US bans foreign routers - reason enough for a new Airport?

[bogdanw]

"Trump admin exempts SpaceX’s Starlink from FCC ban on foreign-made routers
Starlink has a Texas factory but also makes routers in Vietnam."
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...-from-fcc-ban-on-routers-made-outside-the-us/

 

[drrich2]

As we watchfully await further developments regarding banning routers and related issues, the mindset, practicality and 'common sense' of the FCC is obviously a factor that may impact these decisions going forward. Particularly if one puts faith in the idea 'Oh, come on, they wouldn't do that, they wouldn't go that far...' on some issue.

Seeing that this thread is not in the Political News section, there are constraints on the allowed discussion. For those of you interested to gain information to inform your private opinions on these matters, whatever conclusions you may come to, from PC Magazine today:

The FCC Moves to Retroactively Ban Drones With LiDAR Obstacle Avoidance Many photographers and videographers will be surprised to learn that the FCC considers camera drones with LiDAR obstacle avoidance, like the consumer-grade Air 3S, Avata 360, and Mini 5 Pro, to be weapons of war.

From the article:

"There's a twist, though: the FCC's definition of "military grade" is broad enough to cover any drone with LiDAR sensors."

"Several of DJI's consumer drones use LiDAR for obstacle detection and avoidance, including two PCMag Editors' Choice winners: the Air 3S, our top-rated camera drone, and the Avata 360, the best drone for spherical imaging. The Mini 5 Pro, which we missed reviewing, also uses LiDAR. All three of these drones received FCC clearance before DJI was added to the FCC Covered List in late 2025."

"If you already own and use one of these models, you won't be affected, but if the FCC doesn't change its mind by the time the public comment period ends on Sept. 2, all three would disappear from retail in the US."

"The FCC also considers any drone with a thermal camera to be military-grade, so the DJI Mavic 3 T, which is used for industrial inspections and by first responders for search-and-rescue operations, would get the kibosh. Drones that are able to plant seeds and spray pesticides are also on the chopping block, which hits the DJI Agras drones used by farmers, as well as similar hardware from other manufacturers that's made outside the US."

At least it doesn't sound finalized quite yet.

This is the same FCC wielding great power and actively regulating the consumer router market.

Draw what conclusions you will.

 

[polyphenol]

As we watchfully await further developments regarding banning routers and related issues, the mindset, practicality and 'common sense' of the FCC is obviously a factor that may impact these decisions going forward. Particularly if one puts faith in the idea 'Oh, come on, they wouldn't do that, they wouldn't go that far...' on some issue.

Seeing that this thread is not in the Political News section, there are constraints on the allowed discussion. For those of you interested to gain information to inform your private opinions on these matters, whatever conclusions you may come to, from PC Magazine today:

The FCC Moves to Retroactively Ban Drones With LiDAR Obstacle Avoidance Many photographers and videographers will be surprised to learn that the FCC considers camera drones with LiDAR obstacle avoidance, like the consumer-grade Air 3S, Avata 360, and Mini 5 Pro, to be weapons of war.

From the article:

"There's a twist, though: the FCC's definition of "military grade" is broad enough to cover any drone with LiDAR sensors."

"Several of DJI's consumer drones use LiDAR for obstacle detection and avoidance, including two PCMag Editors' Choice winners: the Air 3S, our top-rated camera drone, and the Avata 360, the best drone for spherical imaging. The Mini 5 Pro, which we missed reviewing, also uses LiDAR. All three of these drones received FCC clearance before DJI was added to the FCC Covered List in late 2025."

"If you already own and use one of these models, you won't be affected, but if the FCC doesn't change its mind by the time the public comment period ends on Sept. 2, all three would disappear from retail in the US."

"The FCC also considers any drone with a thermal camera to be military-grade, so the DJI Mavic 3 T, which is used for industrial inspections and by first responders for search-and-rescue operations, would get the kibosh. Drones that are able to plant seeds and spray pesticides are also on the chopping block, which hits the DJI Agras drones used by farmers, as well as similar hardware from other manufacturers that's made outside the US."

At least it doesn't sound finalized quite yet.

This is the same FCC wielding great power and actively regulating the consumer router market.

Draw what conclusions you will.

Archaeology now makes extensive use of drones with LiDAR and multispectral sensors. That too would be affected.

Maybe we will see new approaches which sidestep new regulations - at least for a while. For example, using a drone which does not itself have LiDAR to drop an uncontrolled parachuted device (so it is NOT a drone) which does have LiDAR. And doing the best you can with multiple drops and exploiting any wind to achieve the best coverage.

 

[drrich2]

From PC Magazine Aug. 14, 2026Take It From a Licensed Drone Pilot: The FCC’s Expanding Ban Is Out of Control Drones were just the canary in the coal mine. Washington's crusade against foreign tech is about to make the gadgets you rely on outrageously expensive—or impossible to buy. Jim Fisher Jim Fisher Principal Writer, Cameras.

From the article:

"At present, the US is in what I think is best described as a cold economic war with China, and drones are one of its victims. In the past few years alone, the US has levied tariffs on its exports, restricted what tech the country is allowed to import, and now the FCC is banning its technological exports willy-nilly. In recent months, the FCC has gone after everything from robot vacuums to internet routers to portable power stations."

While this thread is not in Political News, if Fisher's belief is correct, it has implications for how regulation may proceed going forward, including for consumer routers (relevant to this thread).

"American drone companies aren't delivering equipment for consumers; they're all about industry, agriculture, and public safety, markets that are far less price-sensitive than gig workers trying to pay their rent by..."

"Simply put, there are no good camera drones made in the US. When I spoke to Arthur Erickson, the CEO of US agricultural drone firm Hylio, earlier this year, he told me that the US was one to three years away from making a drone that could compete with DJI's latest 249g flagship, the Mini 5 Pro, and that it would likely cost $4,000 to $5,000 at retail, more than five times the cost of the DJI model."

"Its public notice seeks to ban the sale and import of all foreign drones with LiDAR obstacle sensors, thermal cameras, ..."

"Several consumer drones use LiDAR to intelligently avoid obstacles and crashes—LiDAR makes a drone safer to fly in crowded environments. The entry-level DJI Neo 2, midrange Mini 5 Pro, and pro-grade Air 3S all use it. Thermal cameras are crucial for first responders performing search and rescue and for inspectors looking for heat leaks around a home or an industrial site."

The article is worth a read, and kudos to PC Mag. for covering this topic online over time. It's not just a matter of paying inflated prices for an equivalent American product; you may not find one to buy.

Consumer routers have much higher penetrance in the U.S. market than drones, I think a safe assumption. And many are provided by ISPs, which are businesses supplying what's considered a very important 'information utility' of sorts. So I don't think we'll be unable to obtain routers.

But at what cost? What about 3rd party options so we're not stuck with whatever the ISP is handing out, which may or may not have a rental fee?

In such a market, if Apple did produce a new Airport router, how would it distinguish itself? If Apple tried to provide Apple ecosystem advantages, E.U. legislation-based attacks demanding inter-operability with competing platform companies could sabotage that.

There may be a push for DIY routers, but I've watched some content on that option, and the project looks to remain beyond the expertise and comfort level of the average home user.

 

[drrich2]

Posted by PC Magazine today (author Michael Kan):

More Wi-Fi Routers From This Chinese Vendor Found With Backdoors Cybersecurity company VulnCheck discovers two additional backdoors, dubbed SpeakingStone and DarkLantern, primarily in Zbtlink router models.

From the article:

"Earlier this month, VulnCheck uncovered a backdoor, dubbed “Endlessdoors,” in a wide range of Zbtlink routers. After conducting a deeper investigation, the company says it has discovered two additional backdoors, called “SpeakingStone” and "DarkLantern,” mainly in other router models from the Chinese manufacturer."

"In the meantime, Vulncheck says the discovery of the additional backdoors suggests Endlessdoors wasn’t an isolated firmware issue. The company’s report further warns that Zbtlink routers have been sold under other third-party brands in the US, Canada, and Australia. “These devices do not belong on American networks,” the report adds."

"Several other models also contained the backdoors, including some from a Chinese brand called MoreQuick. Others were merely attributed to unknown brands. The WE1326, WG108, and WG3526 models were also flagged for the Endlessdoors implant."

I didn't notice anything that would make me concerned this impacts the mainstream brands I recognize (e.g.: ASUS, TP-Link, Eero, Netgear), but it might be worth knowing if you have an interest in 'Brand X' cheapies.

Also worth knowing to understand the broader issue in context; I am no fan of the 'router ban,' and how it's played out, but it would be disingenuous to imply there aren't real security concerns with some.

 

[IvyKing]

Also worth knowing to understand the broader issue in context; I am no fan of the 'router ban,' and how it's played out, but it would be disingenuous to imply there aren't real security concerns with some.

One of the concerns would be the routers engaged in a widespread denial of service attack as well as spying.

 

[4sallypat]

I just checked my router (Ubiquiti) and they don't use Chinese chipsets.

Whew!

 

[IvyKing]

The "backdoors" are usually implemented in the firmware, so routers with the backdoors might be fixable by installing secure firmware. I suspect the authors of the backdoored firmware either give away the firmware or offer very substantial discounts with the plan of making money by exploiting the back doors. The electronics market in China is extremely competitive, so saving $0.50 on lower cost firmware can make the difference between profit and loss.

 

[mdcmdcmdc]

This isn't about routers but it's definitely relevant to this thread:

Royal Navy naval drone cameras secretly sent data to China

Cameras mounted on Royal Navy surveillance drones bound for special forces missions in the Gulf were secretly transmitting signals to an IP address inside China, The Telegraph reported, citing an investigation by the newspaper's Richard Holmes. The drones in question

defence-blog.com

 

[drrich2]

This isn't about routers but it's definitely relevant to this thread:

Indeed! I have to wonder...rather than banning devices, would it not make more sense for the FCC or some new government entity to establish a system mandating submission of device firmware (and updates issued later) for analysis to preclude 'backdoors' and 'phone home' actions.

How practical would that be to do?

 

[Howard2k]

Indeed! I have to wonder...rather than banning devices, would it not make more sense for the FCC or some new government entity to establish a system mandating submission of device firmware (and updates issued later) for analysis to preclude 'backdoors' and 'phone home' actions.

How practical would that be to do?

Seems like it would be trivial. Seems like it would also be trivial to monitor these devices for exactly this activity. Even if encrypted, destination would be visible, and unknown destinations, along with unexpected traffic volumes, seems like a really easy red flag to spot.

ESPECIALLY with AI security tools.

No excuse, surely.