It feels like they're using software as a solution to a hardware problem.
No matter what the software says, or what keys it has set, the hardware should still be hard-configured to honour regional power output limits. This could be something like a block of DIP switches under the cover, so if a user unbolts the case, finds the switch, and toggles it to some country with looser requirements, it's obviously going against manufacturer advice and washes their hands of liability.
Making the code available doesn’t necessarily mean that you can actually flash the image since it can be cryptographically locked down. Or even you support flashing but only let you do certain trusted operations from a signed image.
Honestly, if you can't update the firmware you're in the same situation... knowing that you have a critical vulnerability and unable to fix it.
Enforcing trusted operations is definitely more work than they are going to do (if it's even possible to "do this right").
In a semi-ideal world, I would look for a vendor that permits only certain ops from a flashed image and hope that their crappy "restriction enforcing" code is also riddled with vulnerabilites so it's really just "follow the rules please".
going the pc route is fully embracing your hardware accept whatever software the user wants. not throw unbuildable source somewhere and make it impossible to use. that's the faux open source we have today when someone must comply with the gpl or something
I think you happened to miss the point about regulatory requirements that make this difficult/impossible to accomplish for the radio vendor. I think the proliferation of SDR is the only hope to change the broader regulatory culture but until that happens you're not going to see a shift.
I think it's also rich calling GPL compliance faux open source. There really is no true Scotsman.
Manufacturers of radios have to prevent the ability to behave in a non-compliant manner. One way of accomplishing that is preventing the user from updating software to non-official versions. Another is to prevent the small subset of functionality to be updated by non-official versions. This isn't a new requirement and has been around since forever.
that point is completely bogus since hardware oscillators limit the range. and even multi range devices let the driver decide the region, so even with closed source you can already offend fcc regulations (pro tip set your wifi region to cuba for extra channels)
Hardware oscillators don't limit anything, PLL ranges and amplifier band characteristics do, and they have soft falloffs. Please stop making claims you have little knowledge around.
(no, a PLL is not considered a "hardware oscillator" in any practical sense by anyone working in this area, that's "tomatoes in a fruit salad" category)
No matter what the software says, or what keys it has set, the hardware should still be hard-configured to honour regional power output limits. This could be something like a block of DIP switches under the cover, so if a user unbolts the case, finds the switch, and toggles it to some country with looser requirements, it's obviously going against manufacturer advice and washes their hands of liability.