Your router may soon be banned

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This is great news! Just kidding.

Federal authorities are investigating router giant TP-Link, a company founded in China, over alleged security risks in its products. The probe raises the possibility that the incoming Trump administration might ban TP-Link products.

And I just bought a bunch of TP-Link smart plugs during the Black Friday sales!

The plugs are great, btw, and I’ve been enjoying the energy-monitoring features. So I can’t wait until they become useless bricks in the near future!

You might be in even deeper trouble: TP-Link’s popular internet routers command about 65% of the U.S. market. Plus, the company makes a bunch of other smart bulbs, switches and other gear.

Note: I’m exaggerating when I say older products might be bricked. It’s not clear what actions U.S. authorities might take. But in any case, this is clearly not good news if you own TP-Link products.

Check out our post to see a list of potential products and TP-Link-associated brands that could be affected.

Also in today’s newsletter:

• This is a coincidence, I promise: We have a great deal on a pair of Linksys mesh Wi-Fi routers for just $50. They’re not the latest and greatest, but they are plenty fast enough for most households — and mesh networking provides lots of coverage. Plus, they’re not TP-Link branded!

• And talking of Linksys, the company used to own the trademark for “iPhone” back before Apple launched the product. It appeared at the time that might cause Steve Jobs a giant headache.

• Apple Maps continues to catch up with Google Maps, with the Look Around street-view feature now available on the web, not just in-app. Apple’s version is better than Google’s, too.

• And finally, it’s easy to be cynical about a $3 trillion-dollar company like Apple, but oftentimes its products really do enrich peoples’ lives. A couple of days ago, a woman related her experience with AirPods Pro, which she bought as a treat to herself, on Threads. She partly lost her hearing a year ago, but didn’t know about the earbuds’ new hearing aid functionality. After turning it on, she was overwhelmed: “Guys I could actually cry right now,” she wrote. “I put it in my ear and was so overwhelmed by the sounds that I almost cried … I’m truly just blown away and didn’t think I would be able to ever afford a hearing aid, just for me to accidentally buy one simply because I wanted better sound quality for my music. I’m so so so happy 😭😭😭.” If you’re still shopping for Xmas, here’s why AirPods Pro could be a life-changing gift for someone.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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