alt Hacker News> Given that everything has a radio these days [...] this is just stupid
Manufacturers need to pass certification for their radio implementations, such as FCC, CE/RED, PTCRB, Bluetooth SIG, etc. Any modification to the radio firmware can potentially change the device's RF characteristics and cause it to fall outside of the conditions under which it was certified.
This is why manufacturers generally cannot simply release the radio firmware and allow users to modify it freely, as doing so could result in devices operating outside their certified RF parameters and expose them to regulatory or legal liability.
Not to mention the intellectual property rights of the manufacturer and their vendors. The firmware may contain proprietary code, algorithms, or other licensed technology that the manufacturer does not have the legal right to redistribute, especially if it was developed by a third-party vendor.
> This is why manufacturers generally cannot simply release the radio firmware and allow users to modify it freely, as doing so could result in devices operating outside their certified RF parameters and expose them to regulatory or legal liability.
Why would this expose the manufacturer, and not the device owner?
> The firmware may contain proprietary code, algorithms, or other licensed technology that the manufacturer does not have the legal right to redistribute
As per my comment above: "Given that everything has a radio these days (everything is wifi- and/or bluetooth- enabled), this is just stupid. Why is firmware for basically essential infra not legally available?"
E.g. I don't buy the bullshit argument of security and legal something, and of proprietary algorithms, for example, when Philips suddenly starts requiring a log in to control its bulbs via bog standard protocols: https://hueblog.com/2023/09/21/philips-hue-soon-only-usable-...
The same goes for nearly everything else.