Netgear is an American communications networking company headquartered in San Jose, California. It is best known for manufacturing Wi-Fi routers, and in fact, it consistently ranks among the best Wi-Fi router brands based on user reviews. However, many of the other well-known router brands operating in America, such as Linksys and Belkin, are owned by foreign entities headquartered in East Asian countries like Taiwan.
Netgear is a publicly traded American company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, which means it does not have a single owner. To have a “parent company,” another entity must own at least 51% of the publicly traded shares. At the time of writing, Netgear’s largest shareholders are BlackRock at 11.7% and Brandes Investment Partners at 10.2%, which are themselves US companies. Despite the fact that many consumer routers rely on chips and other components from China, Netgear is neither Chinese nor foreign.
Even though Netgear is an American company with no foreign ownership, it manufactures consumer router products in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. This is an understandable concern for American consumers, as the Federal Communications Commission banned routers manufactured in foreign countries starting in March 2026. However, it was later announced that Netgear was exempt from the FCC’s router ban because the company qualified for conditional approval. Individualized assessments determined that Netgear’s consumer routers did not pose “unacceptable risks” to national security.
Is it a good idea to buy Netgear products?
Netgear says it has “no reason to believe” the FCC will change its conditional approval status. Due to the ban, most foreign routers have a software expiration date, but this does not currently apply to Netgear. It’s difficult to buy a router made in the USA in 2026, so the best solution might be to choose a brand like Netgear that appears committed to maintaining its conditional approval status.
Of course, it doesn’t matter who owns Netgear if you can find a different brand that suits your needs even better. There are many underrated router brands that can compete with Netgear, several of which come from companies that aren’t explicitly on the FCC’s list of covered services, determined to present an “unacceptable risk,” although not all of them are U.S. companies. The FCC continues to grant conditional approval to companies that apply and qualify, although it should be noted that this approval status is not necessarily permanent. Even Netgear will need to apply for new approval when its current status expires on October 1, 2027. So it’s important to stay informed, no matter which brand you buy your router from.
