TP-Link is a Chinese company that manufactures network equipment and smart home products. The company was established in 1996 in

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

. TP-Link's main headquarters is located in

Nanshan, Shenzhen Nanshan District ( ; Cantonese Jyutping: Naam4 Saan1 Keoi1) is one of the nine districts comprising Shenzhen. It encompasses the southwest area of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, with a population of 1.08 million. In 2022, the district of N ...

; there is a smaller headquarters in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...

. It has subsidiaries operating globally and owns several brands, including Deco, Tapo, Omada, Omada Pro, VIGI, Aginet, Kasa Smart, and Mercusys. The company has been investigated by the governments of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for national security risks.

History

TP-Link was founded in 1996 by two brothers, Zhao Jianjun ( ''Zhào Jiànjūn'') and Zhao Jiaxing ( ''Zhào Jiāxīng''). Zhao Jianjun runs the company's California operations. The company name was based on the concept of "

twisted pair Twisted pair cabling is a type of communications cable in which two conductors of a single circuit are twisted together for the purposes of improving electromagnetic compatibility. Compared to a single conductor or an untwisted balanced ...

link" invented by

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (; born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born Canadian Americans, Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He als ...

, a kind of cabling that reduces electromagnetic interference. TP-Link began its first international expansion in 2005. In 2007, the company moved into a new 100,000-square-meter headquarters and facilities at Shenzhen's Hi-Tech Industry Park. TP-Link USA was established in 2008. In 2022, TP-Link Corporation began to separate from TP-LINK Technologies Co., Ltd. (TP-LINK) in China. After the separation, TP-Link Corporation became a standalone entity in all shareholdings and all operational aspects, such as workforce, research and development, production, marketing, and customer service. In a 2023 patent dispute lawsuit, a U.S. federal judge rejected the company's argument that there was no link between its U.S. and China businesses. In May 2024, the

government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

issued a warning saying that TP-Link routers present a security risk. In May 2024, TP-Link announced the completion of corporate restructuring, with secondary headquarters in the United States and Singapore. In August 2024, the United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party asked the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econ ...

to investigate TP-Link and its affiliates for potential national security risks. The U.S. Departments of

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

(DOJ), Commerce, and

Defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

opened investigations into the company, with the DOJ probing whether TP-Link sells its routers below cost. A spokesperson from TP-Link's United States subsidiary responded via ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' that they are welcome to engage with the government of the United States to demonstrate the security of their products, and the commitment to address national security risks. TP-Link created a dual headquarters structure in the U.S. and China in response to increased scrutiny. The majority of its employees, including those in research and development, are located in China.

Products

TP-Link products include high speed

cable modem A cable modem is a type of network bridge that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC), radio frequency over glass (RFoG) and coaxial cable infrastructure. Cable modems are pri ...

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

ADSL Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over Copper wire, copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem ...

, range extenders, routers,

switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...

es,

IP camera An Internet Protocol camera, or IP camera, is a type of digital video camera that receives control data and sends image data via an IP network. They are commonly used for surveillance, but, unlike analog closed-circuit television (CCTV) came ...

s, power-line adapters,

print server In computer networking, a print server, or printer server, is a type of server that connects printers to client computers over a network. It accepts print jobs from the computers and sends the jobs to the appropriate printers, queuing the jobs ...

s, media converters, wireless adapters,

power bank A battery pack is a set of any number of (preferably) identical batteries or individual battery cells. They may be configured in a series, parallel or a mixture of both to deliver the desired voltage and current. The term ''battery pack'' is of ...

s, USB hubs,

smart home ''SMart'' was a British CBBC television programme based on art, which began in 1994 and ended in 2009. The programme was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Previously it had been recorded in Studio A at Pebble Mill Studios in Birming ...

devices, and home robots. TP-Link also manufactured the OnHub router for

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

. TP-Link manufactures smart home devices under their Kasa Smart and Tapo product lines. The company also participates in several research and development projects with the

Chinese government The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a Unitary state, unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's ...

Manufacturing

TP-Link manufactures its products in-house, as opposed to outsourcing to original design manufacturers (ODMs).

References

External links

* {{Official website} Computer hardware companies Computer companies of China Android (operating system) software Companies established in 1996 1996 establishments in China Home automation companies Chinese brands IOS software Networking companies Networking hardware Networking hardware companies Privately held companies of China Manufacturing companies based in Shenzhen Telecommunication equipment companies of China Routers (computing) Wireless networking 1996 in Shenzhen