The Verge Explains the US Government’s Router Ban

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Originally published at: The Verge Explains the US Government’s Router Ban - TidBITS

In a news article on 23 March 2026, The Verge’s Sean Hollister wrote:

In December, the Federal Communications Commission banned all future drones made in foreign countries from being imported into the United States, unless or until their maker gets an exemption. Now, the FCC has done the exact same for consumer networking gear, citing “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons.”

If you already have a Wi-Fi or wired router, you can keep on using it — and companies that have already gotten FCC radio authorization for a specific foreign-made product can continue to import that product.

But since the vast majority — if not all — consumer routers are manufactured outside the United States, the vast majority of future consumer routers are now banned. By adding all foreign-made consumer routers to its Covered List, the FCC is saying it will no longer authorize their radios, which de facto bans new devices from import into the country.

For those who found themselves stuttering “But what about…” questions as I did, Hollister is back with a lively Q&A format explanation of the ban, based on a close reading of the FCC’s rather incoherent filing and FAQ.

Notably, the government isn’t recalling existing routers, preventing the sale of previously authorized routers, or proposing security audits of new devices. All it’s doing is banning the sale of future routers that haven’t yet been created, if they’re to be manufactured in another country.

My guess is that this will play out in one of two ways, depending on the company:

  • Some firms will focus on selling their currently authorized routers in the US market in the hope that the ban will either not be enforced or be overturned after an administration change. Routers typically remain functional and fast enough for many years, and few people buying a router today would feel the need to replace it before the early 2030s.
  • Others will see the associated lack of competition as an opportunity, establish a US manufacturing base, and sell new routers at premium prices.

Neither option seems likely to improve router security, suggesting that the ban has nothing to do with security and everything to do with revitalizing US manufacturing. That’s a fine goal, but using a poorly supported stick rather than a carrot of any sort seems likely to reduce choice and raise prices for US consumers.

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I wonder how much it will “cost” to get a waiver?

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For the purposes of this discussion, please avoid venturing into the politics of the situation and stay focused on its technical or business aspects.

I wouldn’t be surprised if waivers came with a price tag, which would just increase the cost of doing business in the US and, therefore, the cost of the associated products.

I literally can’t remember when I bought the Eero system I’m using right now and that continues to more than meet my needs. (Checks email receipts… Looks like it was 2018.) So I think a lot of companies are going to stick with their current lines, which will be good for well into the future.

And what’s coming down the networking pike that would even necessitate a router beyond Wi-Fi 7, which few people need anyway?

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This was the exact question that came to mind for me. Is there anything on the horizon that would likely lead to major hardware changes in the next few years?

Also, I’m unclear on how the ban will affect the usual model tweaks and small fixes that manufacturers make. Say the current model of RouterWorld’s top model is the 2026A. Will the ban prohibit them from importing a barely-modified 2026B? I would think it would, as it’s not the same model that was already approved. Even a few years of this (until the end of the current administration) could significantly hurt router makers’ bottom lines if they can’t even tweak their models with minor fixes.

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I betcha the likes of Comcast and AT&T, who make a lot of $$$ renting modem-routers to their subscribers, were involved with this edict. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some sort of carve out, buried in the regulation, that makes ISP-supplied routers exempt from the ban.

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It’s unclear how ISPs will be affected. From the article:

The ban is just on consumer routers, right? What about the routers and cable modems my ISP rents me, my pocket hotspot, my network switch, my Wi-Fi extender?

It could affect all of those or none of those.

The FCC is banning “consumer-grade routers” as defined in NIST Internal Report 8425A. These are routers “intended for residential use and can be installed by the customer.” But it also defines routers loosely as devices that “forward data packets, most commonly Internet Protocol (IP) packets, between networked systems.” That could cover every piece of gear you use to connect to the internet or even your home network.

Companies get to self-certify whether they’re adhering to the rules, can claim whatever they want, and then it’s up to the US government to inspect at customs or not.

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My prediction is that TP-LInk, Eero, Asus, D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, and Acer will all soon come out with surprisingly affordable Small Business routers.

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So just like a tariff, huh? What a coincidence. :wink:

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Could happen, but the definitions of what’s covered are so loose that the situation lends itself to creative enforcement. As I quoted above:

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FWIW, a few years ago I bought a TP-Link router and when I went to set it up, I discovered that I had to establish an account with TP-Link before the router would work. What I realized is that TP-Link used that account to control whether or not the router would work. Then I discovered that the company was started in China and still has connections to China. The idea that a company had the power to turn my router on and off remotely was unsettling and the idea that it may be controlled by China was even further unsettling. I returned that router and bought an Asus, which doesn’t require an account with the company in order to operate. As crazy as it sounds, if China were to invade Taiwan, they could decide to shut off all the routers registered to the US DOD or the US Congress or US news gathering organizations, or maybe even everybody in the US. They’re crazy enough to fly balloons over secret US bases in Montana, and someone was crazy enough recently to send waves of drones over US bases in Virginia, so the idea that China could decide to turn off all the wifi routers in the US in the event of hostilities isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.

Frankly, I don’t see why any company should have the power to remotely control any device I buy from them, and I always avoid those products.

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It’s not for everyone, but when buying a new router, it can be worthwhile checking beforehand to see if it can run an alternative OS, like the open-source OpenWRT. I don’t generally install OpenWRT on new routers, but it’s nice to know that the option is there, especially if the manufacturer stops supporting the device too soon.

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Is that still the case for Asus? Any others that do not require an account or smartphone app or some other shenanigans?

My AP Extreme is still going strong and in typical AP fashion just runs without issues no reboots needed. But I know the day will come when it dies (or Wifi xy comes out that indeed does offer a tangible benefit). So I always keep an eye out. Wirecutter currently recommends the TP-Link Archer BE550 for Gigabit u/l users ($177) while Wired recommends the ASUS RT-BE58U ($121). Do they all need to be ugly and black?

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Yes. It’s an agreement by the Router Cabal™ that all single-unit routers must be black and shaped such that they do not go with any other equipment, and all mesh routers must be white and have rounded edges all around. Models that do not meet these appearance requirements are subject to embargo by the Router Cabal™. This ensures that no company can sell a router based on its looks, only its specs.

:laughing: :winking_face_with_tongue:

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I don’t spend much time analyzing and comparing router sellers because the internals of most routers and modems are designed and made by a small set of companies under white label programs. So, for example, a Netgear router and a TP-Link router could very well be the same product. And any attacks on central infrastructure—power grids, Internet Exchange Points, data centers—would take out my Internet access no matter who made my gear.

For anybody interested, Bruce Schneier writes about this and related effects occasionally:

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I upgraded to a Firewalla Gold router a couple of years ago, with zero regrets. The primary reason was to have true dual-WAN support, as I work remotely and want to have consistently reliable internet. Prior to that I had Ubiquiti UniFi (which works fine, and who have since come out with dual-WAN support - I’d still be in that ecosystem if they’d had it when I started working for my new company). Firewalla was started by ex-Cisco engineers and have an excellent security focus, and they don’t have hooks into the box. A year or so back they came out with their AP7 wireless access points, and I picked up two of them and stopped using my UniFi APs. I’m still using the uniFi switches, but Firewalla have announced that their long awaited switches should be available by the summer. They’re still navigating whether or not the “Router Ban” is going to affect switches or not. Most of us on the forum think (or hope) not, but we won’t know for sure until they get the certification (the devices are made in Taiwan, but the engineering and software development is all domestic).
I vastly prefer this over any of the other options I’ve had in the past - I’m absolutely opposed to getting a router from the ISP even if it’s “free” because I don’t want them to have any management access into it (and by extension into my network). I’ve used consumer grade routers before, including with OpenWRT, but I did a lot of research when I settled on Firewalla and they provided the capabilities that I was looking for in a reasonably easy to manage interface (bear in mind that I work in cybersecurity and have years of networking experience, but you can use their interface without that knowledge and still have a strong security posture - and the options are well documented and explained. At the moment my two recommended options are still Firewalla and Ubiquiti (you can often see a lot of Ubiquiti at small and medium businesses, if you look). The UniFi dream router is an excellent “all-in-one” home networking device.

Definitely things to consider if you’re looking for more control over your networking security. I especially like the support for Wireguard VPN on my Firewalla - I have that set on all of my devices (iPhones, iPads, MacBooks) to automatically activate if I’m on any network other than my home SSIDs - it routes the traffic back home and then out from my connection. There’s a whole list of features I could wax lyrical on :slight_smile:

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Note that if a router seems to require an account or an app to work, it’s often the case that the router has a web page that allows you to bypass accounts and apps.

I have seen routers where even the web page prompts you to create an account, but if you hit cancel or go directly to an internal configuration page, it will skip account creation.

For more information, including the router’s default IP address, go to the manufacturer’s website and review the model’s user guide/manual.

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The American concern about foreign interference and control of devices imported into the US is interesting. As an Australian I am concerned about the potential and actual control and interference that USA has over our purchases of American weaponary. In fact and in all probability, there might well be less political interference if Australia bought its submarines from China than from the US.

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Or why not save some money by buying from HM Commonwealth Refurbished Sub Shop?
;-)

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Adam. It is politics since only a generic justification was given. I appreciate your efforts to keep things civil with an uncivilized leadership. How many of these restrictions and tariffs were suddenly changed with no reason given?

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The Verge Valiantly Tries to Explain the US Government’s Router Ban

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