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ASUS received conditional FCC approval for specified router product families, exempting them from the FCC Covered List through March 6, 2028. ASUS says it submitted a required plan and is working with trusted manufacturing partners, but the public material cited here does not disclose the plan’s terms or the specific commitments behind the approval.
What the FCC approved
In March 2026, the FCC added foreign-produced consumer routers to its Covered List and described a route to conditional approval by the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security. The agency’s later notice, DA 26-957, records conditional approval for ASUS Computer International and identifies the product families covered. The approval’s termination date is March 6, 2028.
The notice names ASUS RT Router, ROG GT, ROG Strix GS, TUF Gaming, ExpertWiFi, ZenWiFi Mesh, 5G MiFi, repeater, and wireless access point families. This is a family-level list in the notice, not a public determination that every future ASUS model is covered. FCC announcement on foreign-produced routers; FCC notice DA 26-957.
What ASUS has said about its plan
ASUS spokesperson JJ Guerrero told The Verge that ASUS had submitted the required plan to the FCC and was working with trusted manufacturing partners to support its future U.S. networking portfolio. That statement confirms the company’s description of its submission and partner work; it does not reveal the plan’s contents.
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- New-Gen WiFi Standard – WiFi 6(802.11ax) standard supporting MU-MIMO and OFDMA technology for better efficiency and throughput.Antenna : External antenna x 4. Processor : Dual-core (4 VPE). Power Supply : AC Input : 110V~240V(50~60Hz), DC Output : 12 V with max. 1.5A current.
- Ultra-fast WiFi Speed – RT-AX1800S supports 1024-QAM for dramatically faster wireless connections
- Increase Capacity and Efficiency – Supporting not only MU-MIMO but also OFDMA technique to efficiently allocate channels, communicate with multiple devices simultaneously
- 5 Gigabit ports – One Gigabit WAN port and four Gigabit LAN ports, 10X faster than 100–Base T Ethernet.
- Commercial-grade Security Anywhere – Protect your home network with AiProtection Classic, powered by Trend Micro. And when away from home, ASUS Instant Guard gives you a one-click secure VPN.
The available public material does not establish the specific security or supply-chain conditions attached to the approval, particular manufacturing sites, or whether a specific audit or test was required. The FCC action is therefore not, by itself, evidence that the agency or the Department of War publicly certified each router’s security or confirmed a particular manufacturing arrangement. The Verge’s report on ASUS and the router exemption.
What the approval means for ASUS customers
In a March 25, 2026 statement, ASUS said the FCC action would not affect existing ASUS router users, software updates, or customer support. The company also said it was confident in its supply-chain integrity and product security. These are ASUS’s assurances, not independent FCC findings. ASUS statement dated March 25, 2026.
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- Ultrafast WiFi 7 – WiFi 7 (802.11be) dual-band extendable router boosts speed up to 6500 Mbps, with 4096-QAM increasing a single frequency band’s transmission speed by 1.2 times
- Five 2.5GbE Ports – 2.5GbE ports prioritize traffic, optimizing wired internet connectivity for maximum performance
- Hassle-free AiMesh Extendable Network – AiMesh extendable routers enable whole home seamless roaming with rich, advanced features
- Multi-link Operation – Link to multiple bands at the same time to ensure stable internet connections and efficient data transfers
- Commercial-Grade Network Security – AiProtection Pro powered by Trend Micro, plus a one-tap security scan and Safe Browsing
In an April 24, 2026 FAQ, ASUS said products already available in the U.S. market were not affected at that time, and that future products would be assessed against current regulatory requirements. That dated statement does not guarantee future product eligibility or current stock. Check the status of a specific model rather than assuming that the family-level approval settles every model’s status. ASUS U.S. regulatory update FAQ.
Why the exemption’s basis is still unclear
The public record establishes that the FCC issued conditional approval for the listed ASUS families and specifies when that approval ends. ASUS has also acknowledged submitting a plan and working with partners. But the sources cited here do not spell out the plan’s detailed commitments or explain which ones supported the FCC’s decision. The exemption is documented; its precise basis is not publicly described in these materials.
Quick Recap
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- New-Gen WiFi Standard - Supporting 802.11ax WiFi standard for better efficiency and throughput.
- Ultra-fast WiFi Speed - RT-AX3000S supports 1024-QAM for dramatically faster wireless connections. With a total networking speed of about 3000Mbps — 574 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 2402 Mbps on the 5GHz band.
- Increase Capacity and Efficiency - Supporting not only MU-MIMO but also OFDMA technique to efficiently allocate channels, communicating with multiple devices simultaneously
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Rank #3
- Beyond-fast WiFi 7 (802.11be) with new 320MHz channels in the 6 GHz band and 4096-QAM significantly increases network capacity and throughput, with speeds of up to 30 Gbps
- Multi-link Operation links to multiple bands at the same time to ensure stable internet connections and efficient data transfers
- Cutting-edge external dual-feeding antennas boost coverage by providing high efficiency and significantly enhanced signal strength
- Maximized wired connectivity and flexibility with dual 10G ports and quad 2.5G ports
- Triple-Level Game Acceleration - The GT-BE98 Pro boosts your PC gaming traffic every step of the way, from your PC gaming port all the way to the game server.
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