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:
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TP-Link Archer AC1900 Dual-Band Mu-Mimo Wi-Fi Router with Gigabit Port
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Linksys AC1200 Dual Band WiFi 5 Router
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TP-Link Archer AX1500 WiFi 6 Dual-Band Wireless Router | up to 1.5 Gbps Speeds
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TP-Link Archer C54 | AC1200 MU-MIMO Dual-Band WiFi Router
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NETGEAR - Nighthawk AC1900 WiFi Router, 1.9Gbps (R6900) I’VE BEEN WARNED AGAINST NETGEAR THOUGH IN OTHER FORUMS
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TP-Link | AX1800 4 Stream Dual-Band WiFi 6 Wireless Router | up to 1.8 Gbps Speeds
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TP-Link Archer AX3000 | 4 Stream Dual-Band WiFi 6 Wireless Router | up to 3 Gbps Speeds
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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!
Run your own router. NEVER rent a router lol
If I gave you a list of the names of routers that are available to buy in my town and that are within my budget, do you think you would be so kind as to recommend one for me? There are so many and I really don't know where to start
I promise I wouldn't hold you accountable for my decision :P
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.
If you can, look into Ubiquiti. Their Unifi package is pretty comprehensive, and self-hostable.
If not, get an RPi with two Ethernet interfaces. Run raspbian, and learn IPTables/netfilter with masquerade. Put the WiFi in AP mode. Yes, it'll suck but at least it's not their router.
Save up a little bit and upgrade to a NUC with 2x Ethernet or some older HTPC with two Ethernet interfaces, it doesn't need to be much. If it can run VMs, maybe you could run even run pfSense or DD-wrt on it. Get a managed switch that understands VLANs. Look into upgrading your WiFi to Ubiquiti Unfi APs with a local controller in a VM.
This is the way....
That looks nice, but ubiquiti is way outside what I can reasonably afford, unfortunately
The AX3000 is actually on sale for $89, down from $130