Sounds like netgear routers are now 100% confirmed to be compromised with backdoors instead of just being probable
this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2026
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Time to flash the old Netgear router with some open source firmware.
Yep, but unfortunately it's not always as straight forward as it may sound. Plus, with routers becoming more difficult to acquire, it'll only get harder and harder to pull off. But there's OpenWRT and dd-WRT that work with a pretty decent range of routers as well as ASUS Merlin for many ASUS routers. Then, if you want to get nerdy with it and build your own router from an old computer, there's OPNsense and pfSense. Eventually it'll come down to these two if the ban is longterm and you want any semblance of obfuscation online...
GL.iNet are flashable and come with their fork of OpenWRT out of the box. I run the latest regular OpenWRT on mine.
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Yes, OPNsense is excellent if you have a spare computer to run it. Then you can repurpose your consumer router as a WiFi access point. I still feel safer flashing the old WiFi router with open firmware before using it even as a WAP.
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Except they don't even bother with the table anymore.
That's a great stock picture, I'm surprised I've never seen corruption represented visually like this before.
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First winner of the Netgear Peace Prize to be announced shortly.
Made me snort with that one
"Corruption" is the word you were looking for.
Yes, but that would take work.
This is tech journalism. If evidence connecting something can't be Googled in 30 seconds, it's just an area of speculation.
There's a reason and the reason will likely be revealed to be kickbacks and payoffs.
Two possible reasons:
They agreed to installation of American spyware, probably not limited to models sold in the US, or they paid their dues to Trump, and he called the FCC.
More likely one reason... a combination of both.
Corruption is pretty obvious these days.
It may always have been, its just more obvious than before.
Yeah this. They're not trying to hide it anymore. Just 10 years ago corruption may have required journalistic effort to uncover, now the admin yokels shout it from the rooftops, hoping to "trigger the libs".
Spyware preinstalled. Has to be.
Well netgear has a stellar reputation for screwing up their firmware horribly so if they are involved in implementing the implant it absolutely will be noticed.
Alternatively, if it suddenly starts working, we know they aren't writing it.
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It’s obvious: the reason is money
ah so don't buy a netgear router because the US Government will be listening in/watching. got it.
Do you really think they weren't already?
Right, do we not remember PRISM? Edward Snowden is still living in exile in Russia.
They don't need to tap your router when they already tap the routes.
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Gonna be really funny when it's revealed in 5 years that Netgear routers have a backdoor for the Chinese govt and the US okayed it because of the money the Trump admin got.
It's literally the type of corruption that was claimed China would do for the last 4 decades.
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This tells me Netgear probably bent the knee and kissed the ring.
This whole situation has made me realize that I need to get back on the OpenWRT train.
I get the aching feeling its because Netgear likely agreed to some backdoor shit, or to just funnel all user traffic to ICE
Netgear likely agreed to some backdoor shit
If that's how you win Trump's favor, count me out forever.
Is it because Netgear is a "US" company? Meaning they are on the US stock exchange, have corporate offices in the US, and manufacture everything in Asia?
Extortion is one reason.
Did anybody ever confirm if standalone wireless access points are subject to this weird FCC ban thing? Because, like, you can make your own router out of an old computer.
I don't think the FCC ban is really effective anyway. I was able to easily order a foreign-made router recently from the same reseller I've used in the past.
Also even if they did police the retailers for router sales, I doubt anybody on eBay is going to give a shit so there will be lots of routers for sale there.
The ban is on giving fcc license approval to new models, so stuff that's out now can still sell
The FCC ruling prohibits the sale of new models of consumer router. It doesn't forbid the continuing use of existing routers or, if I understand it right, the continued sale of models that were already on sale. So you can continue to use existing models as WAPs or routers. But when the tech and the security moves on the FCC wants the USA to be left behind.
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People still read the verge? After the Stefan fiasco I figured no one would ever trust them again.
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