D
AT RISK
The WRT series — Linksys's storied flagship consumer line — has fallen behind on security support and firmware update cadence. Foreign manufacturing and limited ongoing security investment drag the score below average. Clean ownership (US/Foxconn), but hardware longevity and patch frequency are genuine concerns for this product family.
- Limited firmware update cadence: The Linksys WRT series has seen declining patch frequency. Security vulnerabilities may go unaddressed for extended periods without a dedicated security response team.
- Foreign manufacture — supply chain exposure: Manufactured in China and Taiwan. Foreign-manufactured networking hardware carries supply chain risk regardless of US corporate headquarters.
- Aging architecture — Wi-Fi 5 era: The WRT line is based on aging hardware architecture. Newer vulnerabilities targeting Wi-Fi 5 chipsets may not receive timely patches.
FCC & Ban Risk
48
/100
C
Supply chain · FCC status · CVEs · Patch support
Security Capabilities
0
/100
F
Zero-Trust · VPN · Segmentation · Monitoring
🏭 Manufacturer
US-headquartered
Linksys International Inc. - Belkin subsidiary, Foxconn Technology Group (Taiwan)
Manufactured in: China / Taiwan
🏛️ FCC Status
Authorized - limited update cadence
Not in scope
🛡️ Patch Support
Limited
Whether security vulnerabilities are actively being patched
⚠️ Key Finding
high
Limited firmware update cadence
Router Security Updates
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Security capabilities comparison
We benchmark your router against Rio Router across 8 dimensions so you can see exactly what gaps exist - and what a fully-covered setup looks like.
LINKSYS
your router
Rio Router™
full standard
Zero-Trust Device Admission
Every new device is blocked by default - admin must approve it once, even if it has the right password
Not available
Available
Network Segmentation (VLANs)
Devices on your network are isolated from each other, so a hacked smart TV can't reach your laptop
Not available
Available
Router-Level VPN for All Devices
All traffic - including smart devices that can't run VPN apps - is encrypted before leaving your home
Not available
Available
Domain Allowlisting
Block everything except approved sites; more effective than trying to blacklist billions of harmful URLs
Not available
Available
Granular Password Control
Separate passwords per network zone - changing one doesn't affect others
Not available
Available
Guest Auto-Expiry
Guest devices are automatically removed when they leave; neighbors can't reconnect without re-approval
Not available
Available
Clean Supply Chain
Manufactured outside Chinese legal jurisdiction - not subject to China's National Intelligence Law
Available
Available
Active Threat Monitoring
DNS filtering, firewall, activity logs, and ongoing security patch support
Not available
Available
We use Rio Router as the benchmark because it’s the only consumer router built to score 8/8 on this framework - it shows you what a fully-covered setup looks like, not just what’s typical.
See Rio →
See all Linksys models: Linksys brand overview →
What you should do
1
Assess firmware update history — check last patch date on Linksys support site
2
If firmware has not been updated in 12+ months, consider replacing
3
Disable remote management and UPnP
4
Upgrade to a currently-supported Wi-Fi 6 platform for better long-term security posture
The WRT series has limited ongoing security support.
Check your firmware version date. If it's older than 12 months, replacement is worth evaluating.
How this was scored · verified March 2026: This rating combines FCC authorization status, manufacturer legal jurisdiction, CVEs from NIST NVD, active patch support status, and CISA advisory mentions. See full methodology →
Reference Data
Sources & evidence
All findings trace to publicly verifiable primary sources - US government databases, official FCC filings, and NIST CVE records. No proprietary or anonymous sources are used.
Full data source documentation: Scoring Methodology & Citations →