Germany guarantees a right by law to use the router you want, regardless of ISP [pdf] | Hacker News Reader

Germany guarantees a right by law to use the router you want, regardless of ISP [pdf]

dip21.bundestag.de

17 pointsdoener6 comments

Issue was: Providers give out crappy routers that are remotely managed and define it as the end of their network, so you can't remove it, because you don't have the login data it uses to talk to the provider network.

The "endpoint" of the provider's network is now defined as the passive connector at the end of the cable, and providers are required to give their customers all information necessary to configure a connected device, so the customer can choose freely among compatible routers, run non-standard firmware, ...

Wish we had this over here.

ISPs regularly send customers routers with known security flaws, already-exposed backdoors that hackers can break into and use laughably weak WiFi security by default (if any at all).

Only Canadian company I've found that let's you have some control on the modem is TekSavvy.

> ISPs regularly send customers routers with known security flaws, already-exposed backdoors that hackers can break into and use laughably weak WiFi security by default (if any at all).

In Belgium, one of the big ISP (can't remember which one) delivered router with open wifi ...

In Spain my ISP only uses the router mac address to 'verify' the equipment.

Fortunately I have never encountered that. It's kind of ridiculous because you could just as easily put a personal router behind the one 'provided' by your ISP. I do think the idea of a right of use is a good one, very good going on these guys!

The issue with that is that you end up with double NAT unless you happen to have the ability to turn off NAT on the ISP router (from my experience this is uncommon.)

Its actually worse then that. If they force you to use insecure equipment and to put your router behind theirs, their router can be hacked providing remote access to your internet connection without you knowing about it. And when you consider that many botnets are just after your internet connection...

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