
BITDEFENDER BOX 2 SOFTWARE
These functions matter because most smart home devices can't protect themselves with antivirus software or automatic security patches. All Box firmware updates are encrypted and signed by Bitdefender to prevent malicious updates from loading.

The Box can also conduct a network-wide device-vulnerability assessment.

When a new device enters the network, the Box alerts you. If it detects anomalous behavior, the Box shuts down traffic, and its data-exfiltration detector can keep personal information (such as Social Security, credit card and bank account numbers) from leaving the network. Its advanced exploit protection can protect against attacks like SQL injection, path traversal and local file inclusion. It also acts as a firewall to protect every device on a home network.
BITDEFENDER BOX 2 PASSWORD
The new Box adds anomaly detection, as well as protections against brute-force password guessing and the theft of sensitive personal data. The Box's network security features shield such devices from attack. Most smart home devices can't protect themselves with antivirus software or automatic security patches. The new Box is the home equivalent of a heavy-duty enterprise security device. It's a big step up from the first-generation Box, which didn't do much besides block connections to known malicious URLs. The second-generation Box combines the functions of a midrange Wi-Fi router with those of a network security appliance. When the Box's light ring is greenish-blue, everything is OK, but that turns red if the Box loses contact with Bitdefender's servers. The new Box has an LED ring up front that can telegraph the network's status, but that pales next to the F-Secure Sense's display, which doubles as a clock. (The Core, designed to be a router, has four downstream Ethernet ports and a pair of USB connectors.) The Box has a proprietary power port and a recessed reset button, and comes with an AC adapter and a Category 6 Ethernet jumper cable. There's no fan, but the Box never got more than merely warm while we used it.Īlong its back, the new Box has just a pair of input and output Ethernet ports. Look down into the Box's circular top grille, and you'll see that most of the interior is empty space, which helps with cooling. If anomalous behavior is detected, the Box shuts down traffic, and it can keep personal information (such as Social Security and credit card numbers) from leaving the network. It fits on a bookshelf (and can be a bookend), but it has no provision for wall mounting. It's not as impressive-looking as the gray geodesic dome of the Norton Core, but at 7.0 x 4.5 x 4.5 inches, the Box is attractive enough to be placed anywhere in your home. The second-generation Bitdefender Box is a black-and-white tower with a roughly triangular cross section. Peak 802.11ac performance: 488.5 Mbps (at 15 feet) Processor/Memory/Storage: Dual-core 1.2GHz/1GB/4GB
BITDEFENDER BOX 2 ANDROID
The client software works on PCs, Macs, and Android and iOS devices, and the service has servers in 25 countries. You'll have to pay $7 per month or $40 per year for unlimited VPN data. As Total Security subscribers, Box owners receive this as well.
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With its Total Security antivirus software, Bitdefender has added a virtual private network (VPN) client and service that includes 200 MB of data per day for free. The Box also goes head-to-head with the $200 BullGuard Dojo and the $200 Cujo, two network security appliances that don't have Wi-Fi capabilities and don't come with antivirus software. Like the Box, the Core and the Sense both include antivirus software for client devices.īut while Norton and F-Secure want to outright replace your existing Wi-Fi router with their devices, Bitdefender would prefer that you keep your router (provided that it's a good one, and not one supplied by your ISP) and add the Box as a network bodyguard. The Box competes with the $200 Norton Core and the $200 F-Secure Sense, two other combination security appliances/Wi-Fi routers from well-known antivirus companies. (By itself, the software is worth $120 per year.)

The fee includes Bitdefender Total Security antivirus software for an unlimited number of PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets. The Box costs $199.99, and its annual $99 subscription fee is waived for the first year. However, Bitdefender admits that the Box can't compete with high-end stand-alone routers, and the company isn't marketing the device as one. The third option is to just replace your existing wireless router with the Box, in which case you would set it up like any other router. However, if you're currently using an ISP-supplied gateway device - a combination modem-and-Wi-Fi router - then you'll have to set the gateway to act as only a modem, and the Box will become the router.
