On Fri, 11 Mar 2016, Alan Jenkins wrote: > On 11/03/2016, Jonathan Morton wrote: >> >>> On 11 Mar, 2016, at 20:22, Luis E. Garcia wrote: >>> >>> Time to start building our own. >> >> A big project in itself - but perhaps a worthwhile one. We wouldn’t be able >> to compete on price against the Taiwanese horde, but price is not the only >> market force on the table. Firmware quality is a bit abstract and nebulous >> to sell to ordinary consumers, but there is one thing that might just get >> their attention. >> >> Making the damned thing easier to configure. >> >> Almost every router now on the market is a blank box with some ports on the >> back, some antennas on top and some lights on the front. If you’re lucky, >> there’ll be a button for WPS (which most consumers would still need to read >> the manual to figure out how to use, and most tinkerers would turn right >> off) and maybe one or two “feature switches”; my Buffalo device has one >> which does “something” to the QoS setup in the stock firmware, and nothing >> at all in OpenWRT. >> >> The lights only tell you that “something is happening” and occasionally >> “something is wrong”, and are invariably cryptic. For example, a green >> flashing light can mean “it’s setting up but not working yet” or “it’s >> working and passing traffic right now”, often on the same light! A critical >> error, such as a cable not plugged in, is often signified only by the >> *absence* of one of the several normal lights, which is invisible to the >> untrained eye. >> >> To actually configure it, you must first connect a computer to it and point >> a Web browser at the right (usually numeric) URL. This URL varies between >> vendors and models, and sometimes even between firmware revisions; the only >> infallible way to determine it is to delve into the configuration that DHCP >> handed out. Also, many routers setup a 'standard' name you can go to, so you don't have to do it by IP. But this can be dealt with by adding a QR code or NFC method to get at a basic configuration. >> You and I can cope with that, but we want something better, and >> less-technical people *need* something better if they are to trust their >> equipment enough to start actually learning about it. I don't know if you really can simplify the configuration the way you are wanting to, but I'd say give it a try. Take OpenWRT and make a configuration program that you think is better. You even have a nice browser based tool to start with (luci). If you can make a browser based tool work well, then if your tool is better/easier, it can be widely used, or you can then try hardware versions of it. >> As a starting point, suppose we build a small display into the case, and >> invite the user to temporarily plug a keyboard, console controller or even a >> mouse directly into the USB port (which most routers now have) to do the >> setup? No Web browser required, and no potentially-vulnerable web server on >> the device either. There are very good reasons why browser setups have replaced built-in displays. There's a limit to how much you can show on a built-in display, and you have to be able to see the display. Not everyone positions their wifi where they can easily see it, let alone plug it into a TV. The best place for a router to sit is usually not the easiest place to see or get at it. You have a much larger display, which gives you room for help text and images, not just a handful of characters. A display is nicer than just LEDs, but it's also a lot more expensive. I also don't like large glowing displays on devices. I frequently put tape over the LEDs to tone things down as well (especially in bedrooms) David Lang >> When not in config mode, the input device can be disconnected and returned >> to its primary role, and the display can offer status information in a >> human-readable format; an RGB-controlled backlight would be sufficient for >> at-a-glance is-everything-okay checks (which is all Apple gives you without >> firing up their proprietary config software on a connected computer). Some >> high-end router models provide just this, without leveraging the possibility >> of easier setup. >> >> - Jonathan Morton > > IMO they already glow quite enough. Better to invest in the software :P. > > Alan > _______________________________________________ > Make-wifi-fast mailing list > Make-wifi-fast@lists.bufferbloat.net > https://lists.bufferbloat.net/listinfo/make-wifi-fast