Energy efficient and secure routers?

softdown · January 15

Looks look my router firmware is hacked and owned by others. Too bad as it only used 3 watts of power I think.

Shopping for a new router. They tend to brag about high speeds for multiple devices and significant networks.

It is just me, my laptop and smartTV.....and three dogs.. Security is the big issue. Network is AT&T/T-Mobile, WCDMA in particular. Frequencies used are 850-1900MhZ.

Routers can get a bit complicated as some of you know. They are a huge hacking target and this is where government "spies" throttle the curious and outspoken with DDOS attacks.....Denial of Service. I have realized about 15% service time up since studying up on Israel and its copious role in 9/11. Can't live with that...

My ISP wants $300 or a long contract. Also have read that ISP routers are among the worst for security.

If I have sparked an interest, you can do some reading here: routersecurity.org

Estragon · January 15

I'll be in the market for a new wireless router / hotspot soon too. Cell provider options are limited, and totally lacking in meaningful documentation. I want lower level control than some webpage/GUI will give me, and also want to make sure it will support 700mhz. High frequency 5g may not get to the cabin in my lifetime, but 700mhz is likely in the next couple of years. 1900mhz doesn't work, and 5g is even higher. 700mhz should theoretically work better than 850.

They're expensive, but I'm considering something like a MultiTech wireless router/modem. I've used their stuff in the past and it was pretty solid.

mike95490 · January 15

Many routers have firmware updates you can install. And there are 3rd party firmware products
more reading:
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/04/how-to-choose-the-best-firmware-to-supercharge-your-wi-fi-router/
&
https://mekachoice.com/technology/dd-wrt-vs-openwrt-vs-tomato-the-best-firmware/?PageSpeed=noscript

westbranch · January 15

I don't fully know and no time right now to research, but , Look at DDWRT, a Linux based hack for specific Cisco routers and some others. I have it on 2 of mine and found it very intuitive to work with, especially being a real router newbie..

softdown · January 15

Thanks guys! Considering that two laptop fans and the router badly malfunctioned within days....I suspect a cyber attack of sorts. Especially considering the subject matter I was researching and writing about. Same folks hacked my wedding photography web site back in the day. That brought about the end of my photography career. No hard feelings?

softdown · January 15

I am getting new tech in a few weeks. So this problem will not be worked on further.

softdown · January 16

FWIW.....at least give your own network a long ass name that isn't easily guessed and doesn't tell anything about you...such as your address.

Router hacking is a lot more common than you likely realized.

Energy efficient and secure routers?

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