Grade B · Good
Is Netgear Safe?
Netgear is a US company with no ban risk, but most models receive a D grade due to patch delays and CVE history. Full security analysis here.
Netgear is a US company with no ban risk, but most models receive a D grade due to patch delays and CVE history. Full security analysis here.
Netgear is a US-headquartered company (San Jose, CA) with no exposure to Chinese state law and no connection to the FCC router ban. There is no national security concern with Netgear's ownership. However, Netgear routers consistently receive D grades in our analysis due to a pattern of delayed security patches, accumulated CVEs across product lines, and limited advanced security features. The Orbi and Nighthawk lines have had significant vulnerability histories. Netgear is not dangerous in the same way as Chinese-owned brands, but it underperforms on security maintenance compared to Asus or Ubiquiti.
Bottom line: Safe from a national security perspective. But check if your specific model is end-of-life - Netgear has discontinued support on many popular models.
All Netgear models in our database. Click a model for its full security report.
| Model | Grade | FCC Status | Security Support | Made In |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nighthawk AX12 | D | FCC authorized | Active | Vietnam/Taiwan |
| Orbi RBK863S | D | FCC authorized | Active | Vietnam/Taiwan |
| Nighthawk R7000 | D | Authorized (legacy) | End of support 2023 | Taiwan/Vietnam |
| Orbi 960 | D | FCC authorized | Active | Vietnam |
| Nighthawk RAXE500 | D | FCC authorized | Active | Vietnam |
| Nighthawk RS700 | D | FCC authorized | Active | Vietnam |
| Nighthawk RAX43 | B | FCC authorized | Active - firmware updates available | Vietnam |
| Nighthawk RAX50 | B | FCC authorized | Active - firmware updates available | Vietnam |
Netgear is a US company with no national security concerns or ban risk. However, it receives a D grade in our analysis due to CVE history and delayed patches. It is safer than Chinese-owned brands like TP-Link, but underperforms compared to Asus or Ubiquiti for security maintenance.
Netgear Orbi routers are FCC authorized and not subject to any ban. However, the Orbi line has had documented security vulnerabilities and Netgear's patch cadence is slower than competitors. The RBK863S and Orbi 960 are active, but check for pending firmware updates regularly.
Netgear updates active products but has a history of discontinuing support earlier than competitors. The Nighthawk R7000, for example, reached end of support in 2023. Check Netgear's support page for your specific model to verify current status.
Nighthawk routers are safe from a national security perspective. Security-wise, they are moderate - better than ISP-provided routers and Chinese-owned brands, but with a higher CVE count than comparable Asus models. Keep firmware updated.
For security-focused users, Asus routers (Taiwan, active patches, strong feature set) or Ubiquiti UniFi systems (US, enterprise features) are better choices. For the highest security grade, Rio Router is the only A-grade router in our database.
CHECK YOUR SPECIFIC MODEL
Check any specific model for CVEs, FCC status, security capabilities, and your personalized action plan.
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