This is very troubling, and I’m not even sure where to start. I recently received an email message from my ISP which alerted me to an incoming update. I didn’t worry too much since this is obviously not the first update they’ve ever pushed through.

However, after this update, I noticed that my guest connections and some other things had changed / disappeared. I logged on to my router, and I immediately noticed my custom password had been reset to the default. No problem, I entered it.

At this point, I saw that all of my options were greyed out. I could change the password, which I did, but nothing else. I immediately called my ISP.

I was told that I would have to use their app now, so as much as I dislike using proprietary phone apps, I conceded and installed the app through the Play store.

However, the agent was not entirely honest with me. I still can’t bifurcate my 2.4g and 5g connections, nor can I add or remove any guest connections. I immediately enabled “privacy mode” via the app, which purportedly prevents information from being collected by something called “HomePass,” and I “Delete[d] Guard events” whatever the hell that means, but this seems really troubling. I can no longer access my modem/router settings via the normal interface, but have to use an Android app?

There is only one other ISP in my area. They have much worse/slower service, but should I switch, or is this just the “new normal”? Does what I’m describing even make sense? I’m not a tech expert, but I feel like I’ve self-taught myself how to navigate these settings, and learned from others in online forums, but now … an Android app?

I’d appreciate any advice. I’d even be willing to purchase my own modem/router instead of using the one from my ISP, if that fixes this mess.

Edit: So I need my own router, at least. I did some research, and these are the ones I can get locally that are within my budget:

  • TP-Link Archer AC1900 Dual-Band Mu-Mimo Wi-Fi Router with Gigabit Port

  • Linksys AC1200 Dual Band WiFi 5 Router

  • TP-Link Archer AX1500 WiFi 6 Dual-Band Wireless Router | up to 1.5 Gbps Speeds

  • TP-Link Archer C54 | AC1200 MU-MIMO Dual-Band WiFi Router

  • NETGEAR - Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi Router, 1.9Gbps (R6900) I’VE BEEN WARNED AGAINST NETGEAR THOUGH IN OTHER FORUMS

  • TP-Link | AX1800 4 Stream Dual-Band WiFi 6 Wireless Router | up to 1.8 Gbps Speeds

  • TP-Link Archer AX3000 | 4 Stream Dual-Band WiFi 6 Wireless Router | up to 3 Gbps Speeds

  • Linksys E7350 AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Router

Am I right in thinking the TP-Link AX3000 is best?

Edit 2: At first, I bought the Netgear AC1900, which seemed like a great deal. Turns out it was unusable without creating a netgear account, so I returned it in exchange for the TP-Link Archer AX1500, and it appears to be working! I got everything set up pretty close to the way it was before, except even better.

Once I save money, I’ll also invest in a different modem and return this one to my ISP.

This was a big wake-up call for me in terms of privacy. I never listened to people saying not to use your ISP’s equipment because I always trusted my ISP (it’s not one of the big name ones). Never trust a company. Lesson learned. I appreciate all the responses I got! This community is great!

  • Zuberi 👀@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    Those “lists” are likely non-exhaustive. Virtually any combo will work given it works with the internet-protocol your ISP offers. My team prefers TP-Link routers for their update times, but ASUS/Netgear are both solid options as well.

    I use a $250 VPN router because of my team’s interest in the dark web. I find it more helpful to put the entire network behind a wall than w/ each individual device. Imho?.. $250 was overkill for how much I pay my ISP for speeds. But this bad-boy is very future proof. https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-gx90/

    Future-proof with at least a router (> WiFi 6) AND a modem. The combo-style ones are almost all bad (ymmv).

    Many, many ISPs will lock internet to ONLY the mac-address of the modem/router, so make sure you change the address in settings. For instance, if a company ships you a router, the MAC of that router will be the only one that can connect from your address.

    For TP-Link: 192.168.0.1 -> “Internet” Settings -> “MAC Clone” (Set the MAC address of your router. Use the default address unless your ISP allows internet access from only a specific MAC address)

    Edit: Feel free to post any “options” from your ISP and what speeds/price they offer :)! If you’re only paying for <100Mb/s, a $250 router will be stupidly-overkill.

    Edit2: TP-Link AX3000 WiFi 6 Router is my vote because it also has VPN capabilities if you need that in the future.