No Tx power adjustment for RT-AC1900P ?

[SoCalReviews]

I picked up an RT-AC1900P at Best Buy yesterday. After all the discussion about it I had to try it for myself. It's a great router. It seems stable. It seems a little zippier than the 68P... not night and day but slightly. I set up the 1900P with the latest firmware 380_3831 . Everything seems to be working great. I like the router itself but I noticed that when I went to Advanced > Wireless > Professional tab and went to the bottom to look for the Tx power Adjustment option I didn't see it. The pdf manual for the 1900P says it has power adjustment option. The 68P router with the latest firmware 380_3831 does still in fact have the Tx power adjustment option there to use. It's only the 1900P router that has no Tx power adjustment option.

I called Asus router support and they looked at the firmware on an actual RT-1900P router they had running there and sure enough Tx power adjustment was suspiciously missing from their 1900P router as well. The Asus support rep told me that the feature is not available on the 1900P... at least not at this time. Since I use the Tx power adjustment feature on most of my routers to turn down the 2.4Ghz radio power this is a feature I really want to have.

If this feature is going to be missing for good from the 1900P this is a big issue with me and I might have to return it. I am curious if anyone else with the 1900P has tried Merlin's firmware for 68 serires (new or previous) and whether their 1900P has this option... or if the 1900P has Tx power adjustment has been locked down... or if it is missing completely as it is with the official Asus firmware.

 

[RMerlin]

Asus is completely removing the TX power adjustment from all their routers starting with firmware 3831, if the router is located in the US, due to FCC requirements.

That setting only allowed you to reduce the output power anyway, so it was of very limited use.

 

[doczenith1]

Since I use the Tx power adjustment feature on most of my routers to turn down the 2.4Ghz radio power this is a feature I really want to have.

I'm with you on this. My 2.4 radio only gets used on the weekends when a few friends with older phones are over. They are typically within 1 wall and 20 feet of the router. I like to turn down the power to be considerate to the neighbors while still providing plenty of signal for my friends.

 

[sfx2000]

Asus is completely removing the TX power adjustment from all their routers starting with firmware 3831, if the router is located in the US, due to FCC requirements.

That setting only allowed you to reduce the output power anyway, so it was of very limited use.

The Broadcom drivers - since about 2013 - you could turn the knob to 11 (Spinal Tap reference), but the internal RTOS in the chips themselves would limit Tx power to the regulatory domain programmed in..

 

[SoCalReviews]

Asus is completely removing the TX power adjustment from all their routers starting with firmware 3831, if the router is located in the US, due to FCC requirements.

That setting only allowed you to reduce the output power anyway, so it was of very limited use.

Why is the power adjustment option is still there and working on my 68P running firmware 3831? I want to reduce the amount of power anyway... not increase it.

 

[SoCalReviews]

I'm with you on this. My 2.4 radio only gets used on the weekends when a few friends with older phones are over. They are typically within 1 wall and 20 feet of the router. I like to turn down the power to be considerate to the neighbors while still providing plenty of signal for my friends.

We agree on that. Once again the government steps in to solve a problem that doesn't really exist and in the process creates a problem for the people it's supposed to serve. I sit at my desk with my router sitting three feet to the left of my head. Many people have routers in offices, living rooms, children's rooms, etc.. 2.4ghz radio frequency is one of the most reactive and potentially dangerous of all frequencies in the used radio frequency spectrum which is why they use it in microwave oven's to heat water molecules.

This isn't paranoia. It's an issue of freedom to have an option to lower the Tx radio emission power on a product that I choose to buy and own. Whether it is real or believed regarding the potential health and safety issues... we as customers should have the option to lower the power of our wireless router radios. It's listed as a feature in the the manual. To remove this well known and liked router feature is a disservice to us all.

Regarding the original intent of what the FCC claims the requirement is supposed to solve.... The extremely tiny number of wireless router owners who would modify or hack the router power to broadcast with more power than the FCC regulations permit... Removing the customer ability to adjust the Tx radio power on most customers routers actually increases amount of overall radio signal noise in the environment because users can't turn down radio signal power that they don't need. It's almost as if the FCC wants the strength and reach of your wireless router signal to go farther so your wifi can be accessed. The net effect of these regulations are an increase in public radio signal noise, radiation and interference.

Maybe we could lobby Public Health and Safety departments to enforce requirements that all wireless router radios "have a Tx radio power adjustment" for customers who want to turn the transmit power down.

 

[SoCalReviews]

The Broadcom drivers - since about 2013 - you could turn the knob to 11 (Spinal Tap reference), but the internal RTOS in the chips themselves would limit Tx power to the regulatory domain programmed in..

That's fine but I should be able to have the ability to turn the radio signal power down from 100% to 11% in effect still "going to 11" but in the opposite way.

 

[sfx2000]

That's fine but I should be able to have the ability to turn the radio signal power down.

agree... but that's not up to you or me - it's Asus' code in an area where few third parties should be wary to tread (the WebGUI and how it works with the BRCM code below)...

 

[SoCalReviews]

agree... but that's not up to you or me - it's Asus' code in an area where few third parties should be wary to tread (the WebGUI and how it works with the BRCM code below)...

If a tech geek really wanted to boost the Tx power there are still limitless ways to do that... using another power modified repeater, connected and power enhanced access point, etc... This regulation locking down the firmware in consumer routers does absolutely nothing to change that. If anything those who really are determined will find newer and better ways to boost their wireless signal instead of simply hacking at the firmware and eventually they will hack the firmware anyway. The people who are getting screwed over with these dopey regulations are the common customers and enthusiasts who always followed the FCC rules.

 

[sfx2000]

If a tech geek really wanted to boost the Tx power there are still limitless ways to do that... using another power modified repeater, connected and power enhanced access point, etc...

Not really - the chipset RTOS in the Broadcom chipset's is not accessible via the kernel (driver) or userland...

No matter what you push into it... it'll say "ok" and proceed as programmed...

Not saying it's impossible - can do it real time with the right tools, skills, and knowledge - but generally, if you have that level of access - you're probably in the OEM community...

 

[SoCalReviews]

Not really - the chipset RTOS in the Broadcom chipset's is not accessible via the kernel (driver) or userland...

No matter what you push into it... it'll say "ok" and proceed as programmed...

Not saying it's impossible - can do it real time with the right tools, skills, and knowledge - but generally, if you have that level of access - you're probably in the OEM community...

It might be difficult but it can and will be hacked. In the meantime there are numerous ways to broadcast higher power using external devices... pre-FCC regulations. Regulations for Tx power never stopped communications radio operators from hacking their equipment and in fact it generated an entire sub culture and industry devoted to high power broadcasting outside of FCC regulations. Imposing these kinds of regulations in the past usually increased the general public's motivation to find and pay for ways to circumvent them.

 

[sfx2000]

Seems like you're just on an anti-FCC rant - and that's ok...

Things are going to get locked down - it's happening already, and it's for the best...

(and yes, I do have my own FCC credentials, and am a bit sad with the state of affairs, but it's a few miscreant behavior that got us to this point).

 

[SoCalReviews]

Seems like you're just on an anti-FCC rant -

...everyone is.

The bigger concern is the stupid net neutrality bs. Now that the internet has been deemed as a public utility the government will claim to legally have total control, regulation and access to every device connected to it... and I mean "every device" which includes new net based devices in the home... refrigerators, lights, home locks.. etc... as well as traditional devices using wifi... cell phones, home computers, etc...

Now that they have locked down control over your personal router firmware the sky is the limit because you can't even see what code they are putting in your router per FCC "regulations". It's already become such a secretive taboo subject even here in this forum. They will be legally monitoring and accessing all the device and communications data on your internet connection. They will have total control over your access to the internet reliant on their discretion. They will be able to shut down or curb your access and tax your usage depending on their discretion.

Just wait until we lose U.S. regulatory control over the internet in favor of world regulatory control from hidden nameless regulatory bodies... They will be able to supersede national privacy laws and regulations. It might sound like a reach right now but just wait... It's coming.

 

[sfx2000]

The bigger concern is the stupid net neutrality bs

This is not the right thread, nor perhaps the right forum to debate FCC policies...

Feel free to reach out to me privately if you wish to discuss these topics further

 

[SoCalReviews]

This is not the right thread, nor perhaps the right forum to debate FCC policies...

Feel free to reach out to me privately if you wish to discuss these topics further

I disagree with having to "always" discuss anything relating to the FCC in private because this is an issue directly effecting features of Asus routers and router performance. I don't have the secret knowledge to debate FCC policies. I'm not debating policies. I am talking about features that are now missing from my Asus router and how they effect my ability to utilize and enjoy a product I purchased for personal use. Privacy, security, features and user control are why we purchase these routers. Without these personal networking devices this forum might not even exist. I prefer to discuss my options freely in the open and not have to feel like any topic involving FCC regulations have to be tossed into an obscure subsection of the forum that few will read or respond to.

 

[sfx2000]

Well - it's it dead horse that's been well beat up on in the forums here and other places.

I appreciate your feelings, but I'm thinking you are likely not going to bring new inputs into the discussion.

 

[hggomes]

Why is the power adjustment option is still there and working on my 68P running firmware 3831? I want to reduce the amount of power anyway... not increase it.

Simply because you are out of US region.

 

[SoCalReviews]

Simply because you are out of US region.

I'm in the U.S. and my 68P has the power control option while using firmware 380_3831.

 

[SoCalReviews]

Well - it's it dead horse that's been well beat up on in the forums here and other places.

I appreciate your feelings, but I'm thinking you are likely not going to bring new inputs into the discussion.

That's fine. At least everyone who reads this knows that important and popular features that consumer wireless router users have had access to for more than a decade are now being removed from Asus routers due to FCC regulations.

 

[hggomes]

I'm in the U.S. and my 68P has the power control option while using firmware 380_3831.

Not normal.