TP-Link has proposed assembling its upcoming Wi-Fi 8 routers in the United States as early as 2027 as part of an effort to secure a regulatory exemption from the federal ban on foreign-made networking hardware, PCMag reported.
In a four-page letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission on October 13, 2026, the California-headquartered vendor outlined a potential domestic manufacturing expansion worth nearly $1 billion. Despite the long-term assembly pledge, TP-Link is requesting immediate conditional approval from the FCC so it can begin importing and selling new router models in the US market while it establishes domestic production lines.
The FCC enacted a sweeping restriction in March 2026 that bars the authorization and sale of new consumer-grade Wi-Fi routers manufactured outside the United States, citing national security and supply chain risks. While competing vendors including Asus, Netgear, and SpaceX's Starlink have received temporary waivers extending into 2028, TP-Link has not been granted an exemption. In April 2026, the company told the FCC it was prepared to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into US research, development, and manufacturing if granted a waiver.
According to the October 13 filing cited by PCMag, the latest application specifically seeks regulatory clearance for two forthcoming Wi-Fi 8 routers that TP-Link plans to introduce globally before the end of 2026. The company has already launched pre-orders outside the United States for its first Wi-Fi 8 hardware, including the Archer 8 Ultra, which retails for €799.90 (approximately $905) in Germany and the Deco 8 Ultra mesh system. Under the proposed investment plan, TP-Link stated it would begin assembling those Wi-Fi 8 devices in the United States in 2027, using software and firmware written and stored domestically by its US engineering organization.
TP-Link's push for conditional approval faces opposition from state officials who question the company's separation from its former Chinese parent entity, TP-Link Technologies. During the first week of October 2026, attorneys general from Florida, Iowa, Montana, and Nebraska filed lawsuits against the vendor, alleging it misled consumers about product origins and security. The state officials also urged the FCC to reject TP-Link's exemption requests. Citing trade data previously reported by Bloomberg, the attorneys general told the commission that less than 1 percent of the components used in TP-Link's Vietnam manufacturing facility originate in Vietnam, with the remainder sourced from China, and alleged undisclosed ties between the Vietnam plant and the Chinese military.
In its letter to the FCC, TP-Link rejected the state officials' claims as "debunked allegations" and noted that its confidential application includes full disclosures regarding its corporate structure and component supply chain. The company stated that its US product data is encrypted and hosted on Amazon Web Services infrastructure in Virginia, adding that it complies with US privacy laws, conducts third-party lab testing, and does not share customer network data with foreign governments.
TP-Link warned the commission that blocking its hardware based on competitors' and critics' claims would "undermine fair competition, damage consumer interests, and place at risk American leadership in the router marketplace." The FCC has not announced a timeline for ruling on TP-Link's conditional approval application, leaving the US availability of the company's initial Wi-Fi 8 lineup on hold until regulators review the domestic assembly proposal.
