Need a new home WiFi set up.

Nest issue, the phone has swapped over today (yes I know no idea why we still need to the land line), problem is I have nowhere to plug it in, only 3 ports on the main X55 router so looks like I need a switch and recommendations for a cheap 4 port switch?

NetGear for me. Metal casing, just a bit nicer quality than the really cheap stuff. I have a managed one for 2xNAS, PI and some other kit although I hardly ever look at the UI. I think the 5 port one I have in the big shed here was about £40. Gigabit, auto sensing, standard stuff just done well.

On the Deco not connecting well (and I see you’ve fixed it) it might be worth running the network optimisation function in the App (under more)- sometimes it’ll move channels around to get a better connection if you did want to connect any wirelessly.

interesting article doing the rounds today about the US considering a ban on TP-Link routers due to (intentional?) poor security & also illegal pricing strategies.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/18/24324140/tp-link-us-investigation-ban-chinese-routers

linked from that article is one from a few months ago where Microsoft disclosed they’ve been tracking a “zombie network” of compromised TP-Link routers which is used in hacking activity linked to the Chinese government!

Think I’ll stick with Unifi 🙂

Chinese threat actor Storm-0940 uses credentials from password spray attacks from a covert network

@zilog6128 Whenever I’ve looked into new routers in the past the ones from TP Link seemed to get a couple of firmware updates in the first year and then nothing. They are the preferred brand at John Lewis partnership which means there are a lot of poorly secured networks out there in higher net-worth individuals houses.

Not sure about that. Bought my Decos in 2017, and it’s still getting regular firmware updates. Password spray attacks is brute-forcing the admin password, isn’t it? A risk with any Internet-connected device?

Password spray attacks is brute-forcing the admin password, isn’t it? A risk with any Internet-connected device?

The admin interface shouldn’t be exposed to the WAN in the first place.

That’s not to say it isn’t of course, but it really shouldn’t be for exactly that reason.

True, On these, it’s an ID (with 2FA) that a Deco app uses so you can remotely monitor and administer it. But for that to work, it must be doing this over the WAN.

Well I’ve ended up putting the BRSK router back into the mix and setting the Decos to access mode. Only way I could get the landline to work (which I didn’t  want). All working nicely now and the DECO network seems much more stable than BRSK WiFi. Does mean I dont need the switch so that can go back to Amazon, the BRSK router has spare LAN ports.

Lot of effort but got there in the end and now have 900Mb internet with a high speed stable WiFi network and working landline.

Only way I could get the landline to work (which I didn’t want).

If you didn’t want it, why would you want to get it to work? #confused

My landline died years ago. I couldn’t be arsed to register a fault, it stopping working did me a favour.

I didn’t want a landline, my wife did…….