- TP-Link has signed a letter of intent with Key Tronic to assemble advanced Wi-Fi routers in Corinth, Mississippi.
- The proposed $1 billion investment aims to overcome FCC Covered List restrictions targeting foreign-produced hardware.
- US retail access to flagship Wi-Fi 8 devices, such as the Archer 8 Ultra and Deco 8 Ultra, remains blocked pending federal approval.
Manufacturing Alliance with Key Tronic
Global networking equipment manufacturer TP-Link has announced plans to establish domestic hardware assembly in the United States. The company has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with electronic contract manufacturer Key Tronic. Under a proposed manufacturing partnership valued at up to $1 billion, the hardware assembly lines will be located in Corinth, Mississippi (with Missouri facilities also cited for potential output).
Jeffrey Chao, CEO of TP-Link Systems Inc., stated that the agreement demonstrates a firm commitment to domestic advanced manufacturing and positions the US as an operational hub. Brett Larsen, CEO of Key Tronic, noted that their manufacturing footprint and expertise in high-reliability electronics will directly support TP-Link’s upcoming rollout of Wi-Fi 8 devices. Production lines could begin assembling devices as early as 2027, though ongoing regulatory reviews could push timelines into 2028.
Regulatory Pressures and the FCC Covered List
While TP-Link operates its US headquarters in Irvine, California, historical ties to China have drawn heightened scrutiny from Washington. The pressure intensified through several critical milestones:
| Timeline | Regulatory Action | Impact on Operations |
|---|---|---|
| Late 2024 | House Select Committee on the CCP requested a Commerce Department probe into military base sales. | Scrutiny over device firmware, data flow allegations, and supply chain origin. |
| Mid to Late 2025 | Bipartisan congressional groups petitioned to restrict TP-Link hardware sales. | Formal requests to place the vendor on national security watchlists. |
| March 2026 | FCC added foreign-made small office and home routers to the Covered List. | Sales of unapproved foreign routers barred; rivals like Asus, Netgear, and Amazon secured 18-month conditional approvals. |
| October 2026 | Lawsuits filed by Attorneys General of Florida, Montana, Iowa, and Nebraska. | Allegations regarding firmware safety and Vietnam component origin; TP-Link filed an FCC rebuttal. |
The Race for Wi-Fi 8 Market Access
TP-Link currently commands an estimated 65 percent share of the US consumer router market. The company led early rollouts of Wi-Fi 7 hardware, but the regulatory standstill now blocks its transition to next-generation Wi-Fi 8 hardware domestically. Although preorder availability for the Archer 8 Ultra opened in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia, American consumers cannot purchase it.
Unlike previous standards that prioritized raw throughput, Wi-Fi 8 focuses primarily on improving connection reliability, minimizing latency, and cutting channel interference. To secure pending conditional approval from the FCC for two Wi-Fi 8 models-including the Archer 8 Ultra and Deco 8 Ultra-TP-Link is leveraging the onshore partnership with Key Tronic to shift supply lines away from Vietnam and assemble hardware on American soil.
American households will face delays in accessing TP-Link’s next-generation Wi-Fi 8 routers until the FCC grants conditional approval. Domestic assembly in Mississippi will take over a year to establish, giving competing brands an advantage in the high-end wireless router segment.
I’ve deployed dozens of Deco units for clients; the hardware performance is solid, but their stock firmware often lacks granular VLAN controls. Moving assembly stateside makes sense with all the FCC pressure. If you’re managing current models, always disable UPnP manually and set up scheduled auto-reboots to keep latency down.