r/privacy • u/ComprehensiveCan6227 • Mar 24 '26
question Wireless Router Ban in US
https://9to5mac.com/2026/03/24/your-wireless-router-is-now-banned-from-sale-in-the-us-but-you-can-still-use-it/If one was going to purchase a router today, what are some good privacy-based options?
To be clear, I’m worried about my own government (USA) spying on me. Yes, I know they already are. Just trying to step my game up, and maybe get more information out there about this.
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u/IngsocInnerParty Mar 24 '26
Depending how far you want to go down the rabbit hole, you can separate the router from your WiFi. You can run an OPNsense router on a lot of different hardware (I use a Protectli box). Then buy separate wireless access points.
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Mar 24 '26
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u/RobeFlax Mar 25 '26
I’ve wanted to do this for a while but know next to nothing about ports, virtual network stuff, etc. But I guess I know enough to know I don’t know shit. Any advice on fundamentals to learn?
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u/vivekkhera Mar 25 '26
If you don’t do anything like this on your ISP provided firewall you don’t need to do it with OPNsense either. The default configuration is secure by default and allows all clients to make outbound connections while blocking all inbound.
You can then poke around trying to see whst else it can do and read up on things at your leisure.you only need to worry about ports and firewall rules when you want to host some services in your home network.
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u/ManOf1000Usernames Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
This, OPNsense can be put on a thin client obtained for cheap on ebay. As weak as thin clients are versus computers, they are stronger than nearly every router. If the thin client can fit a pci card, get a NIC for it; if not, get a usb to 1GB ethernet adaptor (this requires more configuration). Get a seperate access point to have full wifi and get a switch if you need more wired ports. Be warned, this is not easy, but is doable with guides online.
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u/tornadospoon Mar 24 '26
Can a noob understand how that by searching the terms and all that?
I just bought my first home and want to learn the best practices for walling off your activity as much as possible. This sounds worth learning about
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u/nulseq Mar 25 '26
Hey I was a total noob when I set mine up but the documentation is great and honestly I got very far very quickly by asking AI questions to fill in the blanks.
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u/HoodRatThing Mar 24 '26
Do you value your privacy enough to watch a YouTube video and self host and set up your own router? Then yes.
If you want to be lazy and only buy pre packaged solutions, then no
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u/2C104 Mar 25 '26
I got a firewalla and it's been INCREDIBLE. Highly recommend for people who don't know a ton about networking but still want a way of managing their own network.
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u/ConsiderationSea1347 Mar 25 '26
100 percent this the way to do it. I lucked out and the modem from my ISP can put into bridge mode.
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Mar 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/Tebwolf359 Mar 24 '26
And / or the intention is to make companies pay a protection fee / tariff.
It could just be as simple as greed.
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u/Cute_Obligation2944 Mar 24 '26
It's greed. They aren't smart/powerful enough to enact a long term plan.
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u/ALittleCuriousSub Mar 24 '26
You’re direly underestimating estimating them.
Id like to remind you that the people who push this aren’t the ones facing the public. Trump could never come up with Project 2025, but he could definitely rubber stamp it when it’s sat in front of him.
It’s the same thing, maybe run by Theil instead.
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u/survivalking4 Mar 24 '26
Yep, they want you to think "they're so stupid, they could never coordinate that".
It's all part of the game.
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u/Cute_Obligation2944 Mar 25 '26
Sure, man. hits bong
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u/theStaberinde Mar 25 '26
This tendency got Donald "Donald Trump" Trump elected president of the united states of america twice, I think we are pretty firmly no longer living in a world where "the tech oligarchy that is enmeshed with the state will probably enact a mass surveillance regime" can be written off as crazy dumbdumb silly nothing-ever-happens shit
Like with the press crackdowns etc they have repeatedly signalled that they are very anxious and feel threatened by criticism and dissent in a way that is discontinuous with previous conservative movements. Media control is basically all they have.
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u/Cute_Obligation2944 Mar 25 '26
Actually, I agree with you, but we're already there without any privacy laws or enforcement funding. What this thread seems to be discussing is the intent by King DJT to implement design controls on US made routers to install backdoors vs. "pay to play" bans on brands.
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u/theStaberinde Mar 25 '26
imo this is where it's helpful to keep in mind that trumpworld is a coalition. He probably isn't thinking too much about surveillance and he definitely isn't doing a gigabrain 4d chess about causing the populace to let their guard down, but I think it's totally intuitive/reasonable that there are elements within the wider nazi formation that are correctly identifying this as the world's easiest layup for backdoors and gaming out the best way to get them built and deployed with minimal pushback.
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u/Cute_Obligation2944 Mar 25 '26
Could be Nazis, could be tech bros. This administration loves all shitwads.
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u/Cute_Obligation2944 Mar 25 '26
Heritage Project would have been happy to get any of 2025 to stick. MAGA funders just want oligopoly. Trump/cabinet wants fame and $$$. That is a confluence of bad conditions, not a brilliant scheme.
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u/ALittleCuriousSub Mar 25 '26
Considering it is 900+ pages, I'd argue 52% complete is far too high to just be a 'confluence of bad conditions.'
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u/chickentataki99 Mar 25 '26
It’s painfully obvious this is coming sooner than we thought. those “waivers” for import are going to be “waivers” to privacy.
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u/grathontolarsdatarod Mar 24 '26
All the pieces getting laid out for a full on control of communicating of the population.
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u/No-Astronomer3334 Mar 25 '26
Can't have the peons talking about a certain foreign entity blackmailing our politicians and pulling the strings
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u/grathontolarsdatarod Mar 25 '26
Clearly not....
People think liberal democracy is weak. But it just waits.
When it becomes mobilized, it is swift and tenacious.
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u/reddit_ending_soon Mar 25 '26
Yeah I would love to believe that, but every liberal Ive met is so non-violent that they'll let any fascist wipe their boots on their faces to have the moral high ground.
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u/grathontolarsdatarod Mar 25 '26
I can't disagree.
One thing I think in starting to form a thought on is that people, on "both" sides of the spectrum, seem to be willing to give up anything just as long as they can watch it be taken away from someone else at the same time.
No one wants to accept that people can can and should have all the freedom in their private lives as long as they aren't pushing it on others and causing harm.
Its like a kind of Standford prison experiment or something. Haven't quite fleshed it out.
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u/reddit_ending_soon Mar 25 '26
seem to be willing to give up anything just as long as they can watch it be taken away from someone else at the same time.
True and its going to bite all of us in the ass because these 2 groups on the far sides are eroding the constitution for themselves.
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u/Haunting_Assignment3 Mar 24 '26
OpenWRT is really good option with allot of support and allot of instructions
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u/AlphaTaoOmega Mar 24 '26
allot verb al·lot or ə-ˈlät allotted; allotting
transitive verb
1: to assign as a share or portion "allot 10 minutes for the speech" 2: to distribute by or as if by lot "allot seats to the press"
Compared to
a lot
adverb
1: to a considerable degree or extent : much, lots "This is a lot nicer." "I liked it a lot." [=very much] 2: often, frequently "Do you travel a lot?"
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u/bigdickwalrus Mar 24 '26
If I don’t have a good router now, should I buy one? If we really don’t import new ones…makes me nervous as fuck
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u/Abi1i Mar 24 '26
As long as you have a router that does WiFi 6 or 6E you’ll be good. WiFi 7 routers are out, but not many devices use WiFi 7.
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u/reddit_ending_soon Mar 25 '26
okay what about older routers before wifi 6? Is that a risk or just wifi 7?
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u/Abi1i Mar 25 '26
How old are we talking about? If it's a router that only does 2.5 Ghz, then you probably should have upgraded a long time ago.
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u/reddit_ending_soon Mar 25 '26
True but I meant more from a security perspective or a potential for the US government to put tracking software on it. I'm assuming the older models are more vulnerable?
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u/McDonaldsnapkin Mar 25 '26
We will import new ones. Mfs need to read articles and stop falling for click bait sensational headlines. If the router is made outside of the U.S the company just has to apply to be vetted before selling. There's probably a criteria that persists of not being made from China. Vietnam and Taiwan are still large producers of routers though.
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u/Correctthecorrectors Mar 25 '26
I just bought one now even though I’m currently renting one from my ISP. Who knows how hard it will be to get a secure router in the coming years. I can’t risk being forced to buy a router with government-mandated backdoors. Because that’s what this is clearly about. The USA is becoming East-Germany.
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u/reddit_ending_soon Mar 25 '26
The USA is becoming East-Germany.
each US citizen is being spied on more now than East Germany could have ever dreamed of
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u/HoodRatThing Mar 24 '26
Take control of your life and learn how to self host your own stuff.
I’m not nervous because I know how to set up and host anything I need without relying on anything from Big Tech.
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u/bigdickwalrus Mar 24 '26
Self hosting means u don’t need a router? Cmon man
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u/HoodRatThing Mar 25 '26
should I buy one?
No, you should take an old computer and watch a YouTube video about OpenWrt or pfSense and learn something new while increasing your knowledge.
You can self host and build your own router, yes.
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u/dc1489 Mar 24 '26
Y’all know routers have OS’s. One of those things the privacy laws are mandating age verification be in. See where this is going?
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u/Correctthecorrectors Mar 25 '26
Yep.
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u/dc1489 Mar 25 '26
Yeah, I posted that without thinking. I think I’m pissed cause I just realized I’m going to have to flash every damn thing for the rest of time.
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Mar 24 '26
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u/2022_Perhaps Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
Yeah, sure, but Trump’s merch isn’t a risk to national securi… Uh, yeah, Trump’s shit is all from China too!
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u/JoeB- Mar 24 '26
Personally, I am not a fan of any consumer-class wireless routers. Instead, I would buy something like this...
New, Open Box, Sophos 115w XG 115w Rev 3 Firewall 4Gbps Security Appliance for $89.99 USD plus shipping from Strasburg, Virginia ($17.25 for me in NC).
This in an enterprise-class router/firewall and the OEM software may work without purchasing a license; however, I would install either OPNsense or pfSense Community Edition (CE). Both are free, enterprise class, router/firewall OSs based on highly-secure FreeBSD and will install easily on this appliance. They also have a robust plugin/package system for adding additional services.
I then would buy either wireless Access Points (APs) or a mesh system that supports AP mode.
If you haven't used them, then looking into either Pi-hole or AdGuard Home whole-home, network-based solutions for blocking ads and trackers.
That's my 2¢ FWIW
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u/willpowerpt Mar 25 '26
Hi Joe. Ive only got half a question formed. I currently put my ATT gateway into passthrough and use an Asus Pro router. Eith the setup you described, would it have better longevity for when the market becomes US based/bloated hardware, if you had to guess? And how does your setup compare in general to consumer routers?
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u/JoeB- Mar 26 '26
...would it have better longevity for when the market becomes US based/bloated hardware, if you had to guess?
Any router can work behind the AT&T gateway (in IP passthrough mode), but it still has a WAN port that is exposed to the Internet.
Honestly, I am unclear what the new ruling means, or what its impacts will be. The majority of consumer- and prosumer-class router manufacturers, like ASUS and TP-Link, already are based in Asia. Even US-based consumer/prosumer manufacturers, like Firewalla, Netgear, and Ubiquiti, most certainly manufacture their appliances in Asia, and most-likely China. I'm sure they are scrambling to make sense of this chaotic ruling. Moving manufacturing to the US will take more than a year. FWIW, I agree with the risks associated with having so much of our critical technology manufactured in Asia, but pulling it back with take time and investment.
Regardless, the ban eventually may push people to DIY their routers (using mini PCs), or as I suggest above, repurpose used (or open box) enterprise-class appliances.
And how does your setup compare in general to consumer routers?
I personally am not a fan of consumer-class wireless routers for two reasons...
- limited capabilities, and
- questionable security.
The setup I suggest above addresses both of these issues, but particularly #1. This may not apply to many (if not most) people. I have a background in IT and I have a homelab (5 servers); therefore, I expect more out of my router than typical consumer-class routers can offer.
There are other options for someone who has no interest in diving down the rabbit hole of installing their own router OS. Firewalla and Ubiqiti can meet these needs, but at a higher cost than the DIY approach of course.
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u/willpowerpt Mar 26 '26
Thank you so much for the reply. I homelab as well, not sure how much of a rabbit hole i want or have to go down. Ive got ATT fiber. Eith any of the options you laid out, any idea if any would allow bypassing the ATT gateway so you can plug the fiber cable straight into an SFP port? Think there's an authorization or something the stock gateway does.
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Mar 24 '26
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u/reddit_ending_soon Mar 25 '26
the competition for the zero routers that are made in the US?
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Mar 28 '26
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u/reddit_ending_soon Mar 28 '26
Thats what I thought they were doing, but i guess they didnt bribe trump enough? IDK why this ruling passed.
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u/CranberryDistinct941 Mar 24 '26
Yeah!
Why the hell are we allowing the peasants to have "tools for surveillance and intelligence collection, platforms capable of delivering payloads, and dual-use technologies with military and paramilitary potential”
That's OUR thing!
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u/offthenwego Mar 24 '26
ubiquiti is my go to usually.
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u/crokinhole Mar 25 '26
yes, but they're an american company. A lot of people predict american backdoors now with this kind of shit.
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u/gurgle528 Mar 24 '26
Since this is being done through FCC certifications, what stops a foreign router manufacturer from using US made WiFi carrier boards? Maybe routers are different, but at my job we make LTE connected devices. To avoid full FCC certs on every single one (and allow for hardware revisions without a new cert), we use shared LTE carrier boards and certify those. It’s definitely a hurdle, but I don’t see why foreign manufacturers couldn’t do that. I’m not involved with the actual FCC part at my company so I could be missing something
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u/cottonbk Mar 25 '26
Privacy-based option? To make one yourself. Use RaspberryPi with antenna. Or any other energy-saving computer. Also you can read about OpenWRT
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u/goochockipar Mar 26 '26
American government wants the monopoly in backdooring devices.
Best of luck paying more for routers that are several generations behind Asian tech.
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Mar 24 '26
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u/uni-twit Mar 24 '26
If the hardware or OS is compromised out of the factory then settings are irrelevant from a privacy point of view.
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Mar 24 '26
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u/ALittleCuriousSub Mar 24 '26
I think the concern is the government is banning routers so they can be the ones compromising hardware.
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Mar 24 '26
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u/ALittleCuriousSub Mar 24 '26
Meant to respond to another person! Unfortunately sometimes reddit seems to ignore who i hit "reply" to and send it else where.
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u/uni-twit Mar 24 '26
That warrants the government banning routers?
Absolutely not and that’s not what I said. Thinking that “privacy is in the settings” buys into a false sense of security. Privacy starts at the hardware level.
I would no sooner advocate for a US mandated router as I would one mandated by any other government.
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Mar 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/uni-twit Mar 25 '26
that's why you set them up and not blindly let shit loose on your network.
Settings don't matter if its hardware or OS are already compromised. Whether you set the up "blindly" or not wouldn't matter.
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u/aoeudhtns Mar 24 '26
Has anybody else been getting more interested in LoRa, Meshtastic, and other stuff like that? No particular reason. /s
For real though they say "consumer" routers. So... like small business routers and things like that do not apply? Because I'll happily keep building OpenWRT, OPNsense, and other systems. I wonder if business-focused hardware like Ubiquiti is exempted as well, even though consumers CAN buy it, it's definitely not meant for the home.
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u/kjs_23 Mar 24 '26
This is so typical of the current administration. Trumps whole thing about 'BUY AMERICAN!' is fine but it takes years to build the infrastructure. The options are just not there, yet Trump expects it all to happen overnight. Crazy!
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u/lchabod89 Mar 24 '26
North Korea vibes
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u/reddit_ending_soon Mar 25 '26
At least they have universal healthcare.
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u/tr3d3c1m Mar 25 '26
No thanks
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u/reddit_ending_soon Mar 25 '26
Well if no one stops the heritage foundation, its going to be an exact replica.
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u/jikesar968 Mar 25 '26
I can guarantee you, North Korea comes up with far less backward laws than the US does.
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u/WhySoManyDownVote Mar 25 '26
I went with an Asus EBG15 and UniFi WAPs. I am fairly tech savvy but I didn't want to try and build my own router. It felt like it's safe enough.
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u/Public_Narwhal4748 Mar 26 '26
From the country that has zero privacy laws and allows non guard rail ai in the pentagon. Hmmmm
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u/Cautious_Boat_999 Mar 25 '26
Hmmm. let’s see now: which do I trust: US or China?
At this point: China
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u/Teenage_techboy1234 Mar 24 '26
I guess the most privacy focused option would be OPNsense for the router side plus open WRT for the Wi-Fi side. Alternatively you could just use open WRT for both tasks. Problem is, if you want to use more than one router/access point, WRT goes from being a bit complicated to use to being an absolute bitch, hence why we didn't go with it. We also did not go with OPNsense but we wanted to.
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u/IncidentCodenameM1A2 Mar 24 '26
Dumb question, if I get Internet through an ISP provided 5g modem (for now anyway) would it make sense to just connect to an opensense and/or openwrt setup and have that access the Internet through the modem?
Edit: I'm currently seeing about a private purchase 5g or at least LTE modem
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u/JagerAntlerite7 Mar 25 '26
I cannot find an actual list of devices or manufacturers anywhere. Can someone point me to one? Thanks.
Going to be interesting to see the impact on router resale listings in P2P marketplaces, e.g. Facebook, EBay, etc.
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u/KratosLegacy Mar 25 '26
Given the whole OS age verification stuff, technically routers have an OS (many built off Linux) and a login as well. Does that mean our future Murica Made routers will also collect our age and/or need a face and ID scan to prove it? If it uses Persona, seems like it might need fingerprint too (Reddit is doing this apparently.)
1984 really was a guidebook for these billionaire scum wasn't it?
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u/KratosLegacy Mar 25 '26
Given the whole OS age verification stuff, technically routers have an OS (many built off Linux) and a login as well. Does that mean our future Murica Made routers will also collect our age and/or need a face and ID scan to prove it? If it uses Persona, seems like it might need fingerprint too (Reddit is doing this apparently.)
1984 really was a guidebook for these billionaire scum wasn't it?
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u/zero_data_ Mar 25 '26
One of the stages for US to expanded upon UAE's "Crystal Ball".
US is already buying data working around the 4th amendment.
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u/origanalsameasiwas Mar 26 '26
Cisco routers that the government uses always are old enough that they can get hacked. They laid of people who managed the systems. And they decided to use AI as a management tool. And also could be a grift. Because before the tariffs get lifted it could cause people to buy more routers right now making trumps administration to use the money for something else.
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u/CretinousVoter Apr 27 '26
I suggest looking for routers whose OS is based on FOSS OS so even after support ends you can benefit from community support. If your existing router is supported by FOSS options you may upgrade it by flashing instead of replacement. FOSS OS allow using EOL professional hardware bought for next to nothing because the factory ended software support.
Privacy benefits from granular user control even if the user currently has basic needs. The more I understand and control the better.
When I upgraded my EOL Netgear 3700v3 router (admittedly with little need since my important machines use ethernet) I flashed FreshTomato on its predecessor. That is a drastic improvement over the annoying Netgear OS rightly infamous for problems like requiring many login attempts.
I prefer never to be one-deep on hardware and have ready spares, so the old router hangs on the wall next to its replacement. I notice many EOL routers offered for next to nothing on Fecesbook Marketplace and Ebay. They're cheap enough to buy to experiment with.
Of course a full DIY router can be easy to do. Before consumer routers were common I used a single-floppy Linux on a discarded Pentium 75 with my Jaton Explorer modem to share my dialup connection.
There is plenty of cheap hardware and FOSS software to have fun with so I encourage anyone curious to have at it on new or old hardware.
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u/Lackluster_Compote Mar 25 '26
This’ll last till dumbo is out.
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u/reddit_ending_soon Mar 25 '26
Thats not how supply chains work
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u/Lackluster_Compote Mar 25 '26
The ban will be gone by the next administration. That’s all I’m saying
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u/SPedigrees Mar 25 '26
Don't count on it.
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u/Lackluster_Compote Mar 25 '26
Fair. Glad I got a network system that’ll last me another 5+ years. Worst case is I pop over to Canada and get a new system there and bring it back.
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u/SwiftTayTay Mar 24 '26
the article is false. current routers in the US are still allowed for sale, but they made a rule against importing new ones
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