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The US government is banning the import of new routers made overseas, meaning consumers will no longer be able to purchase devices from many popular manufacturers. On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added all consumer-grade routers produced abroad Its “covered list”<\/a> Communications devices that “pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or to the safety and security of United States persons.” Agency specifically cited<\/a> Exploiting foreign-made routers in the Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon cyber attacks. <\/p>\n But the thing is, most routers are manufactured overseas. So, where does that leave you?<\/p>\n The FCC order bans the import of “all consumer-grade routers produced abroad.” Although there is no list of specific companies or devices covered by this ban, At least 60% home routers<\/a> It is estimated that most come to the US from China – and almost none are made here, Starlink’s WiFi router being a notable exception. (The includes restrictions<\/a> Routers designed by American companies but manufactured overseas.)<\/p>\n There may be exceptions to the ban in the future, as the federal government will grant “conditional approval” to companies that provide Details about their operations<\/a>That includes information about corporate structure, manufacturing and supply chains, and plans to “establish or expand” production in the US, but that’s all up in the air at this point.<\/p>\n This is not the first step the federal government has taken to ban devices made by companies with foreign ties, including routers. Late last year, multiple agencies, including the departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, Justice and Defense, proposed banning future sales of TP-Link routers following a review that began during the Biden administration. Other restrictions include<\/a> Sales of antivirus software made by Russia’s Kaspersky Labs and telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE. The FCC also recently banned foreign-made drones<\/a> For the same security reasons.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What do you think so far? The FCC’s action does not affect existing routers, so if you have a device made by a foreign company, you can continue to use it normally. If you are currently in the market for a new router<\/a>There’s no rush\u2014retailers will continue to be able to sell and import all routers already approved for sale through the FCC’s device authorization process. <\/p>\n However, since the ban covers most companies that buy routers from US consumers, in the future you will not be able to upgrade to newly released devices from foreign manufacturers like TP-Link and Netgear unless those models receive conditional clearance from the FCC. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat does the FCC router ban include?<\/h2>\n
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\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat the restrictions mean for your router<\/h2>\n