ASUS gets their butt handed to them by the feds
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We're never going to get around the need to update firmware short of the system doing that itself. That would be awesome - plug it in.. it checks to see if there is an internet connection - if yes, check for update if update tell the user to wait while doing update.. once done, show wizard that would be amazing..
oh wait.. that is exactly what happened a few months ago when I watched a friend install an Amazaon TV.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
@johnhooks said:
@Dashrender said:
@johnhooks said:
Here's what it looks like now. Ignore the eth dialog box, it was stuck there for some reason. The second image is the wizard you run through. It's really easy to set up.
did the wizard come up by default?
No you just click the wizard tab and and the type of setup you want.
Yes, that's not the same as plug the router in and it does it automatically. But, there are plenty of walk throughs available and at what point do we stop hand holding these people?
You don't, that's my point. You buy a Amazon TV it's brain dead simple - expecting someone to get online and look at information is ridiculous. Fine for you and I, but not the general public.. not if you want them to have actual security.
Actually nothing is as difficult as my Amazon TV. It takes more work to get that thing working than an ERL, that's for sure. So flaky. We are replacing it, it requires continues (and I mean like three times a day) massaging to keep it working. None of the Amazon Fire devices that we have used as usable by "normal" people.
sorry to hear about your bad experience.
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
@johnhooks said:
@Dashrender said:
@johnhooks said:
Here's what it looks like now. Ignore the eth dialog box, it was stuck there for some reason. The second image is the wizard you run through. It's really easy to set up.
did the wizard come up by default?
No you just click the wizard tab and and the type of setup you want.
Yes, that's not the same as plug the router in and it does it automatically. But, there are plenty of walk throughs available and at what point do we stop hand holding these people?
You don't, that's my point. You buy a Amazon TV it's brain dead simple - expecting someone to get online and look at information is ridiculous. Fine for you and I, but not the general public.. not if you want them to have actual security.
Actually nothing is as difficult as my Amazon TV. It takes more work to get that thing working than an ERL, that's for sure. So flaky. We are replacing it, it requires continues (and I mean like three times a day) massaging to keep it working. None of the Amazon Fire devices that we have used as usable by "normal" people.
sorry to hear about your bad experience.
We have four tablets and two TV devices. So awful. Can't complain about the tablets, they were SO cheap. The TVs are being replaced once we are back in the States. They are so bad that we effectively can't use them when travelling - they are nearly impossible to support. Simple things like DNS problems that a normal device would be trivial to fix they don't support or require some crazy workarounds with DHCP reservations and crap that isn't appropriate for a consumer device.
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@Dashrender said:
@johnhooks said:
@Dashrender said:
@johnhooks said:
Here's what it looks like now. Ignore the eth dialog box, it was stuck there for some reason. The second image is the wizard you run through. It's really easy to set up.
did the wizard come up by default?
No you just click the wizard tab and and the type of setup you want.
Yes, that's not the same as plug the router in and it does it automatically. But, there are plenty of walk throughs available and at what point do we stop hand holding these people?
You don't, that's my point. You buy a Amazon TV it's brain dead simple - expecting someone to get online and look at information is ridiculous. Fine for you and I, but not the general public.. not if you want them to have actual security.
True. But look at things like wireless printers (some people still have them), game consoles, smart devices like fridges, etc. Those all still need to be set up manually.
I understand the updates and those should be automatic (for some things), but for an initial set up that's only done once I don't think running through a wizard or reading some info is too much.
When you buy a car don't you go through the setup with the salesman to learn everything? Granted a car is a much bigger purchase, but your stereo/small amount of tech in it (that you actually interface with not electronic steering, etc) is comparable to your router.
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I'm fine with a wizard - but it needs to be a brain dead wizard.
Your game console takes more than turning it on, picking a found wifi source (or plugged into the LAN) gets DHCP and done? What console should I be avoiding?
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@Dashrender said:
I'm fine with a wizard - but it needs to be a brain dead wizard.
Your game console takes more than turning it on, picking a found wifi source (or plugged into the LAN) gets DHCP and done? What console should I be avoiding?
Well I'm not the best to talk about consoles I guess, I still have a 2006 model Xbox 360, but other than the wireless, you need to set up your account, then if you want to stream music to it you have to set that up, etc.
Maybe I'm jaded. I had to deal with support calls with that cable company. No joke, I had more than one person tell me that they didn't have cable and couldn't see anything but the TV was turned off. Or they said the computer was on but not doing anything and the monitor was on, but not the actual desktop. I think a big problem is some people refuse to think and use common sense which is only exacerbated by having things that make them not need to think.
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@scottalanmiller I see you said changing DNS is a pain to deal with on the FireTV. Is that a regional/international problem? I have a FireTV (1st gen) and I like it. The only problems I have with it are that Hulu has stuttering problems on it, whereas my Roku 2 works fine. (both are hard-wired Gb) Also, spotify is not the full version, which I think is due to the fact that they are promoting their prime music, which isn't all that bad. Also, it hasn't received any updates since August. What are you thinking of replacing your FireTVs with?
My Rokus started having problems in November of last year, requiring me to power-cycle them every other day. Huge pain.
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@wrx7m said:
@scottalanmiller I see you said changing DNS is a pain to deal with on the FireTV. Is that a regional/international problem?
Often. Outside of the US we have to use certain DNS servers to get it to work. If we need to do anything that involves IP settings, the device is a huge pain if not impossible.
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@scottalanmiller Ah... bummer.
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@scottalanmiller What are you thinking of replacing them with?
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I have an ASUS RT-N66U that I have been running DDWRT on since I got it, about 2 years ago. The wireless started flaking out on me last summer and so I hardwired everything in my place that had an Ethernet NIC. Problem solved for those devices but still isn't great for my phone and laptops.
I would like to replace it with something better. I have seen lots of praise for ubiquiti. If I went that route, I would have to get at least 1 AP. What router and AP models would be good for home/home lab use that won't break the bank?
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You can get an ER-X for 60$ (Not sure if that is what others here would recommend) you can also get a UAP-AC for $100. Not bad for the start of an enterprise network.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@wrx7m said:
@scottalanmiller What are you thinking of replacing them with?
NVidia Shield
I'm really interested into how you like that. Hopefully you will post a full review when you get it this summer.
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@coliver said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@wrx7m said:
@scottalanmiller What are you thinking of replacing them with?
NVidia Shield
I'm really interested into how you like that. Hopefully you will post a full review when you get it this summer.
Definitely. Hope to get it in June.
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@scottalanmiller Your problem with the devices is using them outside of their target market then. If you stayed in the US, you would not be having those problems.
I know they FireTV and FireStick are also sold in the UK, Germany and Denmark. SO I would expect it to work there.
Are you attempting to access US based content outside of the US? No service provider will let you do that easily. It would seriously harm their ability to negotiate content deals.
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@JaredBusch said:
Are you attempting to access US based content outside of the US? No service provider will let you do that easily. It would seriously harm their ability to negotiate content deals.
The problem is basic, regardless of the purpose. I would like to configure my network settings like IP address, DNS servers, gateway, etc. That those settings are only partially accessible means that on some networks the device pretty much doesn't work. If DHCP is not available or can't be used, for example, it can be very difficult to change settings. And Amazon locks out the settings if you don't have security enables on the Wifi.
Think about how weird that is.... if the Wifi is wide open, you are forced to accept DHCP. You can only access the settings screen FROM the wifi security screen! It's crazy. If you are using the device someplace where you don't control the available wifi, you don't have control of your own device.
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And it is far more than network settings. Simple things like getting the box to turn on requires power cycling it by unplugging it at least 50% of the time. Not that that is complex or the end of the world, but it loses network settings a few times a day, needs power cycled a few times a day... even just "staying on" requires constant massaging. The Amazon Fire Tablets will sometimes tell you that you've not purchased the apps that Amazon sold to you and disable them. Things like that.
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So the audit wasn't all asus?
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@DustinB3403 said:
So besides the fact that ASUS is paying through the nose for this, what do the end consumers get?
Increased prices?
