Meter.net → News → American government vs. TP-Link: Will the ban on routers and other devices pass?

American government vs. TP-Link: Will the ban on routers and other devices pass?

The American government has launched an investigation into the Chinese company TP-Link, which controls 65% of the router market. The reason is national security concerns following the use of their devices in ransomware attacks.

American government vs. TP-Link: Will the ban on routers and other devices pass?

Do you have TP-Link products at home? Then we have bad news for you. The USA has launched an investigation into this company, which controls 65% of the US router market. The reasons are serious national security concerns and possible cyber threats.

Your router may be a backdoor for hackers

Microsoft recently revealed that compromised TP-Link routers were used in ransomware attacks. Experts therefore warn against the slow resolution of security flaws, which can serve as an entry point for espionage, data theft, or infrastructure disruption.

TP-Link is no ordinary manufacturer — its routers occupy 6 out of the 10 top spots in the best-selling models on Amazon. The most popular models are the Archer AX21 and AX1800.

At the same time, key American departments — commerce, defense, and justice — have joined the investigation. American authorities are now examining whether the company sells devices below manufacturing costs, which could conflict with antitrust laws. The situation resembles the fate of other Chinese giants like Huawei and ZTE, who have already faced restrictions on the American market.

What does this mean for regular users?

A potential ban could dramatically change the router market and affect millions of households relying on affordable solutions. TP-Link responded with a statement highlighting its willingness to cooperate with authorities and prove their security practices meet standards.

So far, there is no reason to panic. The investigation is still ongoing, and TP-Link remains open to addressing all security challenges. Nevertheless, it's good to consider whether your router is regularly updated and whether you use all available security measures.

Just hold your phone up to a terminal and within moments the payment is made. However, NFC technology is capable of much more. We will explain what NFC is and how it works, what actually happens during NFC mobile payments, what else you can use it for, and how secure it is. We will also show what NFC tags are and how they can simplify some daily tasks.

What if there was a full-day internet outage? An immediate collapse of society wouldn't occur, but daily operations would quickly become complicated because today's world is more dependent on the internet than we often realize. Which services would stop functioning first, and what would happen with payments, transportation, or work?

WPA, WPA2, WPA3, AES or TKIP? Wi-Fi security settings might initially seem unnecessarily complicated. However, when you understand what each abbreviation stands for, it becomes fairly simple. Therefore, we'll explain the differences between them and which is the best choice today. We'll also suggest what settings to choose if you have older devices at home that don't support the latest standard.

Do you think incognito mode hides you from everyone on the internet? In reality, it works a bit differently. We explain what it actually does, when it's sensible to use it, who can still see your activity, and whether history can be traced in incognito mode.

AI can answer almost any question in just a few seconds. However, sometimes it confidently states information that is not true. Why does this happen and what are so-called AI hallucinations? In this article, we'll explain how large language models work, why they sometimes create false answers and how developers are gradually trying to mitigate this issue.

Behind every loaded video, photo, or webpage is a technology called CDN. It is used by streaming services, social networks, and regular websites, yet many people have never heard of it. In this article, we will explain what this abbreviation means, how it works, why internet content is stored in various locations around the world, and why today's internet can hardly do without it.