Fortinet Takes Full Control of Linksys

Linksys is a well-known networking and router brand that has been around for decades. The company started in 1988 as DEW International, but it's no longer an independent entity. In 2003, Cisco bought Linksys and held it for ten years before selling it to Belkin, a smartphone accessory brand.

In 2018, Belkin was acquired by Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT), making FIT the new owner of Linksys. However, in 2021, Fortinet invested $75 million in Linksys, increasing its ownership stake from 32.6% to 50.8%. By 2025, Fortinet had bought out the remaining equity stake and became the sole owner of Linksys.

The company's first router didn't arrive until 2000, but it quickly gained popularity with the release of its EtherFast BEFSR41 broadband router in 2002. The WRT54G, released in December 2002, was a massive success and became a legendary status in the world of Wi-Fi routers due to its open-source Linux code.