Linksys router

Linksys is a premier name in home and small business networking, established in 1988 by Victor and Janie Tsao in Irvine, California. The brand began as a humble startup operating out of a garage, initially producing 'printer sharers' before transitioning into the growing consumer router market. Its early success was driven by leveraging manufacturing partnerships in Taiwan. Over decades, Linksys became the first company to ship 100 million routers globally.

Today, Linksys products are manufactured through a global supply chain with a heavy concentration in Asia. While research and development efforts are often centralized in the United States or Taiwan, high-volume physical assembly is primarily handled by contract manufacturers in mainland China (notably in the Shenzhen region) and Taiwan. Some production has historically shifted or diversified to other Southeast Asian locations depending on specific product lines and regional logistics.

Ownership of Linksys has changed hands several times through major industry acquisitions. After being acquired by Cisco Systems in 2003, it was later sold to Belkin in 2013. In 2018, Belkin and its subsidiaries—including Linksys—were acquired by Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry), a Taiwanese multinational electronics giant. As of 2026, Linksys continues to operate as a critical subsidiary under Foxconn, often collaborating with partners like cybersecurity firm Fortinet to integrate security features into its hardware.