FCC's foreign gadget bans: what's happening with drones, routers and robot vacuums

How the bans expanded

The US government has long distrusted Chinese telecom equipment makers such as Huawei and ZTE, maintaining an "Entity List" for them. According to The Verge's roundup, the second Trump administration extended that approach to whole consumer gadget categories.

It started in December 2025, when the FCC banned new drones from companies that did not obtain a waiver. Foreign routers, robots and power inverters followed, and then robot vacuums were added to the scope.

Waivers and uncertainty

The bans are not absolute; companies can apply for waivers. The roundup notes that MSI received a limited router waiver, that the Matic became the first robot vacuum exempted from the ban, and that the FCC also spared Amazon's Eero and Leo routers. Asus has not said how it escaped the ban, and Netgear was granted a waiver for no stated reason.

TP-Link says it is prepared to spend $1 billion to make Wi-Fi routers in the US. The FCC also plans to bar Chinese labs from testing US gadgets by 2029.

What the industry says

The report stresses that no public evidence of a threat has been provided, that nothing has been done about existing drones, routers and robots, and that there is little reason to trust the waivers are security-driven. It also notes that nearly all routers and drones are made overseas, and that there are rarely US companies to fill the gap.

DJI has sued over the FCC decision blocking new drone imports. The roundup also covers companies like Xtra, accused of disguising DJI cameras to get them into the US, halting and refunding preorders.