Routers Not Made in China (2026)
The US government flagged foreign-made routers as a national security risk in 2026, and the concern is legitimate – routers handle every packet of data in your home. Every brand on this page has been verified at the hardware level, not just by company headquarters. Brands that didn’t pass are listed at the bottom with the reason why. See our other pages for information on Batteries and Cables and Electronics and Phones.
| Brand | Made In | Best For | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| NETGEAR | Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand | Most households - government-vetted supply chain | ~$80 |
| ASUS | Taiwan and Vietnam (US units) | Best value at every price point | ~$60 |
| Amazon Eero | FCC-vetted supply chain | Simplest setup, mesh-only | ~$140 |
| Synology | Taiwan | Long update support, NAS users | ~$250 |
| FRITZ!Box | Germany and EU | Clearest verified European manufacturing | ~$350 |
| MikroTik | Latvia and Lithuania | Technical users, enterprise features | ~$130 |
NETGEAR
Manufactured: Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand
San Jose, California. The most straightforward pick on this page. NETGEAR manufactures its consumer routers in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, uses no China-sourced components, and was the first company to receive government security clearance under the 2026 FCC vetting process. The full Nighthawk and Orbi lines are covered.
Two product lines to choose from. Nighthawk is a standalone router – one unit, good for apartments and smaller homes. Orbi is a mesh system with a main router plus satellite units that blanket a larger home with signal.
- Best for: Most households
- Mesh option: Yes (Orbi line)
- Wi-Fi 7: Yes (Nighthawk RS90 and Orbi 770/870 series)
- FCC approved: Yes – full Nighthawk and Orbi lines
Recommended: NETGEAR Nighthawk RAX36 Wi-Fi 6 – around $100. Covers up to 2,000 sq ft, 25 devices, built-in VPN. Best for apartments and smaller homes.
Recommended: NETGEAR Nighthawk RS90 Wi-Fi 7 – around $120. Latest standard, 2.5G port, covers up to 2,000 sq ft.
Recommended: NETGEAR Orbi RBK862S Tri-Band Mesh (3-pack) – around $500. Covers up to 8,000 sq ft. For large homes with dead zones.
ASUS
Manufactured: Taiwan and Vietnam (US market units)
Taiwanese company, Taipei headquarters, firmware developed entirely in Taiwan. US-market routers are built in Taiwan and Vietnam specifically – ASUS routes US and European production through separate factories, and US units consistently carry Taiwan or Vietnam labels. Includes lifetime free security from Trend Micro. No subscription required.
One check required: flip the router over and confirm the label says Made in Taiwan or Made in Vietnam. A permanent molded marking is more reliable than a sticker. US units will have one of these – if yours says Made in China, it is a non-US-market unit.
- Best for: Best value at every price point
- Mesh option: Yes (AiMesh – combine any ASUS routers)
- Wi-Fi 7: Yes (RT-BE58U and RT-BE96U)
- Security: Lifetime Trend Micro, no subscription
Recommended: ASUS RT-AX1800S Wi-Fi 6 – around $70. Budget entry point. Covers up to 1,500 sq ft, solid everyday performance.
Recommended: ASUS RT-BE58U Wi-Fi 7 – around $110. Best all-around router at this price by most independent tests. Covers up to 2,000 sq ft, 2.5G port, mesh-capable.
Recommended: ASUS RT-BE96U Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 – around $500. For power users and larger homes. Dual 10G ports, extensive configuration.
Amazon Eero
Manufactured: FCC-vetted supply chain
San Francisco. US company, FCC-cleared under the same 2026 security review as NETGEAR. Eero’s entire product line is mesh – there is no standalone single router. The system automatically manages network traffic and self-updates. Setup takes under ten minutes via the app, no technical knowledge needed.
Requires an Eero account to set up and manage. Less configurable than NETGEAR or ASUS, but significantly simpler to run day to day. Best for non-technical users and households already in the Amazon ecosystem.
- Best for: Non-technical users, Amazon households
- Mesh option: Mesh only – no standalone router
- Wi-Fi 7: Yes (Eero 7 and Eero Max 7)
- FCC approved: Yes – full Eero line through October 2027
Recommended: Eero 7 (1-pack) – around $170. Covers up to 2,000 sq ft. The easiest router on this page to set up. Wi-Fi 7 at an accessible price.
Recommended: Eero Pro 6E (3-pack) – around $450. Covers up to 6,000 sq ft. Best for large homes where simplicity matters more than configuration depth.
Synology
Manufactured: Taiwan
Taiwanese company, New Taipei City, manufactured in Taiwan. Best known for NAS storage devices; its router line uses the same security-focused engineering approach. Long firmware support is a genuine differentiator – Synology maintains software updates well past the point where most consumer brands cut off older models.
No Wi-Fi 7 model exists as of May 2026. If Wi-Fi 7 is a requirement, choose ASUS or NETGEAR instead. Check the label on your unit – current production shows Taiwan. Best for buyers who already use Synology NAS gear or who prioritize update longevity over cutting-edge speed.
- Best for: Synology NAS users, long update support
- Mesh option: Yes
- Wi-Fi 7: No – Wi-Fi 6 only as of May 2026
- Caveat: Check label confirms Taiwan manufacture
Recommended: Synology RT6600ax Wi-Fi 6 – around $330. Strong security features, parental controls, long-term update support.
FRITZ!Box
Manufactured: Germany and EU
German company, Berlin, founded 1986. Designed and manufactured in Germany and the EU – no China involvement at any stage. FRITZ! labels its products Made in Europe and holds around 50 percent of the German consumer router market. The cleanest verified manufacturing origin on this page.
US buyers note: FRITZ!Box includes a built-in modem for European network standards. US cable internet users (Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox) need to keep their ISP modem and connect the FRITZ!Box via Ethernet WAN. Fiber users (Verizon Fios, Google Fiber) connect via Ethernet with no compatibility issue. Available via Amazon import listings and directly at fritz.com/en.
- Best for: Buyers who want verified European manufacturing
- Mesh option: Yes (FRITZ!Repeater extenders)
- Wi-Fi 7: Yes (5690 Pro and 7690)
- Caveat: US cable users need a separate ISP modem
Recommended: FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro Wi-Fi 7 – around $365 via import.
MikroTik
Manufactured: Latvia and Lithuania (check label – some models vary)
Latvian company, Riga, founded 1996. Hardware designed and primarily built in Latvia and Lithuania. Used by ISPs and network professionals worldwide. RouterOS gives it enterprise-level routing, firewall, and VPN features in hardware that costs a fraction of enterprise gear.
Not a plug-and-play product. Initial setup requires comfort with networking concepts that consumer routers handle automatically. If you want a router that works out of the box without configuration, choose one of the brands above.
- Best for: Technical users, IT professionals, home lab builds
- Wi-Fi 7: No – Wi-Fi 6 current lineup
- Caveat: Not recommended for non-technical users
Recommended: MikroTik hAP ax3 Wi-Fi 6 – around $132. Enterprise-grade features, verified European hardware, competitive price.
Brands We Checked and Excluded
TP-Link – Chinese company. Flagged by the FBI and multiple federal agencies for national security concerns. Under FTC investigation for concealing China connections after a 2024 US restructuring. Hardware labels showed permanent Made in China markings on recent units, with country-of-origin information subsequently moved to adhesive stickers. Excluded.
Ubiquiti – New York headquarters, but hardware manufactured primarily in China. A US company making products in China still falls outside the scope of this page.
D-Link – Taiwanese company, but consumer routers frequently manufactured in China. Origin varies by model and cannot be confirmed at the brand level.
Google Nest WiFi – Models split between Vietnam and China depending on the unit. Not FCC-cleared. Excluded.
Linksys – Mixed supply chain, brand-level verification not possible. Excluded.
How to Verify Your Router's Origin
The country of origin is on the label on the bottom of the router. Two types of labels matter.
Permanent markings are molded or printed directly into the hardware casing. These cannot be changed after manufacture and are the most reliable indicator of origin.
Adhesive labels are stickers applied after manufacture, typically containing the serial number and MAC address. Country-of-origin information on an adhesive label can be swapped – this is the specific labeling practice that drew scrutiny in the TP-Link investigation.
When verifying a router: look for country of origin in a permanent marking, not on a sticker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are any routers actually made in the United States?
Almost none at meaningful scale. Starlink manufactures some models at its Bastrop, Texas factory, but other Starlink models show Vietnam manufacturing depending on the production run. No major mainstream consumer router brand currently manufactures in the US, which is why the FCC created a Conditional Approval pathway rather than requiring domestic production.
Does the FCC ban affect routers I already own?
BNo. Existing routers with FCC authorization are unaffected. The ban applies only to new models seeking FCC equipment authorization. Your current router remains legal to use and will continue receiving software updates through at least January 2029 (deadline extended from January 2027 for 2 years on May 8, 2026).
Is ASUS safe if it doesn't have FCC Conditional Approval?
ASUS is a Taiwanese company with US-market routers manufactured in Taiwan and Vietnam. The FCC Conditional Approval process is a supply chain security vetting program that any manufacturer can apply for. ASUS has not been flagged by US security agencies and its US-market hardware origin is independently documented.
Why is Ubiquiti excluded if it's a US company?
Company headquarters does not determine manufacturing origin under the WBFC standard. Ubiquiti designs its products in New York but manufactures through contract factories, with China as the primary production location.
What about mesh systems specifically?
NETGEAR’s Orbi line and Amazon Eero are both mesh systems with verified non-China manufacturing and FCC approval. ASUS also offers AiMesh, which lets you combine multiple ASUS routers into a mesh network. All three are on this page.
Related Pages
- Electronics and Phones Not Made in China – more brands and buying guidance
- Batteries and Cables Not Made in China – more brands and buying guidance
- Brand Directory — searchable database of all verified brands
- Tariffs Explained — current framework and what it means for home goods prices
- How to Tell Where It’s Made When You’re Shopping Online – general overview applies to all products online
We verify country-of-origin claims using manufacturer disclosures, product labels, and import records. If something has changed, email webmaster@whybuyfromchina.com.
This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you. Last verified May 2026.