Aussie gov’t tells volunteers to throw out thousands of functioning test routers
Summary
Ars Technica reports that thousands of SamKnows whitebox routers used in Australia's Measuring Broadband Australia program were bricked after the program ended. The devices ran a custom OpenWRT variant and could be reflashed to function as normal routers, but the ACCC says they were disabled and should be disposed of via free e-waste recycling. The article highlights potential e-waste implications and the opportunity to repurpose open hardware for SMB IT labs.