This is EXACTLY what I’m dealing with now through spectrum. I have symmetrical fiber and they gave me a wifi 5 router; probably because I’m only paying $50, plus a free mobile line. 
I didn’t even realize this until I tried logging into 192.168.1.1 and it offered me that QR code. No QoS? No in-depth tinkering? I was checking Amazon for some ASUS/TP routers; any updates on what router you went with and if you’re still with spectrum?
If you have a Past Due Balance, all ROUTER and MODEM options are disabled in the (My Spectrum) app with the only choice to PAY Bill, Cancel or Simply Unplug and Plug back in.
Generally, anyone that wants to get into more advanced features would have their own router and use the ISP supplied equipment as modern only.
And Spectrum isn’t making the router, they just pick one from their manufacturer of choice.
I agree. It’s not only infuriating but when you initially realize you no longer have control over your own network it becomes more violating than anything. I suggest to do as others have suggested and purchase your own router for more control. However, I just want to throw this tidbit out too and warn you that even with your own router you might still notice some rather questionable changes to the initial setup you do and then really start to question what the fuck is going on. I’m on my third personal router because miraculously I always seem to be reverting to settings that I would never in a million years program and end up with a brick simply trying to configure my network to be secure and without any port forwarding, etc. to prevent any unnecessary access because we don’t use any iot devices or gaming devices or anything like that. So in my personal experience Spectrum is going to do whatever they want and in my case it is some pretty shady shit. I feel your pain. Now go out and buy your own router and that will make you feel better at least for a little bit. Best advice, just don’t even bother looking.
The previous router had those features because those are geared for business customers, not residential. It’s not just the wave 6 and 6E routers, either; the resi wave 2s will also lock you out of those features. We now have strict guidelines and guardrails that prevent us from putting the incorrect router types on accounts, and overriding these requires a tech sup and a sup from my department to agree that there’s a good case for it. Unfortunately, if you want those features back you’ll probably need to purchase your own router.
The fewer features they support as far as what you describe, the better in their eyes. There will be far fewer tech support calls that take over 60 seconds if the only answer they need to provide is “Our equipment is functioning as intended, I don’t see any issues on this end. We don’t support that function.” They set things up for the 99%+ of customers that don’t even know what the router is other than it being “The thing the cable guy put in the cupboard.”
I never even took the spectrum router out of the box. They claim I’m on a grandfathered plan and my price will go up if I return it. Whatever. Instead I put the modem in bridge mode and plugged it into my WAN port, and have’t touched it since.
Btw, I found out there is a password-protected tech screen accessible at 192.168.1.1/warehouse
Credentials are >!ThylacineGone:4p@ssThats10ng!<
Unfortunately, nothing useful under the hood there 
It seems a couple people in the DD-WRT and otherwise open WRT community have been trying to hack this router.
This is an interesting thread. 
And shortcut to/summary of the whole hack here.
I used to build all my own computers and know all the tweaks for Windows and how to set up routers etc. Now as I get older (50+) I no longer want to be bothered with all that stuff, I just want to plug it in and have it work.
Bro y’all remember that time a spectrum employee went off on Reddit a year ago acting like spectrum is a good wholesome company that respects and loves their customers and that having network settings was just too big of an ask? XD
All of the routers I’ve had as a spectrum customer for the past 20 years (under charter, etc) have had these basic features common to all routers. They should be designed for all customers. Most people never need to do anything but change their SSID and password. All of these features were alway behind an “advanced” section in every previous router, with a “basic” section for customers who don’t need it. If they are going to have “advanced settings” at all, why get rid of the features they have always offered customers? My guess is they couldn’t implement them in the context of a mobile app, so they just cut them out.
And I’m not a highly technical IT professional with very specific needs, I just have a few basic needs above changing my SSID that Spectrum consistently met for many years and then unceremoniously dropped, without any notice or warning. And so now, yes, as I wrote above, in addition to the $250 a month I already pay them, which besides the services it allows, subsidizes the R&D and then the loaning, at no additional cost, of devices like this, I have to shell out another $200-300 for another router, without free replacements and service included, because of this puzzling decision.
It’s not that I don’t get why they would want to offer the most basic functionality to customers in the form of a mobile app, it’s that I don’t understand why they couldn’t just leave in place the existing UI that they had for all of their customers who relied on it, as an advanced feature, accessible by local IP. I am absolutely sure I’m not alone in my requirements here.
Good to know—I will definitely be asking for that $5/mo off. Over a year that could be nearly a third to a half of the cost of a new router.
I care a little bit more than the average person, and for years the Spectrum-provided router was free (well…included) and did everything I needed it to. I definitely don’t care enough to want to shell out hundreds of $$ for my own bespoke router when the routers my ISP provided for the dozens of years I’ve been a customer have been perfectly sufficient.
I just wanted to change the channel! 
That’s fine but the reason that I am here today is because my network settings did not upload to the router that they just sent me and I need a way to manually override the spectrum app. I obviously can’t fucking do it so I have no idea how to get my network name and password set correctly in the router now.
All of my home devices are now going to require being reset because spectrum wants to endorse people being stupid
Am I really tho?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/comments/m86bcb/workaround_to_configure_sac2v1a/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/comments/kxk0zw/sac2v1k_login_bypass/
https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeNetworking/comments/h9gtan/spectrum_sac2v2s_locked_down/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/comments/jpxgqo/spectrum_sac2v1k_it_sucks/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/comments/fot3h3/sac2v1k_are_we_serious/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/comments/vozfbz/just_got_a_new_sac2v1k_router_how_to_config/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/comments/zn59d2/sac1v1k_port_fowarding/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/comments/vcb6iv/any_way_to_access_your_router_without_the/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/comments/uxpn18/wifi_6_router_web_interface/
…
You can just disconnect their router and go off the modem.
I see…well, you got my upvote, at least.
I think a lot of people are just miffed that I wrote (something like) “not a ‘smart router’, but a stupid router for stupid, simple people”. And TBH that was pretty uncalled for and I deserve any negative post karma from it. But the anger is very real, and this decision on Spectrum is just senseless to me. All they had to do was keep the old UI for their “advanced settings” and link to it in a web view within their mobile app. Instead they have an “advanced settings” screen which lacks pretty much most advanced settings. 
New for me—my last router replacement by Spectrum was maybe 1-1.5 years ago, and they replaced it with the RAC1V1K model. I’m not sure when these WiFi 6 ones became available. The RAC1V1K is 5th gen, though.
I’m not sure what you mean—I’ve never used a remote website to update my local router config, just the UI baked into the router’s firmware, and as far as the “My Spectrum” app goes these (Imgur screenshot) are the only options available. I also spoke to a customer service rep who verified that the functionality I listed above is no longer accessible with the SAX1V1K router.
