Is Anti-Virus Software A Substitute For Firmware Updates?

[kc27]

A family member recently got a letter from AT&T stating that their AT&T provided Pace 5268AC gateway will no longer receive firmware updates. The letter reads: "Don't worry! Your internet access and speed will not change. However, you will no longer receive the latest security patches, optimizations, and improvements."

The letter then goes on to advise the reader that they have great options: free AT&T Internet Security Suite powered by McAfee and AT&T Smart Home Manager App to manage home networks.

Is a security suite a suitable replacement for firmware updates?

 

[ColinTaylor]

McAfee products should be avoided like the plague. Much better to use Windows Defender (I don't know what the mac equivalent would be).

Is a security suite a suitable replacement for firmware updates?

No.

 

[drinkingbird]

A family member recently got a letter from AT&T stating that their AT&T provided Pace 5268AC gateway will no longer receive firmware updates. The letter reads: "Don't worry! Your internet access and speed will not change. However, you will no longer receive the latest security patches, optimizations, and improvements."

The letter then goes on to advise the reader that they have great options: free AT&T Internet Security Suite powered by McAfee and AT&T Smart Home Manager App to manage home networks.

Is a security suite a suitable replacement for firmware updates?

Ask AT&T if when someone hacks the router and starts sending millions of SPAM emails from it if they promise not to shut their service off.

They need to replace the gateway if it is no longer supported, that's what you're paying a rental fee for (or it is baked into the monthly fee). Nice try AT&T, that's a first.

 

[kc27]

I advised the family member to ask AT&T for a replacement gateway that will get firmware updates. Below is what they said the AT&T phone representative told them. I was not on the call, and my family member is not a technical person, so they may have misheard, but this is what they told me AT&T Support told them.

"They said it's just they don't do patches for internet security. The still do firmware updates. He said my computer probably has a security software which I do use"

"I told them about the letter and they pulled it up. They said that if they didn't do updates to firmware then I would not be able to get on the phone internet. They said they do those frequently. He said to use the links for free McAfee Or that other link "

Maybe from AT&T's perspective these units are operating with an acceptable (hopefully low) level of risk.

I attached the letter.

 

[AndreiV]

So they think an antivirus suite on your PC will protect your router/network .
They sound as clever as the guy from the NSA that was telling people that long/complex passwords are pointless, you only need a short 3 word phrase ........ guess that's why kids hack into NASA and the Pentagon.

 

[sfx2000]

That's a bit of confusing message from ATT - they can always call customer care on the 1-800 number for clarity...

As others have mentioned, McAffee has nothing to do with the gateway being outdated.

On ATT Internet, they can request a replacement RG - the BGW320 is an upgrade, the BGW210 is a bit of a side-grade.

320 has WiFi 6, btw, and is well regarded.

 

[drinkingbird]

I advised the family member to ask AT&T for a replacement gateway that will get firmware updates. Below is what they said the AT&T phone representative told them. I was not on the call, and my family member is not a technical person, so they may have misheard, but this is what they told me AT&T Support told them.

"They said it's just they don't do patches for internet security. The still do firmware updates. He said my computer probably has a security software which I do use"

"I told them about the letter and they pulled it up. They said that if they didn't do updates to firmware then I would not be able to get on the phone internet. They said they do those frequently. He said to use the links for free McAfee Or that other link "

Maybe from AT&T's perspective these units are operating with an acceptable (hopefully low) level of risk.

I attached the letter.

The letter clearly says no firmware updates. The phone rep was just BS'ing them. Tell AT&T you want a replacement, you pay a monthly rental fee, you should have a supported model with the latest wifi etc (just don't let them attempt to increase the monthly fee). Or better yet just get your own and eliminate the rental fee.

 

[kc27]

It took five phone calls before they got an AT&T support person to schedule a tech to come out and replace the 5268AC gateway for one that is still supported. It is crazy that they got so much misinformation in the first four phone calls.

The fourth time they called, the support person told them they had a completely different model gateway (BGW210) that was still supported, and the letter had been sent to them in error. I advised the family member to look at the gateway in their home and verify what they had been told. The support person was wrong, they did in fact have the unsupported 5268AC gateway. They went back to the phone and finally got someone who could address the issue.

Makes you feel bad for those customers who do not have some technical expertise or a resource to guide when they get bad advice from tech support. If technology is not your thing, I can see where the natural tendency would be to view the tech support person as the expert and take what they say as correct. You would have no reason to question what you are being told.

Thanks for the help on this, everyone.

 

[sfx2000]

It took five phone calls before they got an AT&T support person to schedule a tech to come out and replace the 5268AC gateway for one that is still supported. It is crazy that they got so much misinformation in the first four phone calls.

Ultimately it cost them a truck roll - which actually is about $200 to send a tech to a customer site.

That, and the NPS hit for confusing the customer in the first place and needing 4 calls to sort it out and schedule the tech visit.

Those five customer care calls also have a cost to ATT.

Wow... all over a simple and badly written letter to the customer.

 

[Tech9]

This letter itself is a sign of some customer care. I've never seen one from the ISPs I use. They just say nothing as long as the service is up and you pay the fee. One of my lines has a home gateway (used as modem only in my case) the manufacturer forgot they manufactured this one. What firmware?

 

[drinkingbird]

Ultimately it cost them a truck roll - which actually is about $200 to send a tech to a customer site.

That, and the NPS hit for confusing the customer in the first place and needing 4 calls to sort it out and schedule the tech visit.

Those five customer care calls also have a cost to ATT.

Wow... all over a simple and badly written letter to the customer.

I'm sure the way they see it (this isn't by mistake I'm sure) is that for every customer they talk out of replacing, they save $x.xx on a new gateway, and continue to collect rent on the one that has long been paid for.

 

[kc27]

This letter itself is a sign of some customer care. I've never seen one from the ISPs I use. They just say nothing as long as the service is up and you pay the fee. One of my lines has a home gateway (used as modem only in my case) the manufacturer forgot they manufactured this one. What firmware?

That is an interesting perspective. I had a similar experience when I had U-verse. The U-verse gateway failed, and a tech came out to replace it. He asked how I liked the service. I told him overall it was very good, the TV picture pixelated once-in-a-while, which I assumed was normal. He said that was definitely not normal and replaced something in the network interface device on the outside of the house. He explained that we were one of the first U-verse installs in the neighborhood. U-verse support learned that the part that he replaced could be problematic, but only new installations got the upgraded part. He said they did not circle back to replace the part on existing installations unless there was a customer complaint or a need for other service at that location.

 

[drinkingbird]

That is an interesting perspective. I had a similar experience when I had U-verse. The U-verse gateway failed, and a tech came out to replace it. He asked how I liked the service. I told him overall it was very good, the TV picture pixelated once-in-a-while, which I assumed was normal. He said that was definitely not normal and replaced something in the network interface device on the outside of the house. He explained that we were one of the first U-verse installs in the neighborhood. U-verse support learned that the part that he replaced could be problematic, but only new installations got the upgraded part. He said they did not circle back to replace the part on existing installations unless there was a customer complaint or a need for other service at that location.

Yeah that's pretty much status quo for all the companies - don't do anything unless the customer complains (a lot).

When my only option was Comcast I was having a lot of packet loss issues, had I not been a network engineer with tools available to track and record the packet loss (in pretty graphs even) and talk to their most senior techs, basically proving beyond anything they could dispute that it was their issue, I'd probably still be having that issue today. Turns out a power line was resting on their wires somewhere causing a ton of interference and it would be months before they could convince the power company to fix it. Of course that explanation may have been BS also but they did agree it was definitely in their network. Luckily FIOS had just come to my area and I switched over, no looking back.