It’s not every day that Wi-Fi routers make headlines, but TP-Link has had more than its fair share over the past six months. Three different US departments are investigating it for ties to Chinese cyberattacks and potential predatory pricing. That’s a lot of bad press, but it hasn’t been enough for me to buy a new Wi-Fi router yet.
I’ve been covering the internet world for more than six years, and for the past two, I’ve used a TP-Link router. I can honestly say I’ve never had an issue with it — minimal buffering, solid range and no outages (that I could blame on the router, anyways). In our recent round of Wi-Fi router testing, TP-Link performed admirably, earning our pick for the best budget router.
It’s been a thorny issue to navigate for me personally, and for readers. Can I honestly recommend a company that’s facing a potential ban in the US? Is my own data at risk? Do I need to replace my router?
These questions started swirling around in my head on Dec. 28, 2024, when the Wall Street Journal reported that the US government is weighing a ban on TP-Link routers due to the company’s ties to several high-profile Chinese cyberattacks. Three months later, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, held up a TP-Link router in Congress and said, “Don’t use this.”
TP-Link representatives have strenuously denied to that the company has any links to the Chinese government. However, Chinese corporate records and government announcements show that the company still employs about 11,000 people in China.
When the news broke, I asked four cybersecurity experts whether they would still use a TP-Link router. One gave a strong “no,” another said there is “risk for a consumer,” and two declined to answer the question directly.
Spend any time shopping for Wi-Fi routers and you’ll notice that TP-Link’s routers are often cheaper than competitors. The Justice Department is investigating whether these low prices violate federal law that prohibits companies from selling products for less than they cost to make, according to a recent Bloomberg report. Of the 32 routers we tested for our recent review, TP-Link accounted for eight of the nine cheapest models.
I didn’t factor the investigation into our testing, and I felt it was important to evaluate TP-Link on its own merits. After all, it made up around 65% of router sales last year, according to the Journal report.
Ultimately, I decided to include the TP-Link Deco X55 Pro as our pick for a budget router. It was the only router with above-average performance for under $100, and I thought it was important that we offer readers a cheap option that still gets the job done.
After all, I use a TP-Link router myself and I have no plans to replace it. Privacy and security are important to me, but I don’t lose any sleep over the TP-Link issue. Knowing that I follow some basic best practices for network security gives me some peace of mind, but it’s also a risk tolerance issue.
Itay Cohen was one of the authors of a 2023 report that identified a firmware implant in TP-Link routers linked to a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group. He told me in a previous interview that similar implants have been found on devices manufactured all over the world.
“I don’t think there’s enough public evidence to support avoiding routers from China outright,” Cohen said. “The vulnerabilities and risks associated with routers are largely systemic and apply to a wide range of brands, including those manufactured in the US.”
That risk is greater with TP-Link, in my opinion — when the smoke is three separate federal investigations, there’s probably fire somewhere — but it isn’t necessarily to you individually. The hacks associated with TP-Link have used hijacked routers to target think tanks, government organizations, nongovernment organizations and Defense Department suppliers.
Cybersecurity experts I spoke with recommended following some basic steps no matter what kind of router you use: make sure your firmware is up-to-date, use strong login credentials and consider using a VPN service.
I’ll continue to update our Wi-Fi router recommendations as I learn new information about the TP-Link investigations. Right now, I still feel comfortable recommending them.
