Wireless Router

Art. 18.02(a)(10) — device info, connection & traffic logs

Part of the Warrant Path template library. Templates last updated 2026-09-20 — what that date does and doesn’t mean.

What this covers

Authorizes searching a seized wireless router (Wi-Fi router) for device information, connection logs, and traffic data as evidence of an offense — a short, well-scoped evidentiary warrant, not for use on a cellular telephone.

Property / data categories

• Router device information: serial number, manufacturer, SSID(s), broadcasting names, and system settings
• Connection or device logs
• Inbound/outbound traffic logs
• Whitelists/blacklists, guest accounts, and advanced routing tables
• Protocol-based filtering/rules
• Photograph of the seized device attached as Exhibit A

Controlling authority

• Art. 18.01, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure — General search-warrant requirements — sworn affidavit and particularity.
• Art. 18.02(a)(10), Texas Code of Criminal Procedure — Legal basis for this warrant — evidence of an offense, the same evidentiary ground used for banks, payment apps, and vehicle-telematics templates.
• Art. 18.07(a), Texas Code of Criminal Procedure — Sets the execution/return deadline alongside Art. 18.10.
• Art. 18.10, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure — Governs the Return and Inventory and its 3-day filing deadline.
• SWGDE Best Practices for Computer Forensic Acquisitions — Standard for the write-blocking, imaging, and hashing methodology in the Forensic Examination Protocol section.

Common defects to check for before filing

• Using this template for a cellular telephone instead of a standalone router — use the cellphone/wireless-device template for a phone; the two devices' data categories don't overlap cleanly
• Treating the 3-day return deadline (Art. 18.07(a)/18.10) as also covering completion of forensic examination of the router's data — the Forensic Examination Protocol section addresses this; confirm the framing with your prosecutor
• Device description mismatch — confirm make/model/serial number/MAC address in the affidavit matches the physically seized device
• Forgetting to actually attach the device photograph as Exhibit A after drafting the instruction to do so
• Requesting log categories a particular router model doesn't actually retain — retention varies by manufacturer, model, and firmware; confirm with a forensic examiner before finalizing the item list
• Assuming this warrant reaches records held by the router's manufacturer or the customer's ISP through a cloud-management dashboard (mesh systems like eero/Google Nest Wifi/Orbi, or an ISP-managed modem/router) — those are typically held by that third party, not the device itself, and need separate legal process
• Not addressing admin/login credentials needed to access the router's configuration or logs — if the router is credential-locked and the credentials aren't independently known, say so and how you intend to proceed (compelled production, forensic bypass, or the manufacturer/ISP as an alternate source) rather than leaving it unaddressed

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