Last month, the FCC made a surprise pronouncement: New foreign-made routers will be banned in the US<\/a>. The good news is that your current home internet setup is still legal, since the agency’s rules cover future devices. And vendors can request an exemption. <\/p>\n Still, the FCC order will be far-reaching. One of the largest vendors, TP-Link, says that “virtually all routers are made outside the United States.” Below, we\u2019ll answer your most pressing questions about the ban, which aims to push vendors to build their Wi-Fi routers<\/a> in the US.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n FCC Chair Brendan Carr (Photo by Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)<\/small>\n<\/p>\n The FCC order targets all foreign-made consumer-grade routers, but existing models are not banned from use or sale<\/strong>.\u00a0“Today\u2019s action does not impact a consumer\u2019s continued use of routers they previously acquired,\u201d the FCC said on March 24. \u201cNor does it prevent retailers from continuing to sell, import, or market router models approved previously through the FCC\u2019s equipment authorization process.\u201d<\/p>\n The ban will focus on “new” or future Wi-Fi router models made outside the US, in an effort to stamp out cybersecurity threats posed by vulnerable networking gear. That said, the FCC also issued<\/a> a waiver permitting existing foreign-made routers to continue receiving software updates \u2014but only until March 1, 2027. (More on this below.) A couple of US companies, Netgear and Adtran, have just received exemptions from the ban. <\/p>\n \n $199.99<\/span> \n $299.99<\/span> \n (Credit: Bildagentur-online\/Schoening\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/small>\n<\/p>\n The US has long been worried about China hacking US targets through Chinese-made products and services. US officials fear Beijing could compel a Chinese vendor to secretly assist in the spying.\u00a0It\u2019s why we’ve seen bans on Huawei, ZTE<\/a>, and the drone maker\u00a0DJI<\/a>, along with the forced sale of TikTok<\/a>, even though the Chinese companies have denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n Both the Biden and Trump administrations considered a ban on routers made by TP-Link<\/a>, a Chinese-affiliated vendor. But the FCC went even further last month, citing a White House national security determination<\/a> that found \u201callowing routers produced abroad to dominate the US market creates unacceptable economic, national security, and cybersecurity risks.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The White House didn’t get specific. Instead, the declaration points to how cybercriminals and state-sponsored groups, including those from China, have routinely abused unpatched vulnerabilities in foreign-made routers to help launch their hacking activities. It also doesn’t address possible vulnerabilities in US-made routers, but the declaration says the US \u201cmust have trusted supply chains so we are not providing foreign actors with potential built-in backdoors.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The ban aligns with President Trump\u2019s ongoing push for companies to manufacture their products in the US<\/a>. But if you wanted to buy an American-made router today, you\u2019d probably struggle to find one. Many routers currently sold in the US are manufactured in China, Taiwan, India, and Vietnam, according to Jaimie Lenderman, a manager at research firm Omdia.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lenderman also questions “how far down into the equipment this ban goes,” considering many electronic components and chips are made outside the US. The FCC order also extends beyond final assembly to target routers that are designed or developed in a major way in a foreign country.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, Lenderman points out that 2021’s Build America Buy America Act<\/a> has been pushing companies to manufacture at least some networking gear, particularly optical fiber, in the US. One US vendor,\u00a0Adtran,<\/a> has been offering such products, although the company seems to specialize in enterprise networking gear.<\/p>\n The ban raises questions about how router makers will build their products going forward. To help them transition, the FCC is offering a “Conditional Approval” process for exemptions. Netgear, along with Adatran, are the first to score an exemption<\/a>, which lasts until Oct. 1, 2027. <\/p>\n \n (Credit: FCC)<\/small>\n<\/p>\n Under the FCC rules, a conditional approval can only last up to 18 months. So we’ll be curious to see if Netgear applies for an extension. In the meantime, the exemption appears to cover all of the company’s major Wi-Fi product lines, a major win for its US business. <\/p>\n “We have been designated as a trusted provider of consumer routers for Americans by the US government, and we have no reason to believe that will change,” Netgear says in an FAQ<\/a>. It’s unclear whether the company plans on migrating its production to the US over time, though.<\/p>\n To receive the exemption, vendors must submit an application, which will be reviewed by the Department of Defense or Homeland Security. The guidelines<\/a> call for the company to indicate how much of the router product is made outside the US, where manufacturing occurs, and to provide a \u201cdetailed, time-bound plan to establish or expand manufacturing in the United States for the router.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Another guideline says a vendor needs to disclose any \u201cforeign government ownership, control, influence, financing, or material support,\u201d as well as the \u201cnationality\u201d of company leadership<\/a>. The process has clearly favored US-based Netgear, but it could be bad news for TP-Link. Although the vendor spun off<\/a> from its Chinese counterpart and is now headquartered in Irvine, California, the TP-Link brand continues to face accusations that it’s a spying threat<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Get Our Best Stories!<\/span>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nWhich Routers Are Banned?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
PCMag-Recommended Wi-Fi Routers<\/h3>\n
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<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhy Is the US Concerned About Foreign-Made Routers?<\/h2>\n
![\"TP-link](\"https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/03wYGoJcYupaxkUG2rn847a-3.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAre Any Routers Made in the US?<\/h2>\n
What Is This \u2018Conditional Approval\u2019 Process?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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