6 ms·

Is this really that much of a problem? Circumventing the block sounds like it could be a rather interesting technical challenge.

• drdaeman 11y ago
  Not really. Reverse engineering things can be a fun challenge - but not if your purpose is not to have fun analyzing it, but to do something else, like actually use the device you bought. If RE is not something you want to do but you have to - it's more like frustrating than interesting.
  • qb45 11y ago
    This, and also it can become a whack-a-mole game with vendors threatened by the FCC, possibly ending up in shit like encrypted firmware. Go ahead and hack that.
  • geographomics 11y ago
    If you're buying a device to replace the stock firmware with something customised to your liking, then you're already in the hacker mindset, so having to tinker that little bit harder surely shouldn't be much of a burden.
    • drdaeman 11y ago
      There is a slight difference between flashing a custom firmware (right from the stock one, no RS232+TFTP or JTAG), and hacking your way through a locked bootloader.
      • geographomics 11y ago
        Only in the amount of effort one is willing to expend in doing so, and learning any necessary skills. It's only a happy accident that so many (relatively inexpensive) routers are easily flashable with custom firmware, not an entitlement.