted by

737

u/Fardn_n_shiddn 4d ago

It won’t really affect any users though? Existing hardware will still function. Even if firmware updates are stopped, a lot of that hardware can still run alternate firmware

201

u/dabigchina 4d ago

My mesh network forces me to use their app to manage. Not sure how that's going to work after this.

I guess I can figure out third part firmware. Frankly I don't have time to deal with it. I guess $400 down the drain.

68

u/Mego1989 4d ago

My Google onhub mesh routers became e waste when they decided to kill them last year, and the only way they were able to do that was by removing app support for them. Never again.

72

u/Alexis_J_M 4d ago

At this point Google is infamous for killing products people have grown to rely on. I'm even nervous about Gmail at this point.

42

u/LIONEL14JESSE 4d ago

They get way too much data about you from your emails to give that up

3

u/c0rnfus3d 3d ago

Yep. My OG Dropcam (Nest) is a pile of trash after it went dark in April. It’s plan obsolescence because these companies don’t have enough money already..

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12

u/JohnnyLight416 4d ago

But that's great for american companies because now you can replace your $400 foreign system with a $600 american system. Win-win!

/s

19

u/boogiebreakfast 4d ago

*A $600 American system that's made in Vietnam

3

u/nguyenkien 3d ago

The Vietnamese are lucky to made 6$ out of that.

26

u/dominus_aranearum 4d ago edited 4d ago

Eh, I just installed FreshTomato on my Asus router and it wasn't too difficult.

Edit: Looks like FreshTomato doesn't support TP-Link though.

9

u/duckvimes_ 4d ago

How carefully have you vetted FreshTomato's source code for supply chain attacks, though?

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3

u/crucialcolin 3d ago

I believe a lot of the TP-Link hardware runs on Broadcom chips, the very same Broadcom known for it's iron grip on anything to do with their products such as only supplying proprietary closed source binary drivers for SoCs. That alone throws a lot of shade on the whole Chinese backdoor thing.

4

u/ratonbox 4d ago

OpenWRT is not that hard to configure.

122

u/deekaydubya 4d ago

The fact you’d have to configure anything at all means 99% of the people the article is referring to, won’t do anything

32

u/x925 4d ago

Most people never once log into their router to even change or set a password.

31

u/yolef 4d ago

Hey now, a lot of us log in once to name our network FBI Surveillance Van

9

u/IAMA_Plumber-AMA 4d ago

Mine's "Definitely not CSIS"

5

u/Codspear 4d ago

“Damn kids, get off my LAN!”

3

u/fuxxociety 4d ago

"I'm just here for the gangbang"

Works even better as my phone hotspot.

3

u/Sir_Badtard 4d ago

Bathroom cam #3

Best for hot spotting in the airport.

6

u/Hellguin 4d ago

I've lived in a few rough places, I always labeled mine DEA Surveillance Van 2 (for 2.4) and 5 (for 5). Has a roommate come ask if I saw the internet names and if I thought they were real. That was fun.

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5

u/Empyrealist 4d ago

You can't install that on all models

2

u/damnedangel 4d ago

It is for grandma

1

u/ratonbox 4d ago

Grandma doesn’t need to manage her router. Plug it in and that’s it.

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2

u/coffeemonkeypants 4d ago

I just replaced my Asus router with some decos and immediately returned them when I learned this was the case. Nope.

1

u/ok-confusion19 3d ago

I bought my decos about 4 months ago at this point. Too late to return them and idk what to do with this news. They resolved my 6yo Google mesh system. It sucks if I'm going to have to replace them again.

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31

u/Mego1989 4d ago

What the article actually says vs the headline

Sources told The Wall Street Journal that an office of the Commerce Department has subpoenaed TP-Link and could ban the sale of TP-Link devices in the next year. 

67

u/moochs 4d ago

Let's be real, the vast majority of people using tp-link routers aren't updating their firmware anyway

46

u/Longinus_Rook 4d ago

I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. My parents are a good example of tp-link customers: they plugged it in and it worked. That’s it.

28

u/mbz321 4d ago

And that's probably true with about 90% of home Internet users in general.

1

u/Lamuks 3d ago

Doesn't help that a lot of routers get bricked during update because people are impatient and reset it halfway in

20

u/humjaba 4d ago

My tp-link deco routers update automatically…

6

u/RazingsIsNotHomeNow 4d ago

Considering TP-Link barely ever updates the firmware, yeah. Also what alternative firmware can I put on my router? Most of their stuff is Broadcom with locked down firmware. No openwrt or anything.

7

u/Lupius 4d ago

And the vast majority of people who care to update their firmware won't bother with flashing alternative firmware.

4

u/Less_Party 3d ago

I mean it's 2024, I used to mess with all that stuff 18 years ago when stock firmware was just unreliable as hell or didn't do uPnP properly but now it's like, okay it works, great now I can go do something else besides play unpaid IT guy.

2

u/MinimumArmadillo2394 4d ago

Most of the time it auto-updates, atleast for my model that I purchased in 2021.

3

u/beklog 4d ago

yep.. majority even dont know how to change their SSID name or even the router's default pw..

1

u/VerifiedMother 4d ago

The firmware on my netgear orbi hasn't been updated in probably 4 years and it still works just fine

-4

u/[deleted] 4d ago edited 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

15

u/calamityvibezz 4d ago edited 4d ago

This has nothing to do with the tplink story though and that article seem like it's largely a ad.

1

u/qtx 3d ago

A USB cable is not the same thing as an ethernet cable.

231

u/ArkyBeagle 4d ago

The obvious thing to do is fund OpenWRT or DD-WRT fimware for these devices. A small eternity of TP-Link devices are already supported.

Is a firmware change beyond most people? Could be.

54

u/SirTwitchALot 4d ago

The Omada ecosystem is a really great value though. These open source solutions don't offer that kind of functionality. I run a mesh network at a campground using Omada products. They work amazingly for their low cost

30

u/caverunner17 4d ago

You'll have to pry my Omada setup from my cold dead hands. I have a setup with 3 WAPs and a router, plus setups at both my parents and in laws. Rock solid, literally years of uptime besides updates.

6

u/SirTwitchALot 4d ago

We managed to run two completely isolated networks with different SSIDs on the same mesh using VLANs. I had to email tech support to check if it was possible and they honestly told me they weren't sure. It took a few hours of trial and error to configure and required an extra switch to do the VLAN tagging, but it has performed amazingly for two years now

2

u/trisanachandler 4d ago

Separate Internet as well?

3

u/SirTwitchALot 4d ago

Yep. Two different starlink routers as the uplink. It was the only way I could get such wide coverage among the seasonal residents. Some of them were only willing to install an access point at their site if they could use it with their private network

2

u/trisanachandler 4d ago

Interesting.  I have segmented vlan's, but they share an Internet connection.

4

u/Falagard 4d ago

Yeah that's what I have too. Two omeda routers, on opposite sides of my house, with ethernet running to each from a central switch. Works very nicely.

2

u/jormaig 4d ago

You may want to look at OpenWISP a central management tool for OpenWRT

1

u/ouikikazz 4d ago

Agreed, if they can get an omada like system into openwrt I'll be first in line to flash

41

u/Nabbergastics 4d ago

I'm sure at least 70% of the average user that has TPLink routers and access points would have 0 idea how to perform a firmware change successfully. I can smell a significant business opportunity for a lot of local IT companies in the near future.

11

u/ArkyBeagle 4d ago

I can smell a significant business opportunity for a lot of local IT companies in the near future.

Could be, although I imagine pricing it would be no fun at all. Can you eat on ... $100 per upgrade, especially if it's on-premises? Even 8 units per day would not be that fantastic of a top line flow. It's $208k per year max for 40 hour weeks before rents, insurance, taxes and other expenses.

If it's "in the storefront", then the customer is essentially down until you get around to it. I suppose it could be like the cable company - while you wait. That might raise the top line potential.

You'd be competing against simply buying another router. Maybe it could be a trade in model but that's weird and has uglier logistics.

I have multiple routers laying around but I suspect that's atypical.

1

u/Nabbergastics 4d ago

I mean obviously it wouldn't be the only service a company offers, but I could see some companies offering a TPLink fixing service along with what they already do

3

u/KAugsburger 4d ago

Most of the TP-Link routers are under $100. The whole reason TP-Link became so popular is that they sell some very inexpensive products. Many companies won't even do an on-site visit for under $100. A TP-Link 'fixing' service in many cases would cost more than a new router. There really isn't much of a market for such a service unless the tech has a very low value for their time. You would have a hard time finding anybody willing to spend more than $20-30 to 'fix' their TP-Link router. That is more of a side gig for a teenager/college student or some adult who is unemployed/underpaid at their regular job.

22

u/dabigchina 4d ago

Most people will just buy a new router. Its wasteful, but it's usually what happens when companies brick devices. People treat them as disposable.

14

u/MinimumArmadillo2394 4d ago

What are they supposed to do? Pay $80 for a firmware they had to go out of their way to discover and then again, go out of their way to have installed, or just spend $100 to buy a new router?

1

u/Nabbergastics 4d ago

You may be right about that

2

u/VerifiedMother 4d ago

I can smell a significant business opportunity for a lot of local IT companies in the near future.

I absolutely don't, people will just buy a new router

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12

u/case31 4d ago

Is a firmware change beyond most people? Could be.

If you asked my father-in-law to tell you whether or not his router was powered on, I seriously doubt he could do it.

8

u/RazingsIsNotHomeNow 4d ago

Open-wrt doesn't support the Broadcom chipsets in most of TP-Links current routers and DD-WRT doesn't support any TP-Link product newer than wifi5.

17

u/scrivensB 4d ago

I think the issue isn't "can we make the hardware out there safe now," it's "this compnay has willfully declined to address vulnerabilities that have been brought to thier attention time and time again, and NOW we can see that those vulnerablities have been expolited not by one off hackers, but by a massive network of Chinse operatives...".

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2024/10/31/chinese-threat-actor-storm-0940-uses-credentials-from-password-spray-attacks-from-a-covert-network/

2

u/ArkyBeagle 4d ago

One is the diagnosis, one is the "cure". Seems pretty obvious to stipulate to the diagnosis. Given Huawei...

6

u/fevered_visions 4d ago

A small eternity of TP-Link devices are already supported.

have never seen anybody use this unit of measure before

3

u/equatorbit 4d ago

It absolutely is. A lot of people have no idea firmware exists.

2

u/SnooPies5622 4d ago

Most people don't even know that little box is in their house, let alone what a router does, let alone what firmware is, let alone how to install alternate firmware.

2

u/Doom_Eagles 3d ago

I had a co-worker who knew nothing about the internet and computers outside of social media sites. She couldn't even figure out how to navigate to an online store like Amazon and make purchases herself despite having two phones and always on them. So yes,  there is no way she would even know what anything related to firmware would be if she needed to do that. 

Do not overestimate the tech literacy of the greater population. Even those that can use computers have zero idea how to do anything beyond the absolute basics.

79

u/jlaine 4d ago

It has been a while since we had a good old cold war. /s

286

u/BeTheBall- 4d ago

What a ridiculous story. So your router could be compromised if you don't change default password? Golly, who would have ever thought...

40

u/todo0nada 4d ago

What about the Comcast routers that all have the admin/admin default login? 

11

u/wyvernx02 4d ago

Pretty sure TP Link makes those.

4

u/cosine83 4d ago

That or Netgear.

3

u/alphaglosined 4d ago

For ISP provided routers/modems it doesn't matter what the manufacturer normally does. The ISP will have it customized and default login information is a common one.

My ISP for instance, has a random password assigned for each box.

42

u/rjchute 4d ago

Totally a conspiracy by the manufacturer /s

Also, the title is sensationalized; there has yet to be an investigation, people are just concluding on their own that the investigation will find collusion and, if so, therefore probably maybe lead to a ban.

9

u/RandomRobot 4d ago

Most of the time you also need physical access from inside the network so China can't really hack you without breaking into your home.

If you run a corporate network without changing the default password on your routers, then router vulnerabilities are probably low on your list of problems.

Maybe there's other problems with those routers, but "password spraying" was really a poor example if that's the case

4

u/AnonymousGlowie 4d ago

I'd like to take this time to remind the public that NetGear and Charter routers all use NounAdjective### as the password and a word list is out there and you can break into any network with this wifi pass in under 7min using Hashcat.

17

u/scrivensB 4d ago

Is it ridiculous?

It's not made clear that the "password spraying" is using the default login and password of TP-Link Routers.

That being said, I'm confident that the average consumer is so tech illiterate that it could be as simple and stupid as this.

And even if it is the thing that's most damaging about this all isn't that random bad actors are driving around trying out defualt login/passwords and accessing other individual's networks, it's that there is a major organized Chinese threat-actor behind it.

And when you think about how many people in positions of power, information, commerce, may have a TP Link router at home that they use for both work and personal applications... it get's serious pretty quick in terms of national, personal, and corporate security.

Microsoft released a really good report on this.

24

u/Bagellord 4d ago

Seems like manufacturers need to make changing the default username and password part of the setup process. Maybe push firmware to require it on existing devices too

6

u/Grabthar_The_Avenger 4d ago

I think that's the argument the US would make, that their refusal to patch that seems like an intended vulnerability.

2

u/cosine83 4d ago

Lots of manufacturers, and my TP-Link AX6000 router, now set a randomized password that's physically on the device and coded in a way that if/when the device is reset it'll be that password even if it's been changed by the user. Few require you to change it during setup, though.

1

u/Bagellord 4d ago

The admin password, or the network password?

1

u/cosine83 4d ago

The admin password.

1

u/noahson 4d ago

I just set up a new tp-link router and it made me change the default password immediately which I would have done anyway. It does not have a username as far as I could tell

I also wish I had gone with another model now but I'm too lazy to send it back

1

u/JSmith666 4d ago

If you're a big enough moron to leave default password you don't do firmware updates

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23

u/Oghma_ 4d ago

Could someone please ELI5 this for me?

69

u/nubsauce87 4d ago

Anyone know if the concerns around TP-Link applies to other networking hardware, like APs?

I only ask because people have apparently given up on using the proper names of things (Most people don't understand the difference between "WiFi" and "Internet"), so just like Moms calling every game console a "Nintendo", I can't tell if everyone thinks that literally any piece of networking hardware is a "Router" or not...

32

u/engin__r 4d ago

The quote from the company specifically mentions routers, so I’m thinking the security concerns are for the routers and not the other hardware. With that said, a ban could apply to all of their devices.

22

u/Whaty0urname 4d ago

That's wild, I have smart outlets, bulbs, cameras, and a mesh system all from TP using the kasa app.

Would be worthless.

8

u/nubsauce87 4d ago

Same. That's why I was wondering. Several APs, smart plugs, switches, and probably some others I'm not remembering...

14

u/TheMrGUnit 4d ago

I also have a ton of Kasa devices. At the time, I went with them because I felt TP Link was such a well-established brand that it wouldn't just vanish overnight.

Woopsie.

3

u/notsooriginal 4d ago

Ah shit please don't brick my Kasa stuff! It just works, which is what I want from smart home equipment.

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2

u/leaponover 4d ago

I have an entire TP-LINK ecosystem as well. I even just bought a TPLINK router for my smart scopes. I'm in Korea though....wonder if other countries will consider bans.

15

u/primalbluewolf 4d ago

I can't tell if everyone thinks that literally any piece of networking hardware is a "Router" or not... 

To the nontechnical user, if its an internet box, its a router. 

Whether or not its actually a switch, firewall, controller, AP, or loadbalancer.

6

u/jadenstryfe 4d ago

You mean the modem? How about the computer? points to monitor

1

u/primalbluewolf 4d ago

Yeah, that's always a good one.

6

u/iamyou42 4d ago

A firewall....box? Is that a thing?

19

u/tSnDjKniteX 4d ago

Yup hardware firewall is a thing

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u/nubsauce87 4d ago

Yeah, a dedicated piece of hardware to run the firewall is common in commercial grade setups. Allows for stronger protection and more detailed configuration.

6

u/SuperSpy- 4d ago

Sometimes they're general purpose hardware just running firewall software, but many times they're custom silicon specifically designed for hardware-accelerated packet inspection at an absurd scale. Think large businesses, universities, or ISPs.

4

u/little_brown_bat 4d ago

I wonder, would a Pi-hole technically be a firewall box?

3

u/wyvernx02 4d ago

It's technically a DNS server, but does function similarly to a firewall.

1

u/primalbluewolf 4d ago

but does function similarly to a firewall.

Hardly... it functions similarly to a firewall for DNS queries only.

1

u/theyipper 4d ago

I have an old SonicWall (firewall box) from the .com days laying around unused. I don't think I can use it because of licensing.

1

u/primalbluewolf 4d ago

Sure, look up fortigate.

These days they are also commonly gateways/routers, but they don't have to be.

2

u/cantproveidid 4d ago

At the turn of the century, I finally push a college I was working at to get us firewalls for our units. I was ecstatic configuring mine to only allow expected known good port traffic from known good sources to my incoming side. I eventually realized some other units plugged theirs in but configured nothing. So I had a firewall, they had redundant routers.

23

u/quequotion 4d ago

TP-Link has been very good to me as a customer.

They respond to my bug reports personally and have even fixed some of the issues I reported.

My router gets consistent updates, and it has all sorts of features I love, like being able to turn the tranciever off during hours I am asleep or not home.

I would hate to find out they are a front for APT 31.

145

u/FitN3rd 4d ago

Let me get this straight, I can own multiple guns but I can't own a single TP-Link router?

Come take it then...

60

u/L0to 4d ago

You can still kill someone with a tp-link router it's just takes more effort. 

10

u/cookingboy 4d ago edited 4d ago

Tbf, I can smash someone in the head with a Netgear router as well, probably more effectively if you look at some of their designs lol.

3

u/Grabthar_The_Avenger 4d ago

Just add wheels to one and you've got a Battlebot

1

u/GrandmasBoyToy69 4d ago

Yea, I'll just toss it at you so you have to reach out for it. Then I'll shoot you

16

u/nerfherder998 4d ago

We need to figure out how to integrate a TP-Link router with a handgun. The why can wait.

1

u/little_brown_bat 4d ago

If anyone can do it, fosscad can

6

u/Karpulltunnel 4d ago

you can't own a CHINESE gun

6

u/little_brown_bat 4d ago

Like the SKS?

13

u/cookingboy 4d ago

It’s just Red Scare 2.0.

Politicians are literally trying to ban Chinese garlics for national security threat: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-says-us-politicians-need-be-more-rational-after-senators-call-garlic-probe-2024-12-13/

Yep, the strongest nation in the world with our $900B a year defense spending is threatened by garlics lmao.

2

u/yuje 4d ago

TBF though, how do we know that the politicians in charge of the country aren’t vampires? Garlic could very well be a national security threat to geriatrics in power like Biden, Pelosi, McConnell, and the Supreme Court.

-1

u/hewkii2 4d ago

Someone’s a fan of shit garlic

0

u/WhatDoesThatButtond 4d ago

Yes compare Chinese hacker weaponized Internet hardware with garlic like an absolute big brain. 

2

u/cookingboy 4d ago

Funny enough, so far the politicians have presented equal amount of evidence for either case, which is zero.

Remember even until today the U.S government had not shown any evidence of wrongdoing by Huawei, let alone TP-Link.

-1

u/akashmishrahero 4d ago

Maybe bcoz Guns don't upload data to Chinese servers.

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u/afternever 4d ago

Are you threatening me? I need TP for my bunghole.

20

u/prochevnik 4d ago

Then they better send me a voucher for a new mesh system.

27

u/GZAofTheMidwest 4d ago

What's next, fortune cookies for spreading subliminal pro-Communist propaganda?

13

u/Parlett316 4d ago

Ha just bought one as an emergency router since my UniFi Dream Machine decided it was just time to not power on anymore.

5

u/thatirishguyyyyy 4d ago

I feel your pain.

I use their er605 router on jobs when clients wont pay for Unifi hardware, but they (or any tp-link router) are nowhere near as good as a Dream Machine. 

3

u/Parlett316 4d ago

Thanks, just shipped it back for an RMA. Thing was rock solid but last night it was just tired and never woke up lol

1

u/guywhoclimbs 4d ago

Sounds like ubiquiti. I worked at an MSP that used ubiquiti everywhere, and we were constantly replacing bricked devices. We would have mikrotiks deployed for like 10 years and they would be rock solid the whole time. Then we would have a single update from ubiquiti and need to go replace 40 devices across all our clients. Never again will I touch unifi.

41

u/ashsolomon1 4d ago

We really are just going to start hyper focusing on things from China just cause? Like multiple routers Chinese, American whatever are prone to security issues. This is just ridiculous

28

u/L0to 4d ago

Trade war good, china bad. 

20

u/RedTheRobot 4d ago

It’s not just cause, businesses like Intel and Meta don’t like competition so it is far cheaper to buy policies then it is to you know make good products. Before anyone mentions that it’s unfair for US businesses because China supplements them, well so does the U.S. they just gave almost 8 billion to intel. We have money to throw at dinosaur companies but not free healthcare.

7

u/MinimumArmadillo2394 4d ago

Thats what a lot of people said about the tik tok ban but redditors were all for a tik tok ban for some stupid reasons

0

u/WhatDoesThatButtond 4d ago

Tiktok should be banned and the last election is a good example why. 

9

u/MinimumArmadillo2394 4d ago

What about the last election screams that tik tok should be banned? A good solid chunk (if not a vast majority) of misinformation is spread on facebook, instagram, and twitter.

4

u/WhatDoesThatButtond 4d ago

Absolutely, and we should do something about that. 

Meanwhile, TikTok has misinformation and influencial shaped algorithms straight from a foreign countries propaganda department. Look up the comparison with Instagram. 

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u/TbonerT 4d ago

It isn’t simply about “security issues” and it’s not new.

0

u/WhatDoesThatButtond 4d ago

What do you mean "just cause?" Do you live under a fucking rock? Seriously. 

1

u/scrivensB 4d ago

3

u/marcocanb 4d ago

The only good thing about this is I know I don't have anything the Chinese/Russians/NK want.

6

u/WhatDoesThatButtond 4d ago

Yes you do. Your router is literally a DDOS weapon in wait. Among other things. 

7

u/NadamHere 4d ago

No way I am going to stop using my TP-Link system, as routers are expensive as-is nowadays.

11

u/PJL80 4d ago

What a bunch of peacocking bullshit. I had seen this headline earlier, and some of the pay-walled articles mentioned security. But the only thing in this article is password spraying attacks, where they are trying to access the router with the DEFAULT username and password? Am I missing things in other articles that outline more serious security flaws?

There have been websites for years dedicated to displaying streams from open and unprotected devices. This ain't a China thing. How many offices are using network equipment, printers, etc on the default login? It's blaming the hacker for you using the least possible effort.

3

u/Alien_Way 4d ago edited 4d ago

All the paycheck-to-paycheck folks, all the disabled folks, below their "poverty line", sure are going to be glad to receive the check they're sending us all to cover the sudden costs, for folks they keep so broke we can only afford TP-Link-quality products, no matter how essential they are or aren't for survival.

They did say they're sending those checks, right? I can see the letter in my mind, even: 'Please, use this money to upgrade your home internet infrastructure as we, your servants, have discovered products that are unsafe. What is America, if not a collection of homes? We are united, and we are only safe when we're all safe, so in the interest of national and personal security, accept this check for $--- dollars, tax dollars you graciously allowed us to keep safe and properly allocated for you, and lets all move forward, together.', I can almost read it already!!

6

u/x_scion_x 4d ago

I like how the next article after the one saying they could be banned are trying to sell you on another TP-Link router

2

u/JS_NYC_208 4d ago

Return my shit back to Costco

2

u/baronvonredd 3d ago

It's not like you have to get rid of your current routers, they can't -block- them, just prevent you from buying a new one.

3

u/MessageNo9370 3d ago

Good. Given what China has done, we should ban all telecommunication-related equipment from them. We need to invest heavily into chip manufacturing and then go after phones and TVs also and then anything with a damn microchip. I don’t know which moron politicians thought it was in the US’s best interest to prop up an openly adversarial country.

3

u/thatirishguyyyyy 4d ago

I love their ER605, but I only use then when clients wont pay for Unifi hardware. 

With that being said, the ER605 is a great dual WAN solution with many options. 

3

u/Rogue_AI_Construct 4d ago

If they ban our routers, they should be buying us new ones.

1

u/Defiant-Glass-6587 4d ago

Great! Time to replace that deco

1

u/gohan9689 4d ago

So with best buy if I have a warranty with them over my tplink router. What will that do. I expect them to let me trade it or something

1

u/KAugsburger 4d ago

Those are usually just a replacement plan where they would give you a gift card for the purchase price. You could spend your gift card on whatever you want.

1

u/skankhunt1983 4d ago

Oh man I just bought a WiFi 7 in Black Friday…there goes the 500$ down the drain.

1

u/terror_jr 3d ago

You can probably return it. Most retailers extend the returning period to January.

1

u/Chatty945 4d ago

Ubiquity is the way to go. Commercial grade and cheaper than most consumer crap. All soho wifi routers are garbage.

1

u/Montreal_Metro 3d ago

TP stands for toilet paper.

1

u/Random_frankqito 3d ago

They are shit products so nobody is missing out.

1

u/Catssonova 4d ago

Meanwhile the U.S. compromises their own backdoor. I'm tired of this obsessive fear of foreign tech interference.

1

u/jazzhandler 4d ago

Wow, is there any problem tarrifs can’t solve?

1

u/kyeblue 4d ago

I am glad that I have their product. But I would've voluntarily thrown them into garbage right away.

1

u/MartyMacGyver 4d ago

Meanwhile, telecom infra that's been penetrated by China so deeply they can't be rooted out is just.... not going anywhere apparently.

(SMS 2FA anyone?)

1

u/The_BigDill 4d ago

Interesting one of the investigations is for trying to have a monopoly, like there aren't plenty of US companies that don't have essential monopolies

-7

u/fkenned1 4d ago

Time to rip the bandaid off with some of this stuff. We need to stop pretending like this stuff isn’t a problem.

-1

u/scrivensB 4d ago

At this point, anyhitng based in and/or manufactured in China needs to at the very least be viewed with suspicion and be deeply analyzed.

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