I am looking at different sources trying to find any Free/Open source implementation of VDSL2 using any hardware.
I am especially interested since the recent progress improve the bandwidth over copper with G.fast G.9700/G.9701 technology and will be deployed for private customer in Switzerland and UK.
I only found way to use LEDE/Openwrt with a binary blob for driving the chipset/CPU handling the VDSL2 part (like Lantiq based modem) https://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/hardware/xdsl .
The Turris project had a DSL modem (SMRT) but has been abandoned due to poor performances. According to what is on Github this project was as well relying on binary blob for the xDSL firmware.
The current deployment of G.Fast by Swisscom in Switzerland will rely on the Metanoia chipset with the SFP module. This SFP module come for sure with a burned binary blob handling the VDSL2. https://forum.turris.cz/t/vdsl-sfp-bridge-modem/1296
lantiq VRX200 is an open source driver (kernel- and userspace components), it's VDSL2/ vectoring capable, but requires a non-free firmware blob for the modem hardware.
When would we see an updated closed-source binary blob? The one Lantiq have to Openwrt is now pretty old. It also dont support Vectoring and you have to dump by yourself one out of for example the image for the AVM Fritzbox 7490.
Precompiled images for "normal users" would be great and many users have problems swapping the firmware file.
There is no license that allows redistribution of the firmware blob. There's been lawsuits targeting this very fact in the past so OpenWrt can not not provide ready images.
@jow
I dont really understand your answer. The OpenWrt project got some years ago thanks to @hauke ( Hauke Mehrtens ) a free redistributable version. Sadly this is never been updated since. I tried to email haukes publicly known old email address but this seems to not work any more ( hauke.mehrtens@lantiq.com ). So he maybe dont work any more for lantiq and dont have the contacts.
But OpenWrt have some old versions it may be build with and its been build with. Every single xrx200 image include by my knowledge https://mirror2.openwrt.org/sources/dsl_vr9_firmware_xdsl-05.08.01.08.01.06_05.08.00.0B.01.01_osc.tar.gz .
I dont think that lantiq have a problem this days to finally send a redistributable version with vectoring support to the OpenWrt project. The xrx200 chipset is not that much more interesting for the OEM.
As far as i know did OpenWrt not get a vectoring Firmware some years ago because the OEM had to pay for Vectoring support and it would be unfair to give a free version with vectoring without money to OpenWrt. But today this is not important any more.
So Lantiq/Intel, please send an updated version so that we can create images with this firmware file precompiled.
In the meantime: Vectoring DSLAMs normaly allow a 2,2Mhz small connection when a non-vectoring device is been connected to. For the usability the users should get a package they can install with opkg that pulls the DSL-Firmware out of for example the image for the Fritzbox 7490 like described in my howto: Howto: Updating the Lantiq XRX200 devices with latest DSL vectoring firmware
So people install openwrt on their device, connect it and the device itself downloads the most recent DSL firmware from AVM and restarts.
@jow , could you for the usablility add to luci the function to add a firmware file manually? Recently you can do all with luci, just not add an updated firmware file to /lib/firmware/ . Would be great if you could add this functionality.
Could they then please send an updated version without vectoring support? The version we have is fully outdated for a long time. @jow
Would you be so nice and add the functionality i described above into luci? That would be awesome.
I dont think that when you can code (i cant code) access to the hardware would be required. The DSL status page in the openwrt overview already lists many things "/etc/init.d/dsl_control status" also do. But "/etc/init.d/dsl_control status" also lists the firmware version.
So just also pull the firmware version information from the same source every other DSL information is been pulled off. That would be everything.