By the end of next year there could be over two million redundant routers and modems discarded because the user has switched broadband provider.
The claim has been made by David Laurie, chief executive of ISP, Madasafish, who points out that connection hardware is locked to ISP that supplied it. According to a study conducted by Madasafish, there are currently one million unused internet routers in the UK that cannot be reused or recycled which will end up in landfill sites, harming the environment.
Laurie says that while most routers can be reprogrammed to allow them to connect to any ISP, the majority of users are not technically savvy enough to do so themselves.
“Most consumers are not aware that their broadband router has been locked by their Internet Service Provider. The amount of routers that are becoming null and void due to locking is increasing at approximately 100,000 per month - this is of real environmental concern," adds Laurie.
"If this trend continues the number of disused routers will exceed two million by the end of 2007 – put together this is enough to build a tower 75 times taller than Big Ben."
Computer hardware like routers can be a complex assembly of hundreds of materials, some of which are very toxic. As network locked routers are not able to be reused, recycled or upgraded, most are finding their way to landfill sites across the UK, creating a potentially hazardous situation.
ISPs usually supply routers or modems for free when customers sign up for an access package, making the need to reprogramme hardware much less of an issue than it might otherwise be. Although it is suggested the hardware is locked to deter customers from migrating to another broadband service provider, there is another pressing reason for junking the router; your new ISP will only support modems and routers of the same type and model that they themselves provide to customers.
Until such times as there is an easy way to reprogram a router with little risk of losing your broadband connection, the ball will remain in the ISPs’ court. Currently, hacking a locked router is not a fingers crossed-type job, it’s something best tackled only if you know what you are doing. Your local computer shop may be able to help.
* On a separate router-related issue, did you know Bluetooth mobile phones and microwave ovens could disrupt your wireless network? Apparently, these devices can cause interference with the signal.
Another thing to be aware of with wireless networks is that the manufacturer’s estimate of range is a best case scenario. Usually, with most small wireless networks, the range is supposedly around 300 feet, but this does not take into account the possibility of the signal being interrupted by such things as Reinforced Steel Joists or the user having an old building with walls four foot thick.
