FCC expands WiFi router ban. What it means for you.
About a month ago, the FCC decided to ban the import or sale of all new, foreign-made WiFi routers. Now, the list has expanded a bit.
Our friends at PCMag spotted an update to the FCC's router ban FAQ this week, indicating that portable WiFi hotspots are now included in the ban. In case you've never used one, these are little boxes that you can use to activate a WiFi network on the go. They use a SIM card to connect to a cellular network, converting it to WiFi for your other devices, rather than connecting to a modem via Ethernet.
The ban now also extends to fixed 5G wireless access points, which use a 5G cell network to blanket a home with WiFi.
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Before you start panicking, it doesn't seem like this is going to affect very many people in the short term. For starters, using a smartphone to create a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot is still totally above board under these regulations.
Beyond that, T-Mobile told PCMag that the FCC's regulations do not prohibit the sale of networking equipment that you can already buy in the U.S. That means if the router was approved for sale prior to the ban, you can still buy and use it.
"The FCC's updated list of 'covered devices' does not affect any existing routers that were previously approved, so current customers have nothing to worry about and no action to take and their service will continue to operate normally with no equipment change necessary," T-Mobile told PCMag.
Given that ISPs tend to supply users with older or more basic routers, and that most people don't bother to voluntarily switch those out for newer and more advanced equipment, many WiFi users in the U.S. might not notice the effects of the FCC router ban at all.
However, it will become a nuisance for power users who want better performance or more features out of their routers. It will be interesting to see how long the U.S. government sticks to its position that routers pose a national security risk.
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Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
