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Four states sue TP-Link over what it told router buyers about China

Florida, Iowa, Montana and Nebraska sued TP-Link, saying it misled buyers about router security and its ties to China. For anyone buying routers, the federal ban that already blocks TP-Link's new models from US sale is the constraint that applies now.

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What happened

  • The states argue TP-Link never truly cut ties with its Chinese business when it moved its global headquarters to Irvine, California, in 2024.
  • The FCC's router ban has exempted Netgear, Asus, Amazon's Eero, Starlink and others, and the Trump administration has not granted TP-Link an exemption.
  • Texas filed a similar suit against TP-Link in February that is still pending, with a jury trial scheduled for October 2027.
  • PCMag found that Florida's 59-page complaint relies on past news reports and statements and does not appear to cite new information.

Why it matters

  • What it limits constraint A state-court win for TP-Link on the Vietnam question would leave the FCC rule untouched, because that rule covers routers made anywhere outside the US, Vietnam included.
  • Who has to decide decision Standardizing on TP-Link now means buying pre-ban models with no route to its newer hardware, while exempted rivals can keep selling their current lines.
  • What it costs cost The money at stake is TP-Link's, through forfeited profits and civil penalties, so a buyer's exposure runs mainly through any injunction on how the routers are sold.
  • What it sets up precedent Because Florida's case rests on public reporting, more states can bring the same claim without investigating the routers themselves, and the count of suits can rise with no new facts.

An IT lead with TP-Link routers in a dozen branch offices reads that four states say the company deceived its buyers. By Monday she has to say what that means for the installed hardware and for the next order. The suits, as reported, go after the company's conduct and its money [5]. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said the state is seeking an injunction, restitution for Florida consumers, and financial penalties under Florida law [6].

The federal rule is the part already settled. The FCC announced its ban about six months before the state suits, and it covers consumer routers produced wholly or partly outside the US [3].

The attorneys general talk about national security. "Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers sitting in American living rooms," Uthmeier said [16]. The claim they filed is narrower: unfair and deceptive trade acts under state consumer-protection law [2].

The Vietnam dispute matters to that claim. In a video, Uthmeier said it is "fiction" that TP-Link builds its routers in Vietnam [21]. "Research and manufacturing remain rooted in China. Less than 1% of the parts in that Vietnam plant actually come from Vietnam," he said, alluding to a November 2025 Bloomberg report, according to PCMag [21]. TP-Link says it gave state regulators documents showing that "TP-Link Systems devices sold in the US are manufactured in Vietnam" [7]. Both statements can be true at once. One is about where the router is made, the other about where its parts come from.

Florida's complaint cites a statement by former NSA Director of Cybersecurity Rob Joyce, an earlier Microsoft report on hacked TP-Link routers, and the Pentagon's classification of TP-Link Technologies as affiliated with China's military [11][12]. It also quotes a June 2026 Glassdoor review by a former employee and points to TP-Link's 2024 sustainability report on R&D sourcing in China [13]. Joyce had said "TP-Link routers were among the various brands exploited by Chinese state-sponsored hackers in the massive Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon attacks" [14]. TP-Link said at the time that the hackers went after vulnerable routers of all kinds [15].

"The coordinated lawsuits are built on false premises," said Steve Kovsky, TP-Link's corporate affairs officer [8]. In Texas, which sued first, Attorney General Ken Paxton's office filed an amended petition last month for a temporary and permanent injunction [17]. Counting Texas, five states now have consumer cases open against TP-Link [18].

For the person signing the order, the decision splits on two lines: whether the router is installed or still a purchase, and whether the constraint is in force or still argued. New purchase, in force: the FCC rule, under which only TP-Link models approved before the ban can be sold [4]. New purchase, argued: a court order on how TP-Link sells, which Texas is asking for ahead of trial [17]. Installed, in force: no reported remedy is aimed at routers already in place [5][6]. Installed, argued: restitution, which Florida wants for its own consumers [6].

I'd keep the installed TP-Link units running on current firmware and buy new sites from a maker holding an FCC exemption. The tradeoff is a switching cost paid now against a ban TP-Link could still win an exemption from [9].

What to watch

  • An FCC exemption for TP-Link would reopen sales of its newest routers and leave the state cases as the only open constraint on buying them.
  • A temporary injunction in Texas, where Paxton's amended petition asks for one, would show whether states can change how TP-Link sells routers before any trial.
  • Complaints from Iowa, Montana or Nebraska that add evidence beyond the past reports PCMag found in Florida's filing would change how strong these cases look.

Clarity's read

What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.

Reality

Evidence72
Adoption60
Hype gap+35
Incentives70
Confidence68

Perspective Coverage

8 publishers
Builder
Builder 18%
Operator
Operator 53%
Investor
Investor 29%
Why these scores

Claim ledger

Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.

  1. [1]

    Attorneys general in Florida, Iowa, Montana and Nebraska sued TP-Link, accusing it of misleading the public about the security of its Wi-Fi routers and their alleged Chinese origin.

    Reported Supported Source: PCMag; also reported by Ars TechnicaView cited source
  2. [2]

    The state lawsuits allege TP-Link committed unfair and deceptive trade acts in violation of the states' consumer protection laws.

    Reported Supported Source: Ars TechnicaView cited source
  3. [3]

    The lawsuits were filed about six months after the FCC announced a ban on consumer-grade routers produced wholly or partly outside the US.

    Reported Supported Source: Ars TechnicaView cited source
  4. [4]

    TP-Link is unable to sell its latest Wi-Fi 8 routers in the US, though models approved before the ban can still be sold.

    Reported Supported Source: Ars TechnicaView cited source
  5. [5]

    The lawsuits demand that TP-Link cease its "unlawful" business practices, forfeit its profits and pay civil penalties.

    Reported Supported Source: PCMagView cited source
  6. [6]

    Uthmeier said: "We are seeking an injunction, restitution for Florida consumers, and [financial] penalties under Florida law."

    Reported Supported Source: James Uthmeier, via Ars TechnicaView cited source
  7. [7]

    TP-Link said it supplied state regulators with documentation demonstrating that "TP-Link Systems devices sold in the US are manufactured in Vietnam, and TP-Link Systems is an independent, US company that is not owned or controlled by any foreign government."

    Reported Supported Source: TP-Link statement, via PCMagView cited source
  8. [8]

    "The coordinated lawsuits are built on false premises. They do nothing to advance national security while unfairly penalizing an industry-leading US company," said Steve Kovsky, TP-Link's corporate affairs officer.

    Reported Supported Source: Steve Kovsky, TP-LinkView cited source
  9. [9]

    Router makers that received exemptions from the FCC ban include Netgear, Asus, Adtran, Amazon and its Eero subsidiary, Calix, Nokia and SpaceX's Starlink; the Trump administration so far has not granted one to TP-Link.

    Reported Supported Source: Ars TechnicaView cited source
  10. [10]

    The US has effectively blocked TP-Link from selling new routers in the country under its ban on foreign-made Wi-Fi routers.

    Reported Supported Source: PCMagView cited source
  11. [11]

    PCMag reviewed Florida's 59-page complaint and found it does not appear to cite new information; it refers to past news reports, Rob Joyce's statement and an earlier Microsoft cybersecurity report about hackers compromising TP-Link routers.

    Reported Supported Source: PCMagView cited source
  12. [12]

    The Florida complaint notes the Pentagon has classified TP-Link's Chinese counterpart, TP-Link Technologies, as directly affiliated with China's military.

    Reported Supported Source: PCMag, describing the complaintView cited source
  13. [13]

    The complaint quotes a former employee's June 2026 Glassdoor review and notes TP-Link's 2024 sustainability report, which mentions sourcing from R&D facilities in China.

    Reported Supported Source: PCMag, describing the complaintView cited source
  14. [14]

    Former NSA Director of Cybersecurity Rob Joyce said "TP-Link routers were among the various brands exploited by Chinese state-sponsored hackers in the massive Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon attacks."

    Reported Supported Source: Rob Joyce, via PCMagView cited source
  15. [15]

    TP-Link said Chinese hackers indiscriminately targeted all kinds of vulnerable routers.

    Reported Supported Source: TP-Link, via PCMagView cited source
  16. [16]

    "Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers sitting in American living rooms," Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said.

    Reported Supported Source: James Uthmeier, via Ars TechnicaView cited source
  17. [17]

    Texas AG Ken Paxton filed a similar lawsuit against TP-Link in February; the case remains pending with a jury trial scheduled for October 2027, and last month Paxton's office filed an amended petition for a temporary and permanent injunction.

    Reported Supported Source: PCMag, citing court recordsView cited source
  18. [18]

    Counting Texas, five states have pending consumer lawsuits against TP-Link.

    Derived Supported
  19. [19]

    A TP-Link router manufactured in Vietnam falls within the FCC ban's scope, so the Vietnam defense does not take TP-Link out of the federal rule.

    Derived Supported
  20. [20]

    The attorneys general claim TP-Link never truly severed ties with its Chinese business after relocating its global headquarters to Irvine, California, in 2024.

    Reported Contested Source: PCMag, describing the state AGs' claimsView cited source
  21. [21]

    In a video, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier claimed it is "fiction" that TP-Link builds its routers in Vietnam and said: "Research and manufacturing remain rooted in China. Less than 1% of the parts in that Vietnam plant actually come from Vietnam," alluding to a November 2025 Bloomberg report that found the other components came from China.

    Reported Contested Source: James Uthmeier, via PCMagView cited source

Sources

8 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.

  1. arstechnica.com

    2 articles · October 7, 2026

    Florida sues TP-Link, claiming it hides router security risks and links to China
  2. gizmodo.com

    1 article · October 9, 2026

    Don’t Expect to Buy a New TP-Link Router in the US Any Time Soon
  3. news.bloomberglaw.com

    1 article · October 6, 2026

    Four More States Accuse TP-Link of Concealing Ties to China (1)
  4. pcmag.com

    1 article · October 7, 2026

    4 States Sue TP-Link Over Security, Chinese Origin of Wi-Fi Routers | PCMag
  5. scworld.com

    1 article · October 8, 2026

    Four US states allege TP-Link defrauded customers, seek damages
  6. securityweek.com

    2 articles · October 8, 2026

    TP-Link Faces State Lawsuits and New Scrutiny Over ISP Router Flaws - SecurityWeek
  7. techrepublic.com

    1 article · October 8, 2026

    TP-Link Faces 5 State Lawsuits: Are Its Routers Still Legal in the US?
  8. thehackernews.com

    1 article · October 9, 2026

    TP-Link Sued by Four More U.S. States Over Router Security and China Ties

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