If we set aside geopolitics and purely consider whether tightening the security of private networks is sensible whatsoever: are routers a substantially bigger threat than client devices such as the various IoT knickknacks (smart TVs, smart switches/outlets, smart appliances, etc.)? Controlling the NAT/firewall features is handy for opening ports and working around VLAN segmentation, but that isn't required for many scenarios; a compromised client device can often snoop on the rest of the network and exfiltrate what it discovers just fine even with an uncompromised router.
If I was more paranoid, I'd start thinking the ban is to make it easier to spy on us by limiting our choices to a few domestic vendors who can be coerced by regulatory capture and "for the kids" political rhetoric.
the ban covers all foreign-made consumer routers but practically every router is manufactured abroad, even the ones sold by American companies. the only domestic exception is Starlink, iirc
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Love seeing pop up like it’s new or something.
> country which once exploited an attack vector is now trying to protect itself on that vector
I have no doubt that American efforts at security on this front are inadaquate, incompetent, etc. But hypocritical? Nah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4COrX9YHcU
> Country that put backdoors into Cisco routers to spy on world bans foreign routers
Says the tech rag hailing from the 5-eyes nation known as the UK...