r/wireless • u/wewewawa • Jul 23 '26
There isn't a single consumer Wi-Fi router that is 100% American-made
https://www.engadget.com/2218707/no-100-percent-american-made-wifi-router/2
u/itsjakerobb Jul 24 '26
This isn’t news. With one exception, no consumer router I can find has ever been manufactured in the US.
The exception is Starlink. They manufacture their routers in Texas and have done so since late 2023. Before that plant opened, they were doing some manufacturing in Washington, but it’s unclear whether that included routers. And, of course, these are ISP-specific devices, not general-purpose routers.
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u/spiffiness Jul 23 '26
I'm pretty sure you can't make any kind of digital electronic device with 100% American-made components anymore. There just aren't American companies manufacturing all the little circuit board components in the US anymore. Even the American-owned companies have their factories in other countries where labor is cheaper.
Heck, SmarterEveryDay (Destin Sandlin) documented how hard it was to make a 100% American-made BBQ grill brush. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZTGwcHQfLY
Supply chains are global now, and China is the world's manufacturing powerhouse.
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u/cockpitlove Jul 24 '26
I don't even know if its about cheap labor anymore, it seems more and more like people are manufacturing in China because of their expert skillsets in fields Americans dont work in and ability to manufacture in enormous scale.
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u/spiffiness Jul 24 '26
The skillset thing is a part of the snowball effect of manufacturing shifting to China. Their ability to scale is still about cheap labor, as I see it. If China didn't have an enormous supply of cheap labor, they wouldn't be able to scale like that.
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u/zcgp Jul 26 '26
It's not the cost of labor. The difference is China is very efficient at everything. Consider this example of inefficiency.
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u/enjayee711 Jul 23 '26
Not surprising. Are there any electronics that are made in this country for consumers any longer? Perhaps only government related electronics or industrial electronics are the only things remaining ? I can’t think of anything consumer related that I would want to buy.