We Believe Your
Network is Yours.
BuildYourOwnRouter.com was founded in 2026 in response to the import restrictions on foreign-made networking hardware. Our mission is simple: empower every American to build, own, and control their own network infrastructure.
Built Out of Necessity
When the 2026 router import restrictions took effect, millions of Americans found themselves unable to replace aging networking hardware. The consumer router market — dominated by foreign manufacturers — effectively disappeared overnight.
A group of network engineers, hardware hackers, and open-source advocates came together with a simple idea: the tools to build a better router have always existed. Mini-PCs, open-source firmware, and commodity networking hardware can outperform any consumer router at a fraction of the cost. We just needed to make it accessible.
Today, BuildYourOwnRouter.com serves over 12,000 builders across the country — from apartment dwellers running OpenWrt on a Raspberry Pi to small businesses deploying enterprise-grade pfSense firewalls. Every tutorial is written by practitioners, every kit is sourced from American suppliers, and every build runs 100% open-source firmware.
Our Values
Privacy First
We believe your network traffic is your business. Every build we recommend runs open-source firmware with no hidden telemetry, no hidden cloud dependencies, and no backdoors.
Designed in America
In a world of supply chain uncertainty, we source every component legally.
Open Source
We only recommend firmware that is community-audited and publicly available. OpenWrt, pfSense CE, and OPNsense are the gold standard for transparent networking.
Community Driven
Our tutorials are written by network engineers, tested by the community, and continuously improved. We're builders helping builders.