Topic: Update on Linksys WRT1900AC support

The content of this topic has been archived between 16 Sep 2014 and 7 May 2018. Unfortunately there are posts – most likely complete pages – missing.

Page 23 of 598

Post #551

gufus

28 Jul 2014, 23:43

qasdfdsaq wrote:

jalyst wrote:
To be clear, naturally I'm referring to Belkin's side of the equation....
OWRT devs are still twiddling their thumbs whilst waiting for the aforementioned to "pull their finger out"...
The orifice they have their fingers in must be extremely tight if they are taking this long to pull them out.

Enough

PLEASE!

Post #552

sammy66

29 Jul 2014, 10:08

THX for all the info nyt...

Post #553

greymattr

30 Jul 2014, 02:42

Hi all,

I really hope this is the last update I post before the inital WRT1900AC wireless driver is released.

I will admit that this process is taking much longer than I thought it would, but I am very grateful to the engineers at Marvell for making sure that everything 'checks out' prior to the release. Currently we are making sure there are no legal issues with the release, and that is a time consuming process.

So far the testing of the open source driver has been going well, for the few people who have access to it. However, I would not be surprised if there were updates in the future.

Some users may be disappointed to learn that the release will contain a pre-built library. While this may not be ideal for some users, it is good progress and will allow for developers to recompile the driver as updates are made to the kernel. Going forward I am sure efforts will be made to incorporate a wireless driver where developers have access to 100% of the source.

Personally, I would like to thank you for your patience, and understanding through this process. As soon as we are able to release the driver, I will post another update.

Post #554

nyt

30 Jul 2014, 02:53

greymattr wrote:

Hi all,
I really hope this is the last update I post before the inital WRT1900AC wireless driver is released.
I will admit that this process is taking much longer than I thought it would, but I am very grateful to the engineers at Marvell for making sure that everything 'checks out' prior to the release. Currently we are making sure there are no legal issues with the release, and that is a time consuming process.
So far the testing of the open source driver has been going well, for the few people who have access to it. However, I would not be surprised if there were updates in the future.
Some users may be disappointed to learn that the release will contain a pre-built library. While this may not be ideal for some users, it is good progress and will allow for developers to recompile the driver as updates are made to the kernel. Going forward I am sure efforts will be made to incorporate a wireless driver where developers have access to 100% of the source.
Personally, I would like to thank you for your patience, and understanding through this process. As soon as we are able to release the driver, I will post another update.

So after all the promises of an open source driver being released, it's not being delivered. Is there any ETA on when the promises made will actually be met? Will there be a refund program available for these routers?

This may sound harsh, but understand that some of us do not want to run binary code from a company that has released routers with backdoors.

(Last edited by nyt on 30 Jul 2014, 03:22)

Post #555

greymattr

30 Jul 2014, 03:53

nyt wrote:

greymattr wrote:
Hi all,
I really hope this is the last update I post before the inital WRT1900AC wireless driver is released.
I will admit that this process is taking much longer than I thought it would, but I am very grateful to the engineers at Marvell for making sure that everything 'checks out' prior to the release. Currently we are making sure there are no legal issues with the release, and that is a time consuming process.
So far the testing of the open source driver has been going well, for the few people who have access to it. However, I would not be surprised if there were updates in the future.
Some users may be disappointed to learn that the release will contain a pre-built library. While this may not be ideal for some users, it is good progress and will allow for developers to recompile the driver as updates are made to the kernel. Going forward I am sure efforts will be made to incorporate a wireless driver where developers have access to 100% of the source.
Personally, I would like to thank you for your patience, and understanding through this process. As soon as we are able to release the driver, I will post another update.

So after all the promises of an open source driver being released, it's not being delivered. Is there any ETA on when the promises made will actually be met? Will there be a refund program available for these routers?
This may sound harsh, but understand that some of us do not want to run binary code from a company that has released routers with backdoors.

nyt,

I really do understand your concerns, and there are people advocating for your side. I really hope that we can meet the expectations of our users. Initially the release contained a binary kernel module that could not be rebuilt. The current package can be rebuilt as kernel updates are made. We are moving in the right direction, and I anticipate we will continue to do so in the future.

In the interim, if there is some functionality within the router which is needed for some specific project, or if you discover the wireless acting nefarious please reach out to us at Belkin.

As always, I thank you for your interest, support, and patience. Without persistent, enthusiastic OpenWrt developers like your self, projects like the WRT1900AC would never be undertaken in the first place. Despite your opinion of our effort, from one developer to another, I appreciate you helping us push this forward.

Post #556

nyt

30 Jul 2014, 03:56

greymattr wrote:

nyt wrote:
greymattr wrote:
Hi all,
I really hope this is the last update I post before the inital WRT1900AC wireless driver is released.
I will admit that this process is taking much longer than I thought it would, but I am very grateful to the engineers at Marvell for making sure that everything 'checks out' prior to the release. Currently we are making sure there are no legal issues with the release, and that is a time consuming process.
So far the testing of the open source driver has been going well, for the few people who have access to it. However, I would not be surprised if there were updates in the future.
Some users may be disappointed to learn that the release will contain a pre-built library. While this may not be ideal for some users, it is good progress and will allow for developers to recompile the driver as updates are made to the kernel. Going forward I am sure efforts will be made to incorporate a wireless driver where developers have access to 100% of the source.
Personally, I would like to thank you for your patience, and understanding through this process. As soon as we are able to release the driver, I will post another update.

So after all the promises of an open source driver being released, it's not being delivered. Is there any ETA on when the promises made will actually be met? Will there be a refund program available for these routers?
This may sound harsh, but understand that some of us do not want to run binary code from a company that has released routers with backdoors.
nyt,
I really do understand your concerns, and there are people advocating for your side. I really hope that we can meet the expectations of our users. Initially the release contained a binary kernel module that could not be rebuilt. The current package can be rebuilt as kernel updates are made. We are moving in the right direction, and I anticipate we will continue to do so in the future.
In the interim, if there is some functionality within the router which is needed for some specific project, or if you discover the wireless acting nefarious please reach out to us at Belkin.
As always, I thank you for your interest, support, and patience. Without persistent, enthusiastic OpenWrt developers like your self, projects like the WRT1900AC would never be undertaken in the first place. Despite your opinion of our effort, from one developer to another, I appreciate you helping us push this forward.

I do appreciate the progress, but this has just been moving at a snails pace with constant setbacks and letdowns.

Post #557

greymattr

30 Jul 2014, 04:20

> I do appreciate the progress, but this has just been moving at a snails pace with constant setbacks and letdowns.

I can not disagree with you my friend, I can only hope to do better for you in the future.

Post #558

jalyst

30 Jul 2014, 05:03

greymattr wrote:

So far the testing of the open source driver has been going well, for the few people who have access to it. However, I would not be surprised if there were updates in the future. Some users may be disappointed to learn that the release will contain a pre-built library. While this may not be ideal for some users, it is good progress and will allow for developers to recompile the driver as updates are made to the kernel. Going forward I am sure efforts will be made to incorporate a wireless driver where developers have access to 100% of the source.

So, "yet again" you're back-flipping on making the driver source available...
~2wks ago you "clearly" suggested that Belkin may soon FINALLY overcome this last (& very significant) black mark.
Now you're backtracking from that assertion? One can't write better fiction than this, what a total farce/joke!

(Last edited by jalyst on 30 Jul 2014, 05:13)

Post #559

jalyst

30 Jul 2014, 05:04

nyt wrote:

So after all the promises of an open source driver being released, it's not being delivered. Is there any ETA on when the promises made will actually be met? Will there be a refund program available for these routers? This may sound harsh, but understand that some of us do not want to run binary code from a company that has released routers with backdoors.

nyt wrote:

I do appreciate the progress, but this has just been moving at a snails pace with constant setbacks and letdowns.

+infinity

(Last edited by jalyst on 30 Jul 2014, 05:10)

Post #560

jalyst

30 Jul 2014, 05:07

Time to move on people, you're much better off with the AC-87U or the 8000, from day one of wider availability there'll be at least one major 3rd-party fw for which support is well advanced, including proper kernel module support.

And Asus/Netgear won't have "screamed from the rooftops" from the start, that they're "the true WRT-54G successor" OR "the true F/OSS king", they just would've DONE IT, no fuss & no muss.

Sell your 1900AC & buy from a co. that really "gets it", Belkin/Marvell have thrown roadblock after roadblock on this comical journey, it's been proven that they're woefully incompetent/unprepared for the corner they painted themselves into.

(Last edited by jalyst on 30 Jul 2014, 05:16)

Post #561

guitarman

30 Jul 2014, 05:50

@greymattr can you please advise who we can contact at Belkin for a refund on this router. I personally have lost interest in this product, it has been sold and marketed under what appears to be misleading information to consumers i.e. Opensource compatibility and like others I think I will stick with broadcom offerings in the future.

Post #562

Boris2

30 Jul 2014, 07:09

greymattr wrote:

So far the testing of the open source driver has been going well, for the few people who have access to it.

Great news. Thanks for all the work, and for keeping us informed.

greymattr wrote:

While this may not be ideal for some users, it is good progress. Going forward I am sure efforts will be made to incorporate a wireless driver where developers have access to 100% of the source.

No good, but I agree with you this is progress and will provide much better compatibility but no complete FOSSness.

jalyst wrote:

So, "yet again" you're back-flipping on making the driver source available...
~2wks ago you "clearly" suggested that Belkin may soon FINALLY overcome this last (& very significant) black mark.
Now you're backtracking from that assertion? One can't write better fiction than this, what a total farce/joke!
Sell your 1900AC & buy from a co. that really "gets it", Belkin/Marvell have thrown roadblock after roadblock on this comical journey, it's been proven that they're woefully incompetent/unprepared for the corner they painted themselves into.

You are being really harsh. They sure was unprepared (eg potential legal issue when disclosing the source code), and the process was perceived as going "at a snails pace" because in companies things simply gets time. I am pretty sure the WRT1900AC product was in development for several months/years before release. It looks to me like the mistake about the release planning we talked about, not a particularly slow pace.

guitarman wrote:

@greymattr can you please advise who we can contact at Belkin for a refund on this router. I personally have lost interest in this product

Contact Belkin support if you must, here is not really the place.

Anyway, greymattr you have everyone's interest, support is a rare resource but it's there, and hopefully we soon won't need patience any more .

Post #563

gufus

30 Jul 2014, 07:23

I still like my WRT1900AC

With 25+ years of computer experience, this is just another device to me.

Heck, I still have my Hayes 2400 baud Smartmodem <grin>

(Last edited by gufus on 30 Jul 2014, 09:08)

Post #564

lifehacksback

30 Jul 2014, 08:38

@greymattr Can you give us some more info about the "legality"? Also why can't belkin release the full source code

Post #565

johan81

30 Jul 2014, 09:18

I was contemplating buying this router to replace my Netgear WNDR3700 v1, but with all these problems after being advertised as being a 100% compatible and working with OpenWRT while it clearly does not, I have decided to stay away.

I don't understand these kind of things, Linksys really wanted to get back on the good side of the router modding community and had a pretty good chance of doing so, but dealing with it like this, they might as well haven't tried it....

Very disappointed and sad, because this would have been the perfect OpenWRT router for me, if only it were true, USB 3.0 combined with NFS/Samba and Transmission, would have been so sweet.

Post #566

guitarman

30 Jul 2014, 10:47

Does anyone have the direct number for Belkin in the UK.
Belkin did not quote any legal issues with Marvel during its marketing campaign when this product was initially released, therefore misleading the public. This news came afterwards. I'd like a refund on my £250 investment in this product please.
,

Boris2 wrote:

greymattr wrote:
So far the testing of the open source driver has been going well, for the few people who have access to it.
Great news. Thanks for all the work, and for keeping us informed.
greymattr wrote:
While this may not be ideal for some users, it is good progress. Going forward I am sure efforts will be made to incorporate a wireless driver where developers have access to 100% of the source.
No good, but I agree with you this is progress and will provide much better compatibility but no complete FOSSness.
jalyst wrote:
So, "yet again" you're back-flipping on making the driver source available...
~2wks ago you "clearly" suggested that Belkin may soon FINALLY overcome this last (& very significant) black mark.
Now you're backtracking from that assertion? One can't write better fiction than this, what a total farce/joke!
Sell your 1900AC & buy from a co. that really "gets it", Belkin/Marvell have thrown roadblock after roadblock on this comical journey, it's been proven that they're woefully incompetent/unprepared for the corner they painted themselves into.
You are being really harsh. They sure was unprepared (eg potential legal issue when disclosing the source code), and the process was perceived as going "at a snails pace" because in companies things simply gets time. I am pretty sure the WRT1900AC product was in development for several months/years before release. It looks to me like the mistake about the release planning we talked about, not a particularly slow pace.
guitarman wrote:
@greymattr can you please advise who we can contact at Belkin for a refund on this router. I personally have lost interest in this product
Contact Belkin support if you must, here is not really the place.

Anyway, greymattr you have everyone's interest, support is a rare resource but it's there, and hopefully we soon won't need patience any more .

Post #567

jalyst

30 Jul 2014, 10:58

Boris2 wrote:

You are being really harsh. They sure was unprepared (eg potential legal issue when disclosing the source code), and the process was perceived as going "at a snails pace" because in companies things simply gets time. I am pretty sure the WRT1900AC product was in development for several months/years before release. It looks to me like the mistake about the release planning we talked about, not a particularly slow pace.

No I'm not actually, I've been extremely patient & extremely supportive (often defending Belkin's situation in multiple threads) for more than long enough. There comes a point when it's patently obvious that a company's incompetent (possibly even negligent/immoral), so much so that it dangles right in front of one's face, we've now pretty-much reached that point. If this quagmire isn't FINALLY & FULLY resolved within the next wk or 2, then it's reasonable for most logical people to assume that they've been "taken for a ride", & to demand a refund or to sell/look elsewhere.

(Last edited by jalyst on 30 Jul 2014, 11:06)

Post #568

Chadster766

30 Jul 2014, 14:20

greymattr wrote:

I wanted to update everyone about the release of the wireless driver for the WRT1900AC.
There were potential issues with some of the wording in the source, and we are working to get that corrected so there will not be any legal issues.
Once these strictly cosmetic changes are made it will allow OpenWrt developers to recompile the wireless driver as updates are made to the kernel.
Thank you for your patience and support through this process.
I can not speak officially for Belkin/Linksys, but personally, I have used OpenWrt for many years, and I look forward to working with the OpenWrt community in the future on projects if possible.
keep up the good work.

All of the above post was BS in a nice way

Belkin\Linksys developers are obviously struggling and their firmware for this router has many issues.

If legal matters are no longer a concern than swallow your pride and let the Open Source community help fix the driver. Everyone already knows the driver has bugs. This could speed up your development for the Stock Linksys firmware and save Belkin\Linksys money. Not to mention consumer interest and sales. (Money dig to push the issue)

Post #569

dpdurst

30 Jul 2014, 15:14

Actually I'm pretty excited about the news, can't wait to see what comes of it and I'm more than willing to have patience for the firmware, can't wait to see the changes.

Post #570

jalyst

30 Jul 2014, 15:29

dpdurst wrote:

Actually I'm pretty excited about the news, can't wait to see what comes of it...

And tell us, exactly what "news" would that be?
The news that there's no final word about the closed binaries for the umpteenth time?

(Last edited by jalyst on 30 Jul 2014, 15:40)

Post #571

Chadster766

30 Jul 2014, 15:36

dpdurst wrote:

Actually I'm pretty excited about the news, can't wait to see what comes of it and I'm more than willing to have patience for the firmware, can't wait to see the changes.

I'm very disappointed as you can tell

I was really hoping the wireless driver source code would be available so Belkin\Linksys and the Open Source community could improve and build upon it.

Now it will only be whatever is released by Belkin\Linksys which is the same as the current situation.

(Last edited by Chadster766 on 30 Jul 2014, 15:55)

Post #572

grau

30 Jul 2014, 16:55

I cannot believe this. I'm veeeeeery disappointed!

Post #573

drawz

30 Jul 2014, 22:47

jalyst wrote:

Time to move on people, you're much better off with the AC-87U or the 8000, from day one of wider availability there'll be at least one major 3rd-party fw for which support is well advanced, including proper kernel module support.
And Asus/Netgear won't have "screamed from the rooftops" from the start, that they're "the true WRT-54G successor" OR "the true F/OSS king", they just would've DONE IT, no fuss & no muss.
Sell your 1900AC & buy from a co. that really "gets it", Belkin/Marvell have thrown roadblock after roadblock on this comical journey, it's been proven that they're woefully incompetent/unprepared for the corner they painted themselves into.

Does Broadcom have open source drivers for that would support the R8000 that none of us know about? How about Quantenna in the case of the AC-87U? Nope. So it doesn't sound much better than the WRT1900AC in that respect.

I also really don't think either Asus or Netgear get it. If they did, we wouldn't need 3rd party firmware at all. Although, I must admit that AsusWRT, based on Tomato, is not bad, but is still stuck on an outdated kernel, probably in part due to those closed-source Broadcom drivers.

Both Asus and Netgear have proclaimed their open source support in the past while also not providing full driver source. I think Belkin/Linksys' mistake was claiming OpenWrt support without engaging the developers prior to announcement or release. On top of that, they didn't have it ready themselves and initial releases were effectively unusable by the community. See these claims for Asus & Netgear:
http://promos.asus.com/US/ASUS_DD-WRT/
http://www.netgear.com/home/products/ne … 3500L.aspx

To me, Atheros is the only chipset company that has really been good about releasing source for their drivers in the wifi router market, but even the latest ath10k I think requires a binary blob. It's no surprise then that the focus of most current OpenWrt development has been on Atheros-based hardware. That's where I'd put my money. Hope to see some IPQ806x (dual core ARM) hardware soon.

(Last edited by drawz on 30 Jul 2014, 23:03)

Post #574

dobetter

31 Jul 2014, 00:21

I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo disappointed!

Post #575

washley

31 Jul 2014, 02:49

I am basically at the point of wanting a refund, as well. This is ridiculous. By the time we have what Linksys promised, the WRT1900AC will be outdated and outclassed by cheaper routers.

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