Hi there, I’m looking to get into self-hosting for privacy reasons and I wanted to ask y’all: how inadvisable is it to utilize an ISP-owned router/modem? I feel like they’re able to track everything I do online with their more than likely integrated spyware.
Regardless of whether your ISP is leveraging their ownership of your router to violate your privacy, they are using it to exploit you financially. Owning your own equipment is always going to save you money compared to what an ISP will charge you in rent.
This is why I got a mini PC with five Ethernet ports and configured it as a router/pihole.
Everything goes through a WireGuard VPN, and I have DNS that’s private.
And I know it’s secure because I wrote the iptables myself.
A router provided by an ISP is not your hardware, thus any network behind it is by definition not controlled by you. There have been numerous cases where they have backdoors or known admin passwords. In cases where there is a wire type transition (for example incoming over coax or fiber) it might be necessary to use it though. Same if it is necessary due to your contract.
In my cases I always turn off the wireless antennas and switch it to bridge mode, then place my own router/firewall device behind it.
Edit: still learning to spell.
Owning your own modem/router gives you full access to security features. It gives you opportunity to install custom firmware. If you can spring for the $$, I think it would be advisable. That way, the only thing you need from your ISP is the cable/delivery device piping internet into your house.
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Router provided by my ISP is just garbage. The settings are so scrace, I might as well just connect my PC directly (if I could, cause cable is DOCSIS). Had to buy 10yo DOCSIS router that actually is usable.
If your router is fine in settings, maybe changing it won’t be necessary. As for ISP spying on you - probably possible but certainly is not likely.
Most ISPs have remote access to their modems. You should use your own if possible. If you can’t, then put it in bridge mode and connect your own router to it.
In the US, most IPSs have remote access to your modem as well, even if you purchased it yourself from a store unaffiliated with your ISP.
Most ISP’s in the US are always looking for a government handout. When the government decides to tie that handout with a backdoor attached you will never know about it. If they control the router you don’t get a choice.
Not to mention they buy the cheapest POS they can get to do the job. Then when the wifi sucks they will rent you some mesh nodes. And you can only hope they update them if there is a flaw.
I run OpnSense and have for about 10 years now. I’ve considered using a gPON sfp module so I can get rid of the ONT.
It’s pretty simple if you don’t own the router you don’t own the Wi-Fi. You can treat your home Wi-Fi a little bit like a public Wi-Fi and just make sure all of your devices are secure using encrypted DNS and encrypted traffic and overall not open on any unsecured ports and you should be fine.
Personally, all of my services on my home server are only available through my WireGuard VPN, so it doesn’t matter what Wi-Fi I’m using, it’s always going to be encrypted peer-to-peer.
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I gave up on mine for a privacy unrelated reason: they often reboot the thing remotely, for updating or whatnot. not a big deal per se, the problem - my local network stops working, and that I will not abide. so once I stopped using it, the rest (pihole, unbond, etc) came on its own and now I’m not going back.
Your router is an important security device that you should own and control your self if you want any semblence of ownership over your network.
Your modem is remotely controlled by the ISP even if you own it, and is mostly there to demodulate from the medium installed by your ISP (usually cable, or fiber but those are called ont’s not modems) to a standard cat. 6 Ethernet connection you can plug into most routers.
The main benefit of owning your own modem is not having one with a router built in and not having to pay an equipment fee.
When there were ISP-owned routers, I just set a private router on the inside. As long as their box does their job, mine did work for me.
