CNET
Seriously, Don’t Buy a Router Right Now
The FCC just banned the sale of foreign-made routers, and those banned routers will no longer receive essential security firmware and software updates after March 1, 2027. But CNET senior writer and router expert Joe Supan says don’t panic buy anything yet. Here’s why. #wifi #router #fcc #policy Read more: If You Buy a New…
@wellivea1
March 30, 2026 at 3:29 pm
This makes no sense. What does it matter what new models are going to be allowed onto the market if you are buying now?
Waiting might make sense if a few years later the rest of the world has all the latest models and they still haven’t started making them here but…
@VagaBohn
March 31, 2026 at 1:51 am
Yeah all this makes me think it’s a reason to buy now.
@NeonVisual
April 1, 2026 at 8:18 pm
Communism dressed up as nationalism.
@ball_of_wires
March 30, 2026 at 3:32 pm
I totally agree we need to be making our own stuff, but there should have been a time set aside for US manufacturers to get going.
@ball_of_wires
March 30, 2026 at 3:33 pm
The fact that we make almost nothing in tech is insane. What if Chins suddenly decided to cut us off?
@zivzulander
March 30, 2026 at 3:49 pm
This highlights why having open source firmware support is a useful feature.
@waitz001
March 30, 2026 at 4:03 pm
F MU$K!!
@danc2578
March 30, 2026 at 4:52 pm
Arbitrary nationalism is a waste. FCC should be busy testing routers – just tell us which are secure.
As for updates… Why not just buy a fully debugged, secure router in the first place?
@aluxious
March 30, 2026 at 7:33 pm
There’s router racism now in this administration? 😅
@landshass2849
March 30, 2026 at 9:00 pm
Hello Arnold Schwarzenegger younger brother!
@ADHJkvsNgsMBbTQe
March 30, 2026 at 11:49 pm
Let’s wait and see who pays the Bribecoin.
@PhxFSD
March 31, 2026 at 6:59 am
The government is out of control 🙄
@oceantransistor
March 31, 2026 at 4:13 pm
Translation: The free market isn’t free.
@Magic235-m3f
March 31, 2026 at 5:23 pm
It’ll settle with sold out lol
@mtktm
March 31, 2026 at 8:49 pm
I saw someones takee that printers fall into the realm of “routers”. They have ethernet ports… they have wifi… they can pass info across both ports, which is the function of a router. It routes info. Inless FCC narrows it’s definitions, then almost EVERY network device is a router.
@Inova3DSolutions
April 1, 2026 at 5:41 pm
A router is a device the takes the information from an ISP modem and ‘routes’ it into multiple, often hundreds, of IP addresses. Then it receives the information from the devices and turns it back into a single signal to go back into the ISP modem. Printers are that IP addressed device, they are not capable of making their own WiFi network.
@73koobee
April 1, 2026 at 1:37 am
Build your own router and use pfsense or something and done.
@TheSirNiklas
April 1, 2026 at 5:06 am
People here would be surprised what isn’t allowed in the U.S. they have no idea about. 😀 – If you think this is such a limitation and so not free, just go do some research.
@adamjensen2304
April 1, 2026 at 9:10 am
vocal fry final boss
@lucy_lamebrain
April 1, 2026 at 10:40 am
Every electronic device in the US has non US made parts, unless starlink is making their own chips and sourcing from the US (maybe they are because I don’t fallow them 😛 )
@NeonVisual
April 1, 2026 at 8:17 pm
USA going full USSR.