In an announcement today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned the importation of Wi-Fi routers manufactured outside the United States, but with one pretty big exception.
Citing an “unacceptable risk to US national security and the safety and security of US persons,” the FCC banned foreign-made routers used for both Wi-Fi and wired connections.
The The FCC explains expressing his position:
Recently, state- and non-state-sponsored malicious cyberattackers are increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities in foreign-made small and home office routers to launch direct attacks against American citizens in their homes. From disrupting network connectivity to enabling local network espionage and intellectual property theft, foreign-made routers pose unacceptable risks to Americans. In addition, foreign-made routers were directly involved in the Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon cyberattacks that targeted critical American communications, energy, transportation, and water infrastructure. Routers in the United States must have reliable supply chains, so we don’t provide foreign actors with an internal backdoor into American homes, businesses, critical infrastructure, and emergency services.
The potential impact here could be huge, as finding a Wi-Fi router that is both designed and manufactured in the US is a tall order. The most popular brands such as the dominant TP-Link are manufactured in China, even Google’s Nest Wifi series is manufactured overseas.
Reuters It is estimated that about 60% of home routers in the US are manufactured by Chinese companies.
The good news is that this ban no longer affects your home Wi-Fi router. It also does not apply to existing routers with FCC radio approval, The Verge notes. A similar ban on foreign drones has a growing list of exceptions, our sister site DroneDJ notes. Updates for these devices won’t last forever, but the current rules only apply from March 1, 2027 (via Engadget).
Thus, while new models cannot be released, specific products already on the market can continue to be imported. For future new releases, router brands may receive “conditional approval” or simply stop selling those products in the US.
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