Linksys WRT routers won't block open source firmware, despite FCC rules
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica :
Context & Ripple Effects
When the FCC's new RF-interference rules landed, TP-Link responded by locking out third-party firmware across its routers — a blunt compliance move that made it the cautionary tale of the rule change. Linksys is now taking the opposite path: updating WRT hardware to satisfy the FCC while keeping the bootloader open to custom images.
The stakes are real for this niche: the WRT54GL still generates millions in annual sales eleven years after launch largely because of its open-source compatibility, so firmware freedom is a proven revenue line for Linksys, not a hobbyist courtesy.
First-order effects
- Owners of updated Linksys WRT hardware can keep loading OpenWrt and other third-party firmware, preserving the upgrade path that defines the WRT line's appeal.
Second-order effects
- TP-Link's lockdown now looks doubly costly: beyond alienating enthusiasts, its Wi-Fi compliance record ended in an FCC settlement requiring a $200K fine plus cooperation with the open source community and chipset makers (the August 2016 settlement) — making Linksys's compliant-but-open design the safer template for other vendors facing the same rules.
Third-order effects
- If vendors had followed TP-Link's route en masse, the community would need its own hardware — which is effectively what eventually happened with OpenWrt shipping its own $89+ One router in 2024, showing the ecosystem can exit vendor control entirely when locked-down routers become the norm.
The trend: Router vendors are learning to meet FCC radio-compliance rules through hardware design rather than firmware lockdowns, keeping third-party firmware viable as a differentiator.