Drilling Down on Uncle Sam’s Proposed TP-Link Ban

The U.S. government is considering banning TP-Link, a major router manufacturer, due to concerns about its ties to China and potential security risks, despite TP-Link's claims of independence and U.S. operations. Despite the proposed ban, many industry experts note that most networking gear, including TP-Link's competitors, also source components from China, raising broader questions about the security of consumer-grade routers. Additionally, many routers, regardless of brand, come with default settings that need to be changed for safe internet use, and open-source firmware options like OpenWRT can help mitigate some security issues.