There Isn't A Single Consumer Wi-Fi Router That Is 100% American-Made

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There isn't a single consumer Wi-Fi router that is 100% American-made

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There isn't a single consumer Wi-Fi router that is 100% American-made

You get a waiver! You get a waiver!

By Alec Hively

July 23, 2026 9:30 am EST

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The Trump administration has roundly criticized America's technological sector for its dependence on international partners. In its 2025 National Security Strategy, the administration named securing independent supply chains a pillar of its economic and national security policies, warning that the US "must never be dependent on any outside power for core components." Perhaps nowhere have these concerns been more acute than in the home router market, where the White House has put considerable energy into untethering America's Wi-Fi networks from foreign manufacturers.

In March 2026, the FCC banned all international home internet routers, citing how "malicious actors have exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers to attack American households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft." Citing recent cyberattacks like Salt Typhoon, Volt and Flax, the FCC's National Security Determination argues that companies manufacturing routers can inject backdoors into their products, giving foreign intelligence agencies and hackers unfettered access to American networks. To ward of such intrusions, the Trump administration has pushed the FCC to ban any router whose components, assembly, or designs were produced overseas. And while firms are allowed to continue selling routers currently on the market, the FCC barred them from providing software updates to their existing customers after 2027.

Already, the ban has hit several roadblocks, as the FCC looks to implement a ruling that many critics warned was unrealistic. In May, the FCC issued a public notice that routers can "continue to receive software and firmware updates that mitigate harm to U.S. consumers" until at least January 1, 2029. The move comes after the National Consumer Technology Association pushed the FCC to relax its stringent ruling, citing supply chain shortages "in critical substrate material and memory modules" that could cause "disruptions to millions of Americans' broadband services." Critics pointed to the revision as an indication of the contradictions inherent in the restrictions, noting that banning software updates could cause more security problems than it solves. As it stands, a wholly-domestic router supply chain may merely be wishful thinking.

An international affiar

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America's router market relies on foreign partners, particularly from Southeast Asia, to source and design its products. The market's largest company, Chinese router giant T.P. Link, has been in the FCC's crosshairs for years, with the Administration attempting to to ban the firm's popular products outright in 2025. As it stands, T.P. Link produces roughly 35% of America's home routers, down from over 60% in 2024. Popular international firm ASUS is based in Taiwan, whose ZenWiFi Pro tested as one of the best mesh Wi-Fi routers of 2026. Synology and D-Link are also based in Taiwan and thus subject to the FCC's restrictions.

In the wake of the ruling, T.P. Link met with the FCC to secure conditional approval for its routers. During the meeting, the Chinese manufacturer argued that it is "investing hundreds of millions of dollars to bring manufacturing and research and development of its consumer routers to the U.S." through its Irvine, California-based subsidiary. However, the solution for international firms like T.P. Link and ASUS isn't as simple as moving their manufacturing plants stateside. Critically, the FCC's enforcement applies to all products whose design processes occur internationally. Under the ruling, firms will have to move the full scope of their operations to the United States or seek a waiver from the FCC.

But not even America's domestic brands meet these strict domestic manufacturing standards, as all major American brands depend on international partners to source and construct their products. Google, for instance, makes its Nest routers in Vietnam and China. Netgear, meanwhile, splits its operation between Vietnam and Taiwan. Ubiquiti and Amazon also depend on international. Another major American brand, is Irvine, California's Linksys, is owned by Taiwanese giant Foxconn and manufactures its products in Vietnam.

Some have pointed to SpaceX's Starlink system as the blueprint for an American-made router market. Reportedly, the Austin company builds its routers in Bastrop, Texas. However, even SpaceX is not necessarily beyond the reach of the FCC's ruling, as the firm has relied on Vietnamese partners for its router components since at least 2024.

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