TP-Link Said To Be Sharing All Router Traffic With Third Party

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Saturday, March 12th 2022 TP-Link Said to be Sharing all Router Traffic with Third Party by TheLostSwede Mar 12th, 2022 21:41 Discuss (90 Comments) These days, routers are quite complex devices that are doing much more than just routing data and are often the main security device on a home network. As such, we've seen a surge in third party services such as Asus' AIProtection that runs software from Trend Micro and Netgear Armor in cooperation with Bitdefender. Chinese TP-Link is likewise offering similar services, some in partnership with Trend Micro and some with Avira. It now appears that TP-Link's HomeCare service—that the company is offering in partnership with Avira—is sending data to Avira even when disabled in the UI, based on a thread over at Reddit. The standard Avira features are meant to offer protection against malicious content, network intrusions and even against infected devices on the network that are said to be quarantined from other devices on the network. It also incorporates some basic parental control features, such as automatic content filtering and time controls. However, in this case, the issue isn't the functionality itself, but the fact that there apparently is no way to turn off the HomeCare feature, since even when seemingly disabled in the UI of the affected routers, it sends data to Avira. It seems to be a fairly large amount of data being sent as well, with the initial poster claiming over 80,000 requests in a 24 hour period. According to a review of a TP-Link product over on XDA-Developers from May last year, TP-Link said that they were working on a firmware update that would allow the Avira service to be turned off permanently. However, it seems like no such option has materialized in close to a year since that comment from TP-Link and although it seems the data that is being sent is intended for Avira to use to improve their services, it also seems to go against the European GDPR rules to send user data to a third party, especially without the users consent. Back to Reddit, the poster contacted TP-Link, who claimed that the data sent was to check if the owner of the router had an active service with Avira or not, but this sounds rather preposterous considering that it wouldn't require 80,000 requests per day. To put it in a different context, that's close to once a second. Multiple people on Reddit have chimed in saying that they're seeing exactly the same thing. Trying to block the requests isn't an option either, as this causes the routers in question to get stuck in a retry loop, which in turn leads to CPU usage spikes and causes issues with the general usage of the routers in question. Other users tried signing up for the trial of the paid-for service, but didn't see any changes in behavior, regardless if the service was enabled or disabled. The only slightly positive note on all of this is that Avira is a German company and could potentially be forced to amend how its service works based on the European GDPR regulation. However, it would still be up to TP-Link to issue a firmware release to the 13 or so routers that run the Avira service. Most of the routers are recent 802.11ax/WiFi 6 models and about half are part of TP-Link's Deco series of mesh systems. Sources: Reddit, TP-Link HomeCare, XDA-Developers Add your own comment

90 Comments on TP-Link Said to be Sharing all Router Traffic with Third Party

26 to 50 of 89Go to Page1234PreviousNext #26
TheLostSwedeI put OpenWRT on both of my TP-Link devices and both of them are working better with OpenWRT than they did with the TP-Link firmware.
OpenWRT and reputable variants are the way to go, even if it's just for having an updated router firmware. And the more companies are interested in our data, the more it becomes a necessity. #27 hmmm don't have a TP-link router If I did they'd see me on smallnetbuilder most of the time waiting for new merlin firmware lol
TheLostSwedeIn fairness to TP-Link, their hardware isn't all that different from their competitors. However, I would never, as I've said before here, use one of their devices with the default software on it, as a router facing the internet. I put OpenWRT on both of my TP-Link devices and both of them are working better with OpenWRT than they did with the TP-Link firmware.
Ya it's too bad router companies don't put a big sticker on the box advertising it's compatible with tomato/open wrt/etc. For the average user even a regular firmware update is probably over their head, let alone custom firmware. #28 It's no different then using Google's DNS and have every website you visit pretty much indexed and what more. #29
mechtechhmmm don't have a TP-link router If I did they'd see me on smallnetbuilder most of the time waiting for new merlin firmware lol Ya it's too bad router companies don't put a big sticker on the box advertising it's compatible with tomato/open wrt/etc. For the average user even a regular firmware update is probably over their head, let alone custom firmware.
Merlin only makes firmwares for Asus routers. TP-Link only seems to offer 2-3 firmware updates for their products, then they do a new hardware revisions and drop the old revision like a hot potato. I really loathe how they operate. #30
TheLostSwedeIn fairness to TP-Link, their hardware isn't all that different from their competitors. However, I would never, as I've said before here, use one of their devices with the default software on it, as a router facing the internet. I put OpenWRT on both of my TP-Link devices and both of them are working better with OpenWRT than they did with the TP-Link firmware.
yeah, but too bad for low end and for old hardware is kinda hard to find #31 Never had a TP-Link Router. Why? Don't know. Using only FritzBox(AVM). #32 As a side-note it's a good reminder to periodically check your network traffic with third-party tools. It will sometimes reveal some surprises. I've seen other anti-virus ping addresses in Russia or China, and have had cheap IoT appliances ping IP addresses in China for no good reason and ended up replacing. Data gathering is a revenue stream for many companies, and the less reputable they are the more likely it is that they'll resort to doing something shady. #33
TarteNever had a TP-Link Router. Why? Don't know. Using only FritzBox(AVM).
You live in the German speaking part of the world? As their products aren't common outside of it. A few models are sold EU wide though.
dozenfuryAs a side-note it's a good reminder to periodically check your network traffic with third-party tools. It will sometimes reveal some surprises. I've seen other anti-virus ping addresses in Russia or China, and have had cheap IoT appliances ping IP addresses in China for no good reason and ended up replacing. Data gathering is a revenue stream for many companies, and the less reputable they are the more likely it is that they'll resort to doing something shady.
Cheap IoT devices almost always go via some server in the PRC, so no surprise there. #34
TheLostSwedeYou live in the German speaking part of the world? As their products aren't common outside of it. A few models are sold EU wide though.
TP-Link is fairly popular in the States. I've had two of their USB WIFI adapters. #35
AssimilatorNo, they don't. If they did, people would've noticed it and called them out for it.
Look how long it took fir them to notice tp-link :) #36
TheLostSwedeAs their products aren't common outside of it.
We can buy German Fritz hardware here in NL too. Decent products, my parents use a Fritz repeater. #37
lexluthermiesterTP-Link is fairly popular in the States. I've had two of their USB WIFI adapters.
I was referring to FritzBox!
P4-630We can buy German Fritz hardware here in NL too. Decent products, my parents use a Fritz repeater.
Well, Dutch is almost German... ;) I didn't say they weren't sold anywhere else, but the DACH region is where they seem to do their core business. #38
TheLostSwedeIn fairness to TP-Link, their hardware isn't all that different from their competitors. However, I would never, as I've said before here, use one of their devices with the default software on it, as a router facing the internet. I put OpenWRT on both of my TP-Link devices and both of them are working better with OpenWRT than they did with the TP-Link firmware.
My Nighthawk R7000 has Xwrt-Vortex on it, works way better than the factory firmware as well. #39 D-Link uses Russian Yandex and sky.dns crap also... witch currently rises eyebrows pretty high. Here we see how much open source matters and no one stresses much as there is a fine alternative like OpenWRT, that is fully code transparent. #40
TheDeeGeeMy Nighthawk R7000 has Xwrt-Vortex on it, works way better than the factory firmware as well.
No idea what that is, but I run Voxel's firmware on my R7800. #41
TheLostSwedeMerlin only makes firmwares for Asus routers. TP-Link only seems to offer 2-3 firmware updates for their products, then they do a new hardware revisions and drop the old revision like a hot potato. I really loathe how they operate.
Yes, that's what I have. I guess I should have said TP-link as a side to my main or vs versa. But ya only asus here...........so far.......... Not sure what the next upgrade is, maybe an AX86U? Been looking at the synology and ubiquiti, but not sure how they would be for residential use. I guess I like the asus for the firmware choices.
TheDeeGeeMy Nighthawk R7000 has Xwrt-Vortex on it, works way better than the factory firmware as well.
xvtx.ru/xwrt/ hmmmm is it fully open source??
TheLostSwedeNo idea what that is, but I run Voxel's firmware on my R7800.
How do you like it? Is it simple? Does if have filtering for the children in the house? My co-worker has a R7800, but says the netgear FW is hit and miss, but he isn't a tech guy though. #42
mechtechYes, that's what I have. I guess I should have said TP-link as a side to my main or vs versa. But ya only asus here...........so far.......... Not sure what the next upgrade is, maybe an AX86U? Been looking at the synology and ubiquiti, but not sure how they would be for residential use. I guess I like the asus for the firmware choices. xvtx.ru/xwrt/ hmmmm is it fully open source?? How do you like it? Is it simple? Does if have filtering for the children in the house? My co-worker has a R7800, but says the netgear FW is hit and miss, but he isn't a tech guy though.
I like to use *wrt for router with any WiFi disabled, and use a UniFi AP. Works like a champ. #43
mechtechYes, that's what I have. I guess I should have said TP-link as a side to my main or vs versa. But ya only asus here...........so far.......... Not sure what the next upgrade is, maybe an AX86U? Been looking at the synology and ubiquiti, but not sure how they would be for residential use. I guess I like the asus for the firmware choices.
This rog.asus.com/networking/rog-rapture-gt-ax6000-model/ It should be reasonably future proof, as long as you don't care about the 6 GHz band. Yes, it's big, clunky and fugly, but it's the first consumer router with two 2.5 Gbps ports.
mechtechHow do you like it? Is it simple? Does if have filtering for the children in the house? My co-worker has a R7800, but says the netgear FW is hit and miss, but he isn't a tech guy though.
It's the most stable router I've ever owned. Never had to reboot it because the router had a hissy fit. It obviously gets rebooted when I've installed software updates, but it was working non-stop for at least seven months in 2020, when I was stuck in Sweden, plus the start of the year. The WiFi signal is still really fast and reliable after 5+ years of usage. Not overly fond of the Netgear UI/UX, but it has everything there that's needed, if if it's not always as advanced as it could be for certain things and annoying complex for some other bits. If I click on the Parental Control option, I'm taken here www.netgear.com/home/services/lpc/ I have never used it. He should install the Voxel firmware, as he's keeping the firmware up to date and has even added a few things. There's also an add-on available for it which should apparently be released as a final release sometime this year. I haven't tried it, but it's meant to add a lot of features. I don't feel like I really need a bunch of other stuff for it. I wish Asus made some more Qualcomm based hardware, but every time they do, it feels like their engineers aren't capable of bringing them to the same functional levels as their Broadcom based hardware. #44 I purchased one TP-Link router, back in 2015/2016. Never again. Yeah, their routers have decent support for other firmwares like OpenWrt, but their hardware is kind of inferior to that of routers manufactured by companies like Netgear and ASUS. I have an ASUS RT-AX86U now and its performing really well flashed with AsusWrt-Merlin. Especially with this coming to light now where TP-Link finds it necessary to completely ignore a settings toggle regarding data sharing. #45
mechtechubiquiti, but not sure how they would be for residential use.
A while ago someone at ArsTechnica looked at them for a middle ground kind of use between residential and enterprise. arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/07/enterprise-wi-fi-at-home-part-two-reflecting-on-almost-three-years-with-pro-gear/ Just in case you're interested. But it's from 2018, on gear the author started using back in 2015, so it's pretty old. #46 I would not trust any TP-Link hardware. #47
evelynmarieYeah, their routers have decent support for other firmwares like OpenWrt, but their hardware is kind of inferior to that of routers manufactured by companies like Netgear and ASUS.
Do you have proof of this, or is this just your layman opinion? There's actually not much wrong with the hardware, but when you cut corners on the software side, or have software developers that don't really know what they're doing, you end up with an inferior product. Both my TP-Link products, one actual range extender and one cheapo router, that have only ever been used as WiFi access points or range extenders, are both working better with OpenWRT than they did with their default firmwares. It suggests the hardware is fine, but the issue is software. That said, I have no interest in giving them any more of my money and I'm not trying to defend them as a business, but the actual hardware is pretty much on par with the competition most of the time. #48 I have had a TPLINK powerline set in the past, which didn't work well in my home at that time, sold them. Also had a TPLINK usb wifi stick but haven't used it much, also sold. Won't buy anything from this brand anymore. #49
TheLostSwedeThis https://rog.asus.com/networking/rog-rapture-gt-ax6000-model/ It should be reasonably future proof, as long as you don't care about the 6 GHz band. Yes, it's big, clunky and fugly, but it's the first consumer router with two 2.5 Gbps ports. It's the most stable router I've ever owned. Never had to reboot it because the router had a hissy fit. It obviously gets rebooted when I've installed software updates, but it was working non-stop for at least seven months in 2020, when I was stuck in Sweden, plus the start of the year. The WiFi signal is still really fast and reliable after 5+ years of usage. Not overly fond of the Netgear UI/UX, but it has everything there that's needed, if if it's not always as advanced as it could be for certain things and annoying complex for some other bits. If I click on the Parental Control option, I'm taken here www.netgear.com/home/services/lpc/ I have never used it. He should install the Voxel firmware, as he's keeping the firmware up to date and has even added a few things. There's also an add-on available for it which should apparently be released as a final release sometime this year. I haven't tried it, but it's meant to add a lot of features. I don't feel like I really need a bunch of other stuff for it. I wish Asus made some more Qualcomm based hardware, but every time they do, it feels like their engineers aren't capable of bringing them to the same functional levels as their Broadcom based hardware.
That's new, haven't even heard of that one, but don't really follow routers on a daily basis. www.newegg.com/asus-gt-ax6000/p/N82E16833320517?Description=rog%20ax6000&cm_re=rog_ax6000-_-33-320-517-_-Product&quicklink=true ouch $400 USD so about $510 CAD w/o 13% tax. Could add it to the list with the AX86u and just wait for sales and reviews. Old AC68U still performing good for now, but usually better to replace before it dies and end up with a bunch of disgruntled kids and wife with no wifi lol #50
mechtechThat's new, haven't even heard of that one, but don't really follow routers on a daily basis. www.newegg.com/asus-gt-ax6000/p/N82E16833320517?Description=rog%20ax6000&cm_re=rog_ax6000-_-33-320-517-_-Product&quicklink=true ouch $400 USD so about $510 CAD w/o 13% tax. Could add it to the list with the AX86u and just wait for sales and reviews. Old AC68U still performing good for now, but usually better to replace before it dies and end up with a bunch of disgruntled kids and wife with no wifi lol
I guess it comes down to what you need, but it's pretty much the only retail router for faster than 1Gbps connections, which obviously most people don't have. The AX86U should be more than plenty otherwise. 26 to 50 of 89Go to Page1234PreviousNext Add your own comment Dec 31st, 2025 16:44 +07 change timezone Sign in / Register Latest GPU Drivers
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