Home / Technology / Asus Secures 18-Month US Wi-Fi Router Exemption
Asus Secures 18-Month US Wi-Fi Router Exemption
10 Sep
Summary
- Asus received a temporary US exemption for its Wi-Fi routers.
- The exemption lasts until March 2028, covering multiple product lines.
- The US ban aims to prevent supply chain vulnerabilities from foreign-made routers.
Taiwanese PC maker Asus has received a temporary exemption from the US ban on foreign-made Wi-Fi routers. The Federal Communications Commission announced on Wednesday that the Defense Department determined Asus products do not pose a national security risk. This conditional approval is effective for 18 months, lasting until March 6, 2028.
The exemption covers a wide array of Asus Wi-Fi product lines, including the RT Router Series, ROG GT Series, and ZenWiFi Mesh Series. This is timely as Asus has begun preparing Wi-Fi 8 products, with its latest ROG Rapture GT-BN98 series recently launching in Canada.
The US ban, which only applies to new products, was implemented over concerns that foreign-made routers introduce "supply chain vulnerabilities" exploitable by malicious actors. Companies like Netgear, Amazon's Eero, and SpaceX's Starlink have also obtained exemptions. However, major Wi-Fi router maker TP-Link has not yet received an exemption, despite its efforts to establish US manufacturing and present itself as an American company.
To secure its exemption, Asus had to provide a detailed plan for establishing or expanding manufacturing within the United States. Currently, many routers imported into the US originate from countries such as Vietnam, Mexico, and Taiwan.
