You can keep using your existing router.

The US claims foreign-made routers pose national security risks.

In December, the Federal Communications Commission banned all future drones made in foreign countries from being imported into the United States, unless or until their maker gets an exemption. Now, the FCC has done the exact same for consumer networking gear, citing “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons.”

If you already have a Wi-Fi or wired router, you can keep on using it — and companies that have already gotten FCC radio authorization for a specific foreign-made product can continue to import that product.

But since the vast majority — if not all — consumer routers are manufactured outside the United States, the vast majority of future consumer routers are now banned. By adding all foreign-made consumer routers to its Covered List, the FCC is saying it will no longer authorize their radios, which de facto bans new devices from import into the country.

    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
      4·
      22 days ago

      Sounds… like a bit of a pain in the ass.

      So, I imagine we’re talking about a linux micro-pc with perhaps 1 or 2 additional pcix networking cards?

  • pHr34kY@lemmy.world
    28·
    22 days ago

    Many people will soon find joy in slapping a 4-port NIC into an old PC and learning nftables, BIND9 and kea.

    • Malfeasant@lemmy.world
      2·
      21 days ago

      You don’t even need all that, if you’re just doing wifi routing, one wired nic and one wifi card will do, if you want wired routing too, just one more nic will do, then use a dumb switch to get the multiple ports.

    • Psythik@lemmy.world
      3·
      22 days ago

      Seriously, how hard is it to write a blanket, “No spyware allowed in electronics whatsoever” law and call it a day?

  • Imaginary_Stand4909@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    14·
    23 days ago

    So… can I still flash custom firmware like OPNsense and Openwrt on them? Cause I literally just posted about hardware decision a few days ago 😭

    Edit: It seems the article and actual FCC document will leave previous router models alone, but anything newer is cooked… Even the US brands like Cisco aren’t actually manufactured here because we fucking outsource evrything. I hate this government.

  • CapuccinoCoretto@lemmy.world
    12·
    22 days ago

    It’s always projection. This means the dark empire is weaponizing commercial drones and wifi routers and everything else. They don’t want anyone to do to them, what they will now do to you.

    • Zacpod@lemmy.world
      5·
      22 days ago

      That was exactly my thought. “Oh, this means thar the US has Spyware on the routers produced inside the USA, and any US drone has killswitches built in.”

  • garbage_world@lemmy.world
    5·
    21 days ago

    Dear American government, I have a better idea: Ban proprietary software on routers. You can even go a bit further and ban proprietary OSes totally. This way nobody will spy on your citizens without their knowledge.

  • masterofn001@lemmy.ca
    2·
    22 days ago

    Well, I tried to get y’all to stock up on drones a year ago

    Unrelated: drones make a great Christmas gift for that recently laid off, benefits denied, recently diagnosed with a disease caused by known carcinogens in their everything, injured at work, under paid and exploited person you know.

    Get em before they’re deemed a safety hazard and pulled from shelves.

    For some reason the above comment gives an error of Error when viewed outside my comments.

    https://lemmy.ca/post/34476205/13234882

    Maybe I made them ban drones:

    I may have suggested some things.

    You may have to copy and paste that link - voyager refuses to open it.