Threat of service disruption by ISP (TalkTalk UK) if their modem not used
 

I have received a stock letter from my ISP which says:

"Having reviewed your account we have identified that you have an older router model...so we have sent you a new router at no extra cost."

"It is very important you (sic) install your new router as soon as it arrives, as your Broadband service may be disrupted if you do nothing."

Background: The new router they have sent me is a wireless router, although it does have some ethernet sockets. I do not have any wireless devices at all. I do not want to use wireless due to the lack of security. I live in a crowded area where my nearest neighbour is about twelve inches away on the other side of a wall. There does not seem to be any way of disabling the wireless part.

Some years ago they sent me another wireless router which I similarly never used and left in the box.

I am still using the non-wireless modem/router that they sent me before that. Although a few years old it still does a good job and is more than fast enough.

What should I do now?

I would like to continue to use my old modem/router, in other words do nothing.

They may just be guessing that I am using the older possibly less secure wireless router that they sent me previously.

Thanks.

Do whatever you'd like, but again: their network=their rules. They are (more or less) point blank TELLING YOU that your service will go down if you don't upgrade. Don't want wireless? Tell them that, and they'll either disable it or send you one without it.

Not really a Linux related question at all.

Almost all of the devices allow the end user to configure it.

I'd bet there is some manual for it online that tells how to access it.


There may be a generic current model that will be allowed on their system.

You might be able to call them and ask what is changed but .... good luck.. usually you get ID 10 T support.

Are you sure you can't disable the device's wireless capabilities from its admin interface?

The wireless router they sent me does not have any identification on it, so it is not possible to look up its specification. Also, it may require Windows to initiate it, since the ISP does not support Linux (unless they have changed their policy recently which is unlikely).

On what perhaps debatedly could be a separate thread, I disabled IPv6 some years ago as it was thought to be a security risk. Is IPv6 still a security risk? Perhaps it would help if I restored it.

https://test-ipv6.com/ says "Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) appears to be OPALTELECOM-AS TalkTalk Communications Limited" and gives me a 0/10 score for IPv6 connectivity.

Update: The router they sent me looks like this one https://accessories.talktalk.co.uk/p...description/41 , the
TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub Black, and not the very similar looking higher spec one. And I believe the service I have is ADSL, since if it was fibre I would have heard about it.

This is not about technology, this is about being a consumer. Assuming you've purchases goods and services in the past, and also possibly had bad customer experiences. Figure out what your options are and exercise them. Be they

• purchase your own router
• find another ISP
• call them to find out the credentials to manage the router they gave you

That may be the case in the USA, where my internet surfing of the last few minutes tells me that the "open internet" idea is dead, but in the UK it is still alive and functioning, even after the UK's exit from the European Union.

The pdf that is linked to from this page https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-an...net-neutrality says:

"Under Articles 3(1) and 3(2) of the Open Internet Regulation, end-users have the right to
“access and distribute information and content, use and provide applications and services,
and use terminal equipment of their choice, irrespective of the end-user's or provider's
location or the location, origin or destination of the information, content, application or
service, via their internet access service.” This right is not to be limited by agreements
entered into by the providers of internet access services and end-users, or by the commercial
practices of those providers."

The important part is "use terminal equipment of their choice". So I should be entitled to use a Linux-compatible modem or router if I want, or a Linux OS.

My surfing of the last few minutes also suggests that another issue with ISP-provided equipment is that they often or usually will not give you the passwords required to enable you to change its internal specifications.

If I was you I'd whack the new router in and read the doco. You can almost certainly turn the wifi off. Seems they have a reasonable community advice commitment - I even found a page to setup a third-party router.
Usually to set up the box you connect via a browser to the (non-routable) gateway IP address - 192.168.1.1 is pretty common although they can also use a mickey-mouse address like http.yourrouter.com or similar. Go nuts securing it from there.
Many (as in many) years ago I had a router that could only be accessed by IE - even using a bodgy user agent didn't work, so I had to keep a Windows laptop around. Not an issue thses days, all the config can be done from Linux.

Edit: missed the couple of posts prior as I type too slow. Still reckon you should be ok with the new router.

Generally "terminal equipment" refers to the first bit of equipment the user touches, so laptops, phones, PC, etc. etc. not necessarily the NTU (Network Termination Unit). There are several reasons ISPs want you to use the latest provided NTUs, the primary one being support. It's cost-effective that they only have one, maybe two different "modems" to support when the average user encounters problems.

Newer NTUs may also support newer / faster protocols. I doubt my original 1st gen NTU would support my current 500Mb connectivity, and I know I have to change it to a newer one if I want to go 1Gb.

Strangely I've found the opposite, I've never had problems getting in to my ISPs provided NTU, indeed my Virgin Media hub came with the admin password and details of how to change it as well as the SSID passwords. I've also had no problems switching my VM NTU to "bridge mode" where the external IP is handed off to the 1st ethernet port. I then have my own separate router doing firewall / WiFi duties.

Quite correct. If this isn't available, then it is a big blocking point. Hence why I recommended asking the provider for this information, or considering alternatives. Because if there's some reason why they won't provide the credentials to control the equipment, then another option is to ask them to reconfigure it for you. Issue there is, how would you know? Final option is to bring your business elsewhere.

Wrong. Do not confuse your 'minutes of web surfing' with actual knowledge, nor confuse net neutrality with the right of a *PRIVATE COMPANY* to do as they wish with the network they own, and the equipment they have on it.

It is not YOU that maintains their network, it's them. Older hardware (with older firmware) may be presenting them with problems of maintenance you have no idea about. They are absolutely within their rights to turn your access off if you don't comply, period. Just as if they find a script-kiddie who's trying to hack their network.
Wrong. The 'terminal equipment' is YOUR COMPUTER. Says absolutely nothing about the connection point provided, does it? Again, net neutrality isn't at issue. Are they telling you to not visit certain sites? Pay more for others? Censoring you?? Nope....they're telling you that you have to have THEIR DEVICE PLUGGED INTO THEIR NETWORK.
Right; again their network=their rules. Are you not even thinking of the fact that if folks can change whatever they want on their router, they could then cause no end of problems for anyone ELSE on that particular part of the network, either on purpose or not? And are they going to call YOU to fix it? Nope...they get the 100-1000 calls, and have to send techs around to figure out who is doing what. You may very well be able to change some things (WiFi SSID, WiFi password, enable/disable it, etc.), but not others.

Again, don't want wireless? Tell them that. Whining about net neutrality as if you're being asked to do something so horrible by putting in a piece of FREE EQUIPMENT to replace an older one, won't get you much.

The entire thrust of this thread was, "What should I do? Can they turn off my access?" Answers are STILL:

• Do whatever you want; after all, you've done MINUTES of research.
• Yes, they can turn off your access at any time; it's THEIR NETWORK...you don't own it, just pay to access it.

As I said, talktalk seem to have good community access to this info - simple search finds the same info I use from my ISP.
Seems a matter of paranoia from the OP, not published info from the ISP.

Wonder if that is legal in the UK? "does not have any identification on it" I'd think it has to be identified.

Anyway. You can easily find it's web page to config it.

Might be same. https://support.plume.com/hc/en-gb/a...0your%20router.

Thanks, as has been pointed out I do not know the details of the regulations and laws. I would have thought that you are entitled to use your own modem in the UK and EU, where maybe things are less business-oriented and more favouring the consumer and the individual. (The big US internet tech companies are frequently given big fines by the EU).

I have finally got my old non-wireless modem to work on another computer so I shall stick with that until it stops working.

I dislike the idea of having my banking details broadcast over half the street, and wireless is known to be insecure. Even though in theory it may be possible to turn it off, you can never be sure that it is actually turned off. I dislike the need to keep the thing turned on all the time, which is a significant fire risk as well as wasting electricity and money. I think I also read that it does not allow you to use an external DNS server rather than the ISP one. So bad all round.

Is there any recent non-wireless router-modem model that people would recommend?

Better safe than sorry, and worrying about being sorry.