The recent enforcement operation conducted by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in collaboration with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) serves as a significant reminder regarding the integrity of Malaysia’s communications infrastructure.
Authorities recently seized 3,837 uncertified devices worth over RM500,000 in ‘Op Taring Bravo 3.’ This crackdown highlights how the market, especially online platforms are increasingly flooded with devices that fail to meet the Government’s technical and safety standards.
To get to the bottom of this, we sat down with Kerry Yang, Product Manager from Mercusys Malaysia, to discuss the hidden dangers of “grey market” routers and how users can ensure their home network is actually legal.
According to Kerry, the influx of uncertified devices often brought in as grey imports poses real technical risks that go beyond just a voided warranty.
“When you buy a router that’s not MCMC certified, it might cause signal interference, leading to slow or unstable network for other devices,” he explained.
More importantly, plenty of such devices are often poorly made and usually fail local electrical safety standards, posing fire and safety risks.
The Mercusys Commitment
In an era where “cheap and fast” often wins, Kerry emphasized that Mercusys has taken the harder, compliant route to ensure reliability for all their products.
“At Mercusys, we don’t cut corners when it comes to safety,” Kerry said. “Every single Mercusys product we sell in Malaysia goes through rigorous testing to comply with the government regulation from MCMC and SIRIM. If you buy a Mercusys product from an authorized retailer, you are guaranteed a device that is safe, stable, and 100% legal.”
How to Verify Your Device is MCMC Compliant
During our coffee session, we asked Kerry for the definitive way consumers can check their own gadgets. He advised users not to rely on the packaging alone, but to use the digital tools provided by the authorities.
All MCMC certified products must display either a physical MCMC sticker or a digital e-label in the software, making this the fastest way to identify a compliant device. However, this is not fool-proof, as stickers can be forged.
This is where the MCMC website or the SIRIM “Check Your Label” app becomes essential. Every certified device officially imported into Malaysia is registered in the MCMC database. By entering the serial number into these platforms, users can view the product’s official registration details, which should match the device in hand.
Ultimately, this database check is the only definitive test to confirm that a product is an official local unit that has passed all safety and technical verifications.
The Field Test: We Verified Mercusys Claims
To actually verify Mercusys’s claims, we walked into a big local IT retail store without informing Mercusys. We purchased two random Mercusys products right off the shelf. After some browsing, we got ourselves a MC210 Outdoor Wi-Fi Secuity Camera and a MR27BE Wi-Fi 7 router.
The Test:
- We located the Serial Number (S/N) on the product.
- We pulled up the MCMC “Check Your Label” portal on our phones.
- We checked the serial number on the app
Every single unit we tested was immediately traceable. The database instantly returned the correct model details and certification status for every box we scanned. There were no “unrecognized devices” or grey imports in the mix.
Closing Thoughts
The MCMC’s recent crackdown proves that uncertified devices are a real problem in Malaysia. Don’t let a “grey import” compromise your home safety or internet speed. As our spot-check with Mercusys showed, finding a compliant device isn’t hard. You just need to know what to look for. Look for the label, verify the serial number, and buy with confidence.
Transparency Note: This article was produced in collaboration with Mercusys Malaysia. Our team independently verified the product certifications at a retail store prior to publication. We only partner with brands that pass our internal safety and quality checks.