Linksys Firmware Upgrade for Wi-Fi Routers Angers Users

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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May 9, 2000
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Cisco is coming under fire this week for updating routers firmware automatically and unapproved by the end-users. The update pushes the user toward an unwanted cloud-based administration service.

"I do not want this. A cloud interface is not what everyone wants. Stop trying to make decisions as a corporation and what you think the people need".
 
Jusr be glad cisco doesnt force you to buy license for N capability and number of wireless users. Oh and dont forget Smartnet.
 
I can't think of a good reason to move management of a local router off the router and onto an Internet-facing service only to have that service push configuration back downstream to setup the router.

I could understand a router leased from an ISP with remote management capabilities and maybe remote configuration as well for stuff like troubleshooting and support, but that's a kinda different animal. Even though that's the case, I'd still rely on an internal appliance I owned to prevent the ISP from seeing inside my internal network.
 
I just read the part about the internet tracking. They can go suck a dick, I will never deploy a cisco/linksys router again. They're a router mfg, not the isp. They have no business knowing what i use my gateway for. Twats
 
I just read the part about the internet tracking. They can go suck a dick, I will never deploy a cisco/linksys router again. They're a router mfg, not the isp. They have no business knowing what i use my gateway for. Twats

gotta make governments happy with built in back-door style tracking systems too
 
You guys think that's great? I was on hold for 28mins to figure out what the hell was up with this letter:
Dear ********,

Cisco has not received your defective unit(s) on RMA number ***** within 30 days of the creation of your RMA. Your credit card has been charged.
Of course I never opened an RMA in the first place. More than 24 hours later, I get another email explaining what the tech on the phone already informed me of after the long hold:
Dear Valued Customer,

Due to an administrative error on our part, you may have recently received an automated e-mail from Cisco’s Customer Service organization with the Subject Line - "RMA closure notification – [UAT]” This e-mail was sent by accident. No action is required on your part.
Great work guys!
 
Am I missing something? The cloud service keeps your router settings there instead of your router? Why on Earth would anyone think that is a good idea.
 
"Do not want."
What an incredibly awful management decision, guaranteed to alienate power users (who are the ones buying the high-end consumer offerings).
 
Why should the users have the right to stop Progress. Its not like they can make any intelligent long term decisions regarding personal security of there home networks.


/end sarcasm
 
Great, I see this article. I go check my router and when I try to login I get redirected to my Windows Storage Server box. That never happened before. I shut the server down and reboot the router. I try to get into the router again and get the connect cloud screen. So I try to make an account and it says I need to verify my email address. I hit the link that I get in an email and it won't effin work. So now I can't login to manage my own goddamned router because their shit isn't working right and I can't verify my email address. I'm not even going to get into what I think about them logging my usage. Way to piss people off Cisco. It looks like the old Netgear is getting hooked back up.
 
I wonder if Fry's will take this back as a return, been 2 months.
 
Its not like they can make any intelligent long term decisions regarding personal security of there home networks.


/end sarcasm
You're insinuating that someone is lacking intelligence, but you yourself don't know the difference between their and there.
:rolleyes:
 
You're insinuating that someone is lacking intelligence, but you yourself don't know the difference between their and there.
:rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure that comment was sarcastic...you know, because it had that sarcasm thing in it.
 
You're insinuating that someone is lacking intelligence, but you yourself don't know the difference between their and there.
:rolleyes:

Haha, that always irks me too.

But this news is why I am going to use DD-WRT.
 
So there is essentially a backdoor for loading firmware on these routers? Niiiiiice.
 
Lynksys and Cisco just became the newest entries in my do not buy list.

Cloud makes sense for certain of things in certain situations. This is not one of those things.
 
So tempted to reflash my router to DD-WRT or Tomato. Remember reading about them and thinking how much more powerful they are than the factory firmware. Don't want to brick it though

With DD-WRT just make sure your router can support the full version. My old one only supported the smaller version and it kind of sucked. Whenever a machine was downloading a torrent my network would just slow to dial up speeds no matter what i tweaked or what option i changed it was just god awful. Tried a few different versions and found a few people with the same issues with that router and DD-WRT.
 
With DD-WRT just make sure your router can support the full version. My old one only supported the smaller version and it kind of sucked. Whenever a machine was downloading a torrent my network would just slow to dial up speeds no matter what i tweaked or what option i changed it was just god awful. Tried a few different versions and found a few people with the same issues with that router and DD-WRT.

Yeah im sitting on a router with 2mb of flash so that means I'd only be able to use the "micro" version of DD-WRT
 
I think i'm going to file a BBB complaint, it at least what I can do.
 
mmm, I'm so glad I have Tomato firmware.
Is the Tomato firmware being updated? I had heard that Tomato has the most user friendly interface when compared to DD-WRT. What router is the best to use with Tomato? I want something that has the most powerful processor and very good wireless signal strength.

Thanks again!!

Also, does Tomato support PPPoE connections?
 
Eh? In the UK our ADSL routers need an ISP supplied username and password to connect to the internet. If those settings are stored in "the cloud", how is the router supposed to connect to the internet in the first place? If you change your broadband supplier you need to change those details.

I really can't see the point of this. Especially in a home router. Once the ISP logon details and wireless is setup, most people don't touch their router again. Until the broadband drops out - and then they need to interrogate the router. Having to login to the cloud at this point is just bonkers.

And what happens when the Cloud hosting goes down? Will that cut everyone off? Look at the Amazon Cloud falling over in a storm this weekend - would that take down the routers? Or just stop users from changing settings.

The tracking is scary. It is a dumb little router. Why do Cisco think they have the rights to track their users? What happened to the Engineers? Who let the Marketing Drones make the decisions?
 
This may be coming from their engineering dept. Think of the support issues from dealing with home users complaining about locking themselves out of the router, then losing their configs when they do a hard reset.

Now, it may be likely that Cisco/Linksys can just change the password to some random crap for the user if they do that, since it's on their cloud.

Replace the router, login with your cloud credentials and it re-configs...stuff like that would be solid reasons to do this.

The monitoring though is creepy as hell.
 
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