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by giantrobot 1055 days ago
A device SKU only meant to be sold in ITU region 2 or North America specifically will often have the available bands/channels locked in the firmware despite the capability of the underlying hardware. Same for a SKU meant for other ITU regions or countries. It's far less common to have user selectable region settings for things like WiFi channels. It used to be more common but regional SKUs are just easier for everyone involved.

Even if a device enables you to specify channels not allowed in your country/region doesn't mean you're legally in the clear. "But there's a switch" isn't a defense against an FCC fine. It's unlikely you'll get caught and fined for using channels 12-14 on a Wifi device in the US but if you interfere with something important you're breaking several laws and if caught can potentially face jail time.

1 comments

Allright, so firmware lock is not a requirement then?