Comment Re:Time (Score 1) 75
ISP Routers are typically locked such that the end user update the firware. And if they could the process is often extremely difficult for even technically minded people.
In some cases the ISP installs very specific software to do other things.
Example: In Australia Telstra issues routers that create and entire second network on the router. Which allows them to setup roaming wifi connections that the ISP subscriber can use. So a subscriber can walk around town and never lose their wifi. As the simply are hoping between routers stashed in homes/business/public access points.
Other companies put software on the routers to implement tracking networks that constantly scan for wifi and bluetooth broadcast identifiers etc. Then they send this data to the mother ship to create air tag like functionality.
So the problem is now bigger. Not only can't you just simple as a user update to OpenWRT, The ISP is often now stuck with the problem of migrating functionality to a complete new device / OS with little time to implement it.
Note ISP's do not retain the Intelectual property any more for these addon services. They claim they do but generally these things are implemented by contractors or vendors and the knowledge of how to actually put it all together is generally lost. So this makes it even harder to migrate to a "US" made router.
And on top of that internent subscribers do not upgrade their routers often. They are used untill they break or are bricked or the subscriber changes provider. This time line is usually well over 5 year time frames.
So moving to OpenWRT is very unlikely on mass. ( I actually run OpenWRT on multiple devices and I'll likely never go back to a vendor supply router software stack again. )