Latest TP-Link Firmware Update Adds AV, New Alexa and IFTTT Skills

[Julio Urquidi]

HomeCare is a new security feature adding anti-virus and malware protection by TrendMicro. It detects network intrusions and quarantines infected devices, while enhancing parental controls and QoS operations.

HomeCare will get its updates from TrendMicro, so supported devices such as TP-Link’s Deco M5, Archer C5400, Archer C3150 and (soon) Archer C2300, can be kept up to date with minimal effort.

Also included in the firmware update are custom Amazon Alexa skills to add voice controls for the company’s supported routers, including guest network management, LED controls, bandwidth prioritization, and speed testing. Additional IFTTT triggers are also being added so that customers can create their own smart home recipes.

Be sure to visit the TP-Link website for more information about HomeCare,

 

[gp-se]

I just installed the new firmware on my C3150. However I run it in Access Point Mode so I won't be using the new features.

 

[Razor512]

It seems it is only for the C3150 V2 and not the V1, other than that, I wonder why they skipped the AD7200?

Beyond that, what is weird is that those features do not rely on anything unique in the V2 of those routers to function.

 

[ashG]

I so love having an abandoned v1 of the C3150. Are there any alterations to the v2 firmware that can get me the added features the v2 gets that v1 misses out on?

 

[gp-se]

No idea, but I got a V2 when my V1 died, so maybe try getting an RMA.

 

[Razor512]

I don't get it either, there doesn't seem to be too many differences between the versions. They should be able to better support both versions of the router.

I wonder if we will ever see an article delving into the support routers receive. Imagine spending $150+ on a router, only to have it abandoned a few months later, and then a major security vulnerability is discovered. It will basically become obsolete due to lack of software support, even though the hardware is still good.

 

[sm00thpapa]

This is the problem with buying routers early. You buy a V1 and then a few months later a V2 comes out and your stuck with an out dated model.

 

[RMerlin]

This is the problem with buying routers early. You buy a V1 and then a few months later a V2 comes out and your stuck with an out dated model.

Newer does not always equal better. Ask people who bought an WRT54G V5 how much they liked it over a WRT54G V4... V5 switched from Linux to vxworks, and reduced RAM from 16 to 8 MB and flash from 4 to 2 MB. The number of supported simultaneous connections also went down the crapper with this newer revision.

Revision v7.0 was even "better", as it switched from BCM to Atheros, meaning existing third party firmware would no longer work either.

A newer revision does not imply improvements. Cost reductions are another reason for manufacturers to issue such newer releases, and they're not always to the end user's benefit. The only thing one can be sure about a newer revision is that it will be different.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Newer does not always equal better. Ask people who bought an WRT54G V5 how much they liked it over a WRT54G V4... V5 switched from Linux to vxworks, and reduced RAM from 16 to 8 MB and flash from 4 to 2 MB. The number of supported simultaneous connections also went down the crapper with this newer revision.

Revision v7.0 was even "better", as it switched from BCM to Atheros, meaning existing third party firmware would no longer work either.

A newer revision does not imply improvements. Cost reductions are another reason for manufacturers to issue such newer releases, and they're not always to the end user's benefit.

Yeah I remember that. I had a WRT54G V6 and got rid of that junk. I picked up the WRT54G V4 and the WRT54GL V1.1 and still have them today.