FCC expands WiFi router ban. What it means for you.

About a month ago, the FCC decided to ban the import or sale of all new, foreign-made WiFi routers. Now, the list has expanded a bit. Our friends at PCMag spotted an update to the FCC's router ban FAQ this week, indicating that portable WiFi hotspots are now included in the ban. In case you've never used one, these are little boxes that you can use to activate a WiFi network on the go. They use a SIM card to connect to a cellular network, converting it to WiFi for your other devices, rather than connecting to a modem via Ethernet. The ban now also extends to fixed 5G wireless access points, which use a 5G cell network to blanket a home with WiFi. Before you start panicking, it doesn't seem like this is going to affect very many people in the short term. For starters, using a smartphone to create a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot is still totally above board under these regulations. Beyond that, T-Mobile told PCMag that the FCC's regulations do not prohibit the sale of networking equipment that you can already buy in the U.S. That means if the router was approved for sale prior to the ban, you can still buy and use it. "The FCC's updated list of 'covered devices' does not affect any existing r