In short, as of 4 October 2026:
- If you own a router: none of the FCC’s notices tells you to stop using it.
- Security updates: routers authorized before the rule may keep receiving updates that protect consumers at least until 1 January 2029, and the FCC has proposed making that permanent.
- If you’re buying: new models of foreign-produced routers can only be authorized if their maker has a Conditional Approval, and those approvals have end dates.
The details, with the documents behind them, are below. This page explains public FCC documents; it isn’t legal advice, and the situation is still changing.
What the FCC did
On 23 March 2026 the FCC added this entry to its Covered List: “Routers produced in a foreign country, except routers which have been granted a Conditional Approval by DoW or DHS”. It did so on the basis of a National Security Determination by an Executive Branch interagency body.
Being on the Covered List has a specific consequence: covered equipment is prohibited from receiving FCC equipment authorizations.
Conditional Approvals
The rule has a route out. Companies that produce routers abroad can ask the Department of War (DoW) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a Conditional Approval, which lets them continue to receive FCC authorization for their products. Approvals are granted for specific product lines and run between set dates.
Firmware and security updates
Covered status would normally also block changes to already-authorized devices, including software updates. The FCC has repeatedly waived that for updates that protect consumers:
| Date | FCC document | What it said |
|---|---|---|
| 23 March 2026 | DA 26-286 | Authorized routers may keep receiving software and firmware updates that mitigate harm, at least until 1 March 2027 |
| 8 May 2026 | DA 26-454 | Waiver extended at least until 1 January 2029, and widened to Class II software and firmware changes |
| 1 July 2026 | FCC fact sheet | Proposal to make the update waivers permanent |
The March waiver explicitly includes updates that patch vulnerabilities and keep devices compatible with different operating systems. The May extension covers routers produced abroad that were authorized before being added to the Covered List. The July proposal would codify those waivers permanently for already-authorized covered equipment.
Which brands have Conditional Approvals
These are selected consumer router approvals listed in the FCC’s notice of 9 September 2026, the most recent router notice at the time of writing.
| Company | Products covered (as listed) | Approval runs until |
|---|---|---|
| Netgear | Nighthawk and Orbi consumer mesh, mobile and standalone routers; CAX gateways; CM cable modems | 1 October 2027 |
| eero (Amazon) | eero, eero Pro, eero Max, eero PoE, eero Outdoor, eero Signal and Amazon Leo routers | 31 October 2027 |
| Hitron | DOCSIS and XGS-PON Wi-Fi gateways, standalone Wi-Fi routers, 5G FWA gateways | 18 December 2027 |
| SpaceX | Starlink routers | 17 January 2028 |
| ASUS | RT, ROG GT, ROG Strix GS, TUF Gaming, ExpertWiFi, ZenWiFi mesh and 5G MiFi series; repeaters; access points | 6 March 2028 |
The same notice lists approvals for other makers, many of them providers of ISP gateways. TP-Link does not appear among the approvals it lists.
What it means for you
What to check before you buy: whether the model is FCC-authorized; for newer models of routers produced abroad, whether the manufacturer has a Conditional Approval and when it ends; and whether the manufacturer publishes how long it provides security updates. How to choose a Wi-Fi router puts this alongside the other buying criteria, and How to secure your router covers keeping the one you have safe.