Around a decade ago, I used a Firtz!box for my internet, like most people. I needed more functionality that it couldn’t provide, but I knew the hardware was capable, and since it’s just a Linux underneath I thought it should be possible. Soon enough I found the “Freetz-ng” project and got my solution, patched my kernel and all was fine. I don’t remember what the exact breaking point was, I might have had to move to a “bigger” (read: newer) Fritz!box to support a faster DSL version. Around that time AVM stopped releasing the kernel sources they used (obviously a GPL violation), so I could no longer patch my kernel and get the functionality I wanted. All mechanisms for me to do this were still there, they just actively refused. I even wrote them mails asking for the sources, and at first I just got a bit of a runaround, and eventually they just ghosted me I think. I certainly never got the sources I needed though.

I don’t know if this GPL situation was ever fixed, or if they got sued, or if they just locked down the devices even harder to prohibit any system level access in the first palce (arguably just as bad, but they’d probably say it’s for “security”, aka the grownup version of “think of the children”). I haven’t looked back and would not consider using any of their devices ever again.

Just if you want “official” confirmation of their illegal (monopolistic) business practices, there’s a fine handed out by the german antitrust authority (Kartellamt) for 16 million € in 2024 for artificial price inflation or price fixing, not sure what the proper english term is (source in german).