The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has declared all consumer-level WiFi routers made outside the country a national security risk, banning them from import or sale. This doesn't mean you have to throw out the router you're currently using. However, you may encounter difficulties when it comes time to replace it.
Announced on Tuesday, the FCC has added all foreign-made consumer routers to its Covered List. This list records communications equipment and services that the U.S. government has determined pose an "unacceptable risk" to national security. Products on the Covered List are barred from receiving FCC equipment authorisation, which is required for most electronic devices imported and sold within the country.
As such, this update means that routers manufactured outside the U.S. can no longer be imported or sold in the country. This includes the vast majority of routers, including those from widely trusted brands such as TP-Link, ASUS, and U.S. company Netgear. The ban also covers routers that were designed in the U.S. but manufactured elsewhere, or vice versa.
"Recently, malicious state and non-state sponsored cyber attackers have increasingly leveraged the vulnerabilities in small and home office routers produced abroad to carry out direct attacks against American civilians in their homes," read the four-page National Security Determination cited by the FCC. Authored by an unnamed government interagency body, it specifically pointed to the 2024 Salt Typhoon hack, stating that routers were "directly implicated" in the attack. "From disrupting network connectivity to enabling local networking espionage and intellectual property theft, foreign-produced routers present unacceptable risks to Americans."
Of course, as the overwhelming majority of routers are manufactured outside the U.S., it's possible that this is a matter of correlation rather than causation.
Fortunately, the FCC's new mandate doesn't revoke authorisation from routers that have already received it, regardless of where they were manufactured. These router models can continue to be sold and imported in the U.S. without adverse consequences. However, as no new routers can obtain FCC authorisation, U.S. users' options will shrink considerably. Routers are instrumental for connecting multiple devices to a modem, which provides access to the internet. They can impact the speed of uploads and downloads, as well as the range of coverage.
Companies can apply for exemptions for their routers, with the Department of War (DOW) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) authorised to evaluate and approve of ones that they don't consider pose a national security risk. None have been listed thus far.
Mashable has reached out to TP-Link, ASUS, and Netgear for comment.
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