03/28/2026
What's the deal on the new consumer router ban?
Last year there was talk of banning the TP-link brand; a very good quality basic consumer wifi router maker on security concerns. They actually have fewer security problems than other popular brands and picking on one company isn't effective governing when an industry or idea is the risk. The new rule banning foreign made consumer wifi routers for security concerns follows the same path successfully used to ban foreign drones recently. Since both drones and wifi routers have radio equipment, they must get FCC approval when introduced to the US market.
Why consumer routers rather than business routers? It would seem businesses would be a more serious security target? Quite a few small businesses use normal consumer routers for simple needs. Other business needs use wifi equipment that is separate from the router. A router with no built in wifi is not subject to FCC regulation.
We actually do quite a bit of this; rackmount or wall mount routers located in a wiring closet, and wifi equipment spread out around a building or property wherever wifi coverage is most important as a system. We do not anticipate this sort of system to be affected by the new FCC rule.
I anticipate it will cause a major problem for ISPs (the business I was first in). ISPs supply wifi routers to customers and they need a steady supply for upgrades, replacement, & growth. ISPs don't change routers without a massive amount of testing, support training, monitoring system integration, etc... ISPs need consumer routers that are inexpensive and reasonably secure and reliable and it takes time to prove those characteristics.
Rockbound does sell some consumer wifi routers; we like the TP-link brand. We will sell the current models as long as available. We will also have available separate router and wifi hardware just like we do for businesses. In many cases this is preferable anyways; Wifi can be installed exactly where it covers best, which is rarely where the router is located.
