FCC accuses TP-Link Data Misrepresentation, Wi-Fi 8 Faces Obstacles
2026-10-30
On October 15, the Engineering and Technology Office of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sent a letter to TP-Link Systems, preliminarily finding that the company's certification applications for four router models "contain false or incorrect information," and that three of the models exceeded power limits in laboratory testing. The letter requires TP-Link to submit a detailed response with supporting evidence by October 30, and explicitly names the FCC's national security team as a recipient of the response.
The models involved span the product line from high-end to entry-level: the Archer GE800 gaming router priced at nearly $600, the Archer BE670, the Deco BE67 mesh system, and the BE3600 TL-WR3602BE travel router. Test data show that the Archer BE670 exceeded the limit by 2.2dB in the 6GHz band, the Deco BE67 by 4.11dB, and the travel router by 2.61dB in the 5GHz band.
Regulatory Context Behind the Technical Dispute
In 2016, TP-Link settled a similar matter with the FCC and paid a $200,000 penalty. But the timing and wording of the current letter point to a more complex background.In March 2026, the FCC added foreign-made consumer routers to the Covered List, requiring new models to obtain conditional approval from the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security before they can be sold in the United States. Competitors such as ASUS and Netgear have obtained exemptions, while TP-Link's Wi-Fi 8 product line remains barred.
To secure market access, TP-Link signed a letter of intent in October to invest $1 billion in U.S. router assembly in cooperation with Key Tronic. However, the arrangement faces joint opposition from 21 state attorneys general, who wrote to federal agencies saying that components from its Vietnam factory remain heavily dependent on Chinese supply chains. The FCC's request for the national security team to join the certification inquiry further blurs the boundary between technical compliance and security review.
Response and Implications
TP-Link responded that the four models involved account for less than 0.33% of its total U.S. sales this year, and described the power deviations as "sporadic." That share may limit the direct impact, but the real issue lies in the credibility of the certification process itself. If the FCC finds systemic problems in the application materials, it has the authority to re-examine already approved older models, not merely reject new products.
For TP-Link, the stability of existing sales is more critical than delays to new products. Even if firmware is used to reduce the transmit power of existing Wi-Fi 7 hardware, unresolved questions over certification practice may still push Wi-Fi 8 authorization into 2027.
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