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Murphy's Law: Do You Really Want an Open-Source Router?

David Murphy — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:00:00 -0500

I'll admit, I was a little bit excited when I read earlier this week that Netgear was launching a quote-unquote open-source router. It's not very often--well, hardly ever--that one sees a larger corporate manufacturer of computer hardware so brazenly embrace the ideals (and code) of the open-source enthusiasts. If anything, it seems that companies in the networking space tend to go a little out of their way to ensure that one can't add or tweak a store-bought device with unofficial firmware. I think they'd much prefer to up-sell you additional features than watch you unlock them yourself, but that's just me.

And yet, here we are! An open-source router! Just the kind of thing you want to bring home, install into your network, and begin updating with the best DD-WRT, OpenWRT, or Tomato firmware you can get your hands on. Imagine the possibilities! Imagine the new features you might be able to play around with! Imagine the joy in your family's eyes when you tell 'em how you've transformed your Jekyll of a local area network into an beastly, unrestrained Hyde. They'll talk about this day for the next five family gatherings at least!

I exaggerate, but only because it seems that the marketing team for Netgear's WNR3500L gigabit router is probably benefiting the most from this "switch" to open-source. I can't see average consumers using this device to its fullest potential, if that's even possible to begin with. The WNR3500L isn't actually open-source all the way. By incorporating closed-source drivers into the product--and triumphing third-party firmware that may or may not run afoul of the GPL itself--Netgear could actually be costing consumers valuable security and functionality.

Consumers Don't Care

I'm sorry, I just have to state the obvious: Average consumers do not care about open-source. Or, rather, they don't care about open source unless it's packaged into a product such that they don't have to lift a finger to reap its benefits. The Chumby is a perfect example of a device that's full of easy-to-use, open-source goodness; Netgear's WNR3500L is not.

It's a simple equation. When a typical router-purchaser picks up the product, he or she will find a fully working, factory-default installation of Netgear's usual configuration back-end. Said person might even jump into the configuration screen and forward some ports or and rename the wireless network to something witty/profane.

Beyond that, there's no impetus on Netgear's part to guide the user to a third-party, open-source firmware package, nor any reasoning or comparisons to suggest what benefits could come from the switch. Few users typically update the firmware of their devices when the manufacturer offers a change or fix. Fewer still go out into the wide world of the Internet hunting for unofficial replacements to use in place of official firmware.

Let's face it: an average person simply isn't going to explore an open-source route no matter how big and bold the phrase was on the box copy. To these people, a product working as expected out of the box is enough of a reward. Why mess with it?

Enthusiasts Remain Unrewarded

I would expect Maximum PC readers to want to take the plunge into third-party firmware more than most. Kudos to you. Only, by doing so, you run the risk that comes from working with software that's technically unsupported and untested on a wide scale. But let's ignore the potential device-breaking implications and assume that your third-party firmware installs flawlessly. Here's the problem: The underlying code of the WNR3500L's modules--especially those related to the core functionality of its Broadcom chipsets--is proprietary. That includes its ethernet and wireless drivers.

This becomes a real issue for third-party creators that want to update the WNR3500L based on a newer version of the Linux kernel. Without the source code, there's no easy way to compile updated modules that work with later kernels--save for reverse engineering code that's found in completely different routers. Updated Linux kernels aren't backwards-compatible, after all: a module coded for kernel version 2.4 just won't function in kernel version 2.6.

As an open-source enthusiast, you lose the security upgrades and functionality that a newer kernel would bring to the table. And even then, life isn't peachy for third-party firmware that's stuck with the closed Broadcom drivers for kernel version 2.4. Just look at the small list of issues found in the OpenWRT drivers Netgear is hosting and promoting:

WPA and WPA2 are not working.
SAMBA support is not present.
NAS can be accessed only through command line using utilities such as ftp
No GUI support to access NAS is available till now.

Is the Firmware Truly Open?

I won't hit this point too hard, as I feel like each week of Murphy's Law is another look into some alleged violation or misinterpretation of the GPL. Suffice, controversy exists over whether firmware like DD-WRT and Tomato--which, again, Netgear promotes--violates GPL licensing. Or, at the very least, that either firmware options violate the spirit of open-source.

The charges back and forth, especially with DD-WRT, are a festering nest of he-said she-said. Suffice, there's been enough squabble over elements like DD-WRT's locked-down UI (a closed feature in an open-source architecture) to give thought that the application might not be playing by the full set of rules required by the GPL. It's conjecturing and controversy rolled into one, and it's not exactly helped by what developer "Brainslayer" states the following on the DD-WRT wiki:

"WARNING: Due to abuse by those re-branding DD-WRT and selling it, or pre-flashed routers with it on eBay, builds dated later than 08/04/2006 have some protections against re-branding the web UI."

So...

As it stands, I see Netgear's WNR3500L as more a product of hype than a legitimate push for a truly open-source networking device. And even then, is the consumer world ready for such a product, especially when said open-source router is clocking in at a $140 price tag? (Admittedly, it includes some extra hardware beyond its non-open-source-themed cousin.) When I think "open-source" from a consumer standpoint, I think, "Wow, this device will probably be less expensive because the software was in all likelihood free of charge."

With the WNR3500L, it's a different question: "Where'd my wireless security go?"

David Murphy (@ Acererak) is a technology journalist and former Maximum PC editor. He writes weekly columns about the wide world of open-source as well as weekly roundups of awesome, freebie software. Befriend him on Twitter, especially if you have an awesome app or game you're dying to recommend!

Netgear’s Open Source Router Available Soon for your Tweaking

Jason Barry — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:25:40 -0500

Netgear announced their latest foray into the open source wireless router realm with the Netgear WNR3500L. Cisco based Linksys routers targeted at consumers have been flaunting the Linux OS for quite some time. However, Netgear has plans to become a favorite amongst the open source networking community.

The WNR3500L rocks the latest 802.11n support and is fully customizable with the latest open source firmware out there: DD-WRT, OpenWRT, and Tomato. Som Pal Choudhury, senior product line manager for advanced wireless, also mentioned their “Development Partner Program, with multiple software vendors and developers creating customized, robust, commercial-grade applications on the WNR3500L.”

In addition to the open source community, Netgear has collaborated with software application companies to deliver applications such as hotspot software by Sputnik, and remote access by Leaf Networks, among others, to run additionally on the Linux platform.

In terms of hardware, it sports a 480MHz MIPS 74K CPU, 8MB of flash memory, 64MB of RAM, 5 gigabit Ethernet ports, and USB ports for shared peripherals. Netgear will launch the router this Fall with a starting price of $139.99.

The price is a bit steep; do you think the flexibility of Linux and additional software, not to mention full 802.11n support is worth the price tag?

Netgear MOCA Coax Ethernet Adapter Kit MCAB1001

Gordon Mah Ung — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:00:20 -0500

Turn coaxial cable outlets into a high-speed network connection

Netgear’s MOCA (short for Multimedia over Coax Alliance) adapter is the can solution to the can’t. If you can’t get a reliable Wi-Fi signal throughout your home and you can’t make an Ethernet cable run and you can’t tap your home’s electrical grid with a HomePlug Powerline adapter, than MOCA is the can.

Using existing standard cable coax wires, the Netgear MOCA adapter lets you turn your cable TV runs into a “home entertainment network.” What the hell is that? Since the adapter is built around passing data through your cable TV, it’s no surprise that MOCA wants to push its adoption as an easy way to get Internet connectivity to your set top box, game console, or media center PC.

Setup is Joe-six-pack friendly: Just unplug the coax cable from your TV set and plug it into the Netgear MOCA adapter. Run a second coax cable from the adapter to the TV. TV signals are passed through transparently, so your American Idol viewing won’t be disturbed. And if the signal is degraded you can actually change the frequency the adapter operates on.

The kit includes an adapter to plant near your router/modem and another to place near your set-top box or media center PC.

The included patch cable can be used to connect your game console or media center PC to the Fast Ethernet port on the back of the adapter. Power it up and go to the room where your router or modem is located. Now here’s the rub: Do you have a cable run there? If you don’t have a cable outlet in the same room as your router, you’re SOL. Fortunately, in the land of the couch potato, most new homes are prewired for cable TV. Run coax cable to the second Netgear MOCA adapter, run a patch cable to an open Ethernet port on your router or modem, and power up both. If you’re within the guidelines of a maximum cable run of 300 feet, you should be up and running.

The technology promises a theoretical 270Mb/s transfer speed, which is sufficient for high-def content. Using a Linksys Media Center Extender DMA2200, we streamed both standard-def material and high-def material using the Netgear MOCA adapter to our TV.

We also conducted a rudimentary file transfer to simulate how long it would take to move a file from a server to a media center PC. Using the Netgear MOCA, we moved a 2.4GB video file in about seven minutes. Switching to our 802.11g network, the same file transfer took about 13 minutes. Not bad, but certainly not Gigabit Ethernet. We didn’t have 802.11n capability on our network to test its speeds, but we suspect the MOCA’s transfer speeds are similar to the faster Wi-Fi version—with less of a security risk. Since the MOCA is hardwired and its range is fairly short—300 feet—someone would have to jack into your cable line to intercept signals. The packets on the MOCA adapter are also encrypted by default.

So what’s the catch? The biggest ding is the lack of satellite capability. Even though a satellite provider is a member of the Multimedia over Coax Alliance, MOCA devices do not currently work with satellite installations. D’oh! Second, there’s the cost. At $190 for two adapters, it’s certainly not a cheap way to build a home network.

But again, the Netgear MOCA adapter is really for the person who can’t get any other networking methods to work. For that person, the price may just be worth it.

Some Linksys and Netgear Routers Vulnerable to New Exploit

Paul Lilly — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:43:49 -0500

Two security researchers on Saturday have warned that if you use cPanel to administer your website or certain Linksys or Netgear routers, you're leaving yourself open to web-based attacks that could potentially take control of your systems.

The attacks are based on CSRF, or cross-site request forgery, which can be exploited simply by surfing to the 'wrong' website, say Russ McRee of HolisticInfoSec.org and Mike Bailey of Skeptikal.org.

"CSRF is bad stuff," Bailey said at the Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas. "It's a very under-appreciated vulnerability, and it's all over the place. Because it usually gets rated as a pretty minimal issue, it almost never gets fixed, and that means we have these kinds of holes all over."

When visiting a malicous website while logged in to the program, the attack is able to trick cPanel into carrying out sensitive commands by duping the device into thinking they came from the victim. And it doesn't look like this will be fixed anytime soon.

"The response I got from cPanel was we can't fix this because it's a feature," Bailey said. "Apparently, they're worried it's going to break integration with third party billing software, so they can't fix this."

Much more info here.

Image Credit: Linksys

Netgear Claims to Double Up on Performance with New ReadyNAS NVX

Paul Lilly — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:15:53 -0500

Netgear today announced the addition of a new ReadyNAS NVX model. According to Netgear, the 4-bay storage solution "offers double the performance" of previous NV+ units.

"Netgear is fully committed to providing the best possible networked storage solutions to the SMB market – offering a range of appliances that address different capacity requirements and thrifty IT budgets,” said Paul Tien, vice president and general manager of NETGEAR’s Networked Storage Business Unit. Mr. Tien will give a presentation at Storage Networking World on “Multi-layered Backup for SOHO and SMB."

New features being touted with the NAS box includes the addition of iSCSI support for a unified NAS+SCSI storage option and an improved ReadyNAS RAIDiator operating system, which Netgear says now works with Time Machine in Max OS X Leopard.

Netgear says the new ReadyNAS NVX is available now from "value-added resellers," with street pricing to start at around $1,500 with 2TB of storage. That includes a 30-day trial to the company's ReadyNAS Vault internet backup service, after which will run $5.95/month for consumers or $19.95/month for businesses.

Netgear's Digital Entertainer Elite Looks to be a Practical HTPC Substitute

Andy Salisbury — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:16:21 -0600

It looks like Netgear has been keeping busy fixing the world’s problems. First they made tech green and now they’re responding to the generic home theater PC, with the (early) introduction of the Digital Entertainer Elite.

Thanks to some shots from the FCC, we can get a first look at the Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite that’s expected to be announced at CES. The all-in-one features the ability to play every digital format that you’d want at rates up to 40Mbps, the same as Blu-ray. And while it may not have a TV tuner, it does include a Wireless-N adapter.

On top of the component, optical and SCART outputs, it’ll feature HDMI so you can watch all your favorite media at up to 1080p. Also, should you find yourself packing movies onto a SATA HDD, you can toss that in there as well.

No word yet on pricing, but keeping in mind that it’ll feature the ability to play just about any type of digital media that you can think of, it’s safe to bet that it’ll cost a pretty penny.

Image Credit: Netgear

Even Wireless-N Routers are Going Green

Andy Salisbury — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:55:23 -0500

Going green is something that just about everyone is worrying about these days, and NETGEAR is no exception. Having recently announced a new line of Wireless-N routers with the Prius driving consumer in mind, they’ve finally thrown their hat into the eco-friendly ring.

NETGEAR’s new routers will be shipping in packaging that has been made from at least 80% recycled materials, as well as boasting a fancy new on/off switch that will allow users to save energy when the network isn’t in use. There’s also a separate on/off switch that will allow users to turn off only the router’s wireless component.

The inside of the routers will be getting quite a makeover as well, "The enhanced wireless speeds and greater coverage provided by Wireless-N technology enables the simultaneous use of applications such as voice-over-IP, video and multimedia streaming, console gaming, and Web surfing. The launch of these new Wireless-N networking solutions makes it easier and more affordable for consumers to replace their existing routers or modem routers and upgrade their WiFi networks to support these more bandwidth-intensive applications. The new product family is feature-rich in terms of performance capabilities and ease of use as well as energy-efficiency,” says Som Pal Choudhury, NETGEAR’s senior product line manager for advanced wireless products. And when he says affordable, he means it. These bad boys will run you only $89 for the router, and $119 for the router with a built in DSL modem.

Image Credit: NETGEAR

Netgear Launches Wireless-N Upgrade Kit

Paul Lilly — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:44:29 -0500

The net is no place for slowpokes and Netgear hopes to nudge home networks into 802.11n territory with its Wireless-N Upgrade Kit (WNEB3100). For MSRP $149 (cheaper online), the kit comes with Netgear's 5GHz Wireless-N HD Access Point (WNHDE111) and the company's RangeMax DualBand Wireless-N Adapter (WNDA3100). When plugged into an existing router or gateway, the kit gives surfers an easy upgrade path to a speedy dual-band Wireless-N network which any Wi-Fi compliant computer or device can then tap into.

“The Wireless-N Upgrade kit enables customers with existing gateways and routers from their ISPs to easily add the performance benefits of 5GHz Wireless-N to their networks by simply connecting the kit to their existing wireless equipment, eliminating the need to re-wire, reconfigure or replace any existing equipment,” explained Som Pal Choudhury, Senior Product Line Manager for Advanced Wireless at Netgear.

The Access Point can also serve duty as a standalone bridge for connecting game consoles, media receivers, and other similar devices, and supports a wireless 'ad-hoc' mode for multicast point-to-multi-point high definition video streaming and wireless LAN peer-to-peer gaming. And because it comes equipped with automatic Quality of Service (QOS), Netgear claims gaming and movie watching will be lag- and jitter-free.

Anyone tempted?

Image Credit: Netgear