US blocks new Chinese-made drones, routers and robot vacuums

The US government is keeping new Chinese-made drones, routers and robot vacuums out of the country, unless the makers get special permission. The Verge calls them the first consumer gadgets facing what amounts to an import ban. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the agency behind it. A new vote on Chinese test labs is set for October 29.

What changed

The ban began in December 2025 with all future foreign drones, unless their companies obtained a waiver. It then grew to cover future routers, robots and power inverters. Robot vacuums fall under the robot ban. The government says these gadgets pose an unacceptable national security threat. The Verge reports that it has offered no public evidence of that, and that it has done nothing about drones and routers already in use.

Routers: some in, some waiting

This spring, the US banned all future foreign-made consumer routers. Makers can get in if they convince the government they are not a security threat and submit a time-bound plan to build in the US. Netgear and Asus have won approval for their new routers. Asus got its exemption on September 9, in time for its first early Wi-Fi 8 routers. Taiwan's MSI has conditional approval for two models, pending certification.

TP-Link is still waiting. It launched its first Wi-Fi 8 routers but cannot sell them here. It has offered nearly $1 billion to make routers in the US and says it would start assembling Wi-Fi 8 devices here by next year if the FCC grants an exemption.

Drones, labs and online stores

The FCC says its DJI drone ban is justified by sealed letters from the Pentagon, which it has sent to 16 members of Congress. It also blocked applications from Jovistar, described as another DJI front company. On test labs, the FCC wants to end Chinese labs altogether starting December 2028. It would only authorize labs from countries with a reciprocal economic relationship with the US. It has already pulled credentials from two Chinese labs and plans to do the same to a third.

• The FCC is taking comments on a plan to bar online marketplaces from listing unapproved gadgets.
• Platforms would have to check each device's FCC status before listing it.
• The Matic robot vacuum was never banned in the first place.

What is not known yet

The material does not say how the FCC decides who gets a waiver. Netgear and Asus won exemptions without publicly announcing US manufacturing plans, even though the paperwork asks for that commitment. Asus would not tell The Verge whether it had submitted one. It is also unclear who will fill the gaps. Almost all routers and drones are made overseas, and few US companies make them.

What to do

Anyone planning to buy a router, drone or robot vacuum soon should expect fewer new models and possible delays. Check that the exact model is sold in the US before you count on it.