A machine shop owner walking her shop floor with a tablet. A machine shop owner walking her shop floor with a tablet.

Rio for Defense

Your prime wants proof your network is secure. Send it this week.

Rio for Defense locks down your network in an afternoon and writes the paperwork: your SSP network section, diagram and evidence.

Get Rio for Defense, $599See what’s included
  • About 30 minutes to set up
  • Backed by the Rio Guarantee
  • 30-day returns
  • 2 years of Rio VPN included

Designed in USA. Manufactured in Taiwan. No Chinese components.

One flat network can cost you the contract.

Certification paused. Supplier questionnaires and federal enforcement did not.

  • A small machine shop owner alone in his office late at night, reading an email on his laptop, the dark shop floor behind him. Friday, 11:40 p.m. · The front office

    The questionnaire is due Monday.

    Your prime asks how CUI is kept apart on your network. You don’t have an answer yet.

    Answer KitNetwork answers already written, ready to send.

  • A visitor with a laptop in a machine shop break area, an engineering drawing on an unattended screen behind him. Wednesday, 2:15 p.m. · The break room

    A visitor’s laptop. Your DoD drawings. One Wi-Fi.

    Same password, same flat network. Nothing stands between them.

    SecureRoomsCUI machines walled off in a room of their own.

  • A company owner at her desk before dawn, about to sign a form. Monday, 6:50 a.m. · Your desk

    Your name goes on the score.

    With no outside assessor, your company affirms its own SPRS score. Every point needs proof.

    Score SheetEvidence behind every network point you claim.

The same machine shop owner at his desk on a sunny morning, smiling as he sends an email, the shop floor busy behind him
The Rio router beside the Rio app showing your rooms

With Rio for Defense

Same office. Monday morning. You hit send.

Rio walls off your controlled work, approves every device and hands you the documents your prime asks for.

  • Your drawings get their own roomWalled off from guests, phones and smart gadgets.
  • Nothing joins without your OKEvery new device waits in the Rio app.
  • The paperwork, already writtenSSP section, evidence summary and questionnaire answers.
Get Rio for Defense, $599See what’s in the box

What’s in the box · $599

The router, five documents and a guarantee.

Everything your prime asks about the network, in one box.

  1. The Rio for Defense Quickstart guide, Your First 30 Minutes, with its setup checklist page behind it. The Rio for Defense Quickstart guide, Your First 30 Minutes, with its setup checklist page behind it.
    Day one

    Quickstart

  2. The SSP Documentation Pack cover with inner pages fanned behind it, and the SSP Builder open in a browser showing a network diagram. The SSP Documentation Pack cover with inner pages fanned behind it, and the SSP Builder open in a browser showing a network diagram.
    Write it up

    SSP Pack and SSP Builder

  3. The two-page Network Evidence Summary for the boundary device. The two-page Network Evidence Summary for the boundary device.
    Send proof

    Network Evidence Summary

  4. The Supplier Questionnaire Answer Kit cover with an answer page behind it. The Supplier Questionnaire Answer Kit cover with an answer page behind it.
    Answer your prime

    Questionnaire Answer Kit

  5. The SPRS Score Sheet cover with a scoring table page behind it. The SPRS Score Sheet cover with a scoring table page behind it.
    Score it honestly

    SPRS Score Sheet

  • Rio router
  • 2 years of Rio VPN
  • Priority support
  • Free replacement in year one

The Rio Guarantee. If a control we list as “Supports” isn’t met because of Rio, in your self-assessment, a prime’s review or a C3PAO assessment, we’ll fix it with you or refund you. Full terms

Get Rio for Defense

Done in an afternoon.

Three steps, in your shop, on your schedule.

  1. About 30 minutes

    Plug in and wall off CUI.

    Rio replaces your router. The Quickstart puts CUI machines in their own SecureRoom.

  2. A few questions

    Get your SSP section and diagram.

    The SSP Builder writes it in your browser. Nothing you type leaves your computer.

  3. Same week

    Send the evidence.

    Attach the Evidence Summary and answers to your prime’s questionnaire or SPRS self-assessment.

The network layer, handled

Rio takes the network part off your desk.

A router can’t write your training policy. It can do the network part your prime asks about.

  • Wall off CUI machines

    SecureRooms keep CUI computers apart from guests, printers and the shop floor.

    • 3.13.5Subnet segmentationSupports
    • 3.1.3Control the flow of CUI
    • 3.13.2Secure network design

  • Decide who gets on

    New devices wait for your approval, even with the Wi-Fi password.

    • 3.1.16Wireless authorizationSupports
    • 3.1.18Mobile devices
    • 3.1.1Authorized devices only
    • 3.5.1Identify devices
    • 3.5.2Authenticate devices

  • Guard the front door

    A firewall at your internet connection blocks unsolicited traffic from day one.

    • 3.13.1Boundary protection
    • 3.13.6Deny by default
    • 3.1.20External connections

  • Keep the record

    WPA2 Wi-Fi, a live device list, saved settings and an activity log.

    • 3.1.17Wireless protection
    • 3.3.1Audit records
    • 3.4.1Device inventory
    • 3.4.2Security settings
15

network controls where Rio does the work: fully on 2, in part on 13. Each is written up for you. Supports controls carry the Rio Guarantee. Your assessor decides what’s met.

See how Rio rates on 7 key controls
NIST 800-171 ControlWhat it requiresRioHow Rio helps, and its limits
3.13.5
Subnet segmentation		Separate publicly accessible systems from internal networks.SupportsSecureRooms give you up to 16 isolated network segments, so CUI machines sit apart from guests and everything else.
3.1.16
Wireless authorization		Authorize wireless access before allowing connections.SupportsNew devices can be held until an admin approves them in the Rio app.
3.13.1
Boundary protection		Monitor and control communications at the boundary.PartialA stateful firewall blocks unsolicited inbound traffic. Monitoring is limited to the app’s activity log.
3.13.6
Deny by default		Deny network traffic by default, allow by exception.PartialInbound traffic is blocked by default and device approval is available. Outbound traffic is allowed by default.
3.1.17
Wireless protection		Protect wireless access with authentication and encryption.PartialWPA2 Personal encryption plus device approval. FIPS validation is not confirmed.
3.1.18
Mobile device connection		Control connection of mobile devices.PartialPhones and laptops can be held until approved. Managing the devices themselves needs other tools.
3.1.20
External connections		Verify and control connections to external systems.PartialThe firewall and device approval help. Controlling which external systems people use needs policy and other tools.
Download the full control mapping (PDF)

What Rio does, and doesn’t do.

NIST SP 800-171 has 110 requirements. Rio handles the network part.

Topic Rio handles it Still on you
Segmentation CUI machines walled off in SecureRooms Deciding which machines handle CUI
Device access New devices wait for your approval Managing the laptops and phones themselves
Paperwork SSP network section, diagram and evidence Policies, training and the rest of your SSP
Remote access Rio VPN is not a remote-access VPN A separate remote-access tool

Rio does not make a company compliant. Wi-Fi uses WPA2 Personal. FIPS validation is not confirmed.

Made where it matters.

  • Rio is a US company. Hardware made in Taiwan. No Chinese entity in ownership, supply chain or firmware.
  • Structural, not marketing. Chinese-headquartered companies are bound by the PRC National Intelligence Law. US companies are not.
  • CUI on a Chinese-owned router is supply chain risk. Most small-business routers can’t make Rio’s claim.
Why this matters for your contracts

The PRC National Intelligence Law (2017) requires any Chinese citizen or organization to support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence work. For a Chinese-headquartered electronics company, this creates a legal obligation that cannot be contracted around. A router made by a Chinese-owned company cannot guarantee the absence of state-directed access, because the guarantee itself would violate PRC law. For a defense supplier handling CUI, this is not a marketing comparison. It’s a supply chain risk that Rio’s corporate and manufacturing structure avoids by design.

RIO PATH

  1. US CompanyHQ, design, firmware
  2. TaiwanManufacturing, assembly
  3. Your ShopNo PRC risk

TYPICAL CONSUMER ROUTER PATH

  1. Chinese ParentSubject to PRC Intelligence Law
  2. ChinaManufacturing, firmware
  3. Your ShopSupply chain risk
Structural difference, not a marketing comparison.

“Having the Rio Cybersecurity Router has reduced the workload of complying with the many differing cybersecurity requirements I must meet as a government subcontractor. I thank you for the commitment to cybersecurity, and keeping the pricing within a small business’s budget.”

Defense Subcontractor Government Prime Supplier

Straight answers.

Still unsure? Email our team and a real person will reply.

Where does CMMC stand right now?

Outside Level 2 certification has been paused since July 13, 2026, for a Department of War review. No restart date yet. DFARS 7012, NIST SP 800-171 and SPRS self-assessments still apply, and primes still flow them down. Be ready when it returns.

Does Rio make me compliant?

No, and no product can. Companies are assessed, not routers. Rio supports 2 of the 110 NIST SP 800-171 controls and partly covers 13. Policies, training, endpoints and incident response stay with you.

Will it help with my questionnaire and SPRS score?

Yes, for the network part. The Answer Kit has honest, prewritten answers to common network questions. The Score Sheet shows which network points you can claim and the evidence for each. No one can promise you a number.

Do I need IT staff?

No. Rio replaces your router behind your modem, and the Quickstart walks you through setup in about 30 minutes. Priority support is included. Your MSP can install it too.

What is the Rio Guarantee?

If an assessment or review finds a control we list as Supports not met because Rio doesn’t do what we describe, we fix it with you or refund the full price. Claim within 90 days, for assessments within 24 months of purchase. Full terms

The network part, done this week.

The router, the paperwork and the Rio Guarantee, for one price.

$599one-time, includes 2 years of Rio VPN

  • 2 years of Rio VPN
  • Priority support
  • Free replacement in year one
  • 30-day returns
Get Rio for DefenseTalk to us first

Designed in USA. Manufactured in Taiwan. No Chinese components.