openWRT vs. FCC - forced firmware lockdown? + Slides - BattleMeshV8
Channel: Adjy Leak
Date: 2015-11-06

The new FCC rules are in effect in the United States from June 2nd 2015 [1] for WiFi devices such as Access Points. They require to have the firmware locked down so End-Users can't operate with non-compliant parameters (channels/frequencies, transmit power, DFS, ...).

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Video edited by DAISY CHAIN (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6G_IhIs92FWyaWe_IDygyA)

In response, WiFi access point vendors start to lock down firmwares to prevent custom firmwares (such as OpenWRT) to be installed, using code signing, etc. Since the same type of devices are often sold world wide, this change does not only affect routers in the US, but also Europe, and this will also effect wireless communities.

We would like to discuss:
* What are your experiences with recently certified WiFi Hardware
* How can we still keep OpenWRT on these devices
* What can we suggest to Hardware vendors so that they keep their firmware open for community projects while still compliant with the FCC?
[1] https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/kdb/forms/FTSSearchResultPage.cfm?id=39498&switch=P