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FireWalla
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Are you arming your home with smart gadgets but worried about hackers infiltrating your high-tech lifestyle? Would anyone really try to hack your smart washer or dryer? The unfortunate answer is yes. Any device connected to your home’s network can be vulnerable to an attack, and once hackers find a way in, your entire home network is up for grabs.
Fortunately, there’s a line of the best home firewalls available to protect your home from intruders. We’ll give you our recommendations for the best smart home firewall to keep your information safe from prying eyes.
Article Overview
- Do You Need A Firewall?
- How Do They Work?
- Best Home Firewalls
- How To Set Them Up (Video)
- Secure Your Home
Do You Really Need A Firewall?
According to a 4-year study conducted by Statista (2016-2020), there were 180 million connected devices in the United States. By 2020, the number of connected devices was forecasted to rise to 260 million.
If you’re into the smart home culture, be forewarned. Until all smart devices incorporate their own level of security from hackers, malware, viruses, and other attacks, your privacy could be compromised at any time.
These smart home devices are vulnerable, for sure. It’s wise to protect yourself now before your identity, financial information, or other crucial data gets stolen.
How Do Smart Home Firewalls Work?
Think of Internet of Things (IoT) security devices like smart home firewalls that give you protection against hackers, malware, viruses, and other malicious threats to your smart home devices, including thermostats, cameras, TVs, PCs, smart hubs, and much more. Each device uses different protection methods, and we’ll outline those within each review.
The benefit of these devices over security-enabled routers lies in each company’s cloud computing technology. When a smart firewall detects a brand new threat, it’s analyzed in the company’s cloud and incorporated into the overall system.
For example, if a RATtrap device in a single household detects a previously unknown attack, RATtrap is able to analyze and protect all RATtrap devices in use around the world with updated protection against this new threat. Pretty cool, huh?
Best Smart Home Firewalls
Smart home firewalls are relatively new to the market, and many are still working out some bugs and other issues. But we’ve done our research to bring you our recommendations for the best IoT security you can find.
Winner: Bitdefender Box 2 Review
The original Bitdefender Box pioneered smart home security back in 2015. The good news is that Bitdefender, the popular provider of anti-virus software, has upped its Box with a second-generation product.
Bitdefender Box 2 is a promising overhaul of its original product, including improved hardware and expanded malware protection for advanced threat detection and dynamic vulnerability analysis. This new device will scan your home network and smart home devices periodically for any vulnerabilities. Bitdefender Box 2 also includes a subscription to Bitdefender Total Security for unlimited Windows, macOS, and Android devices in your home.
Pricing
Runner-Up: Dojo Review
Dojo uses the same metadata-analysis approach to protection as Cujo and wards off hackers, malware, and viruses with all of your smart home devices. Dojo comes with two parts — a base station that connects to your existing router and the Pebble (yes, it resembles a large pebble) that communicates wirelessly with the base.
Dojo hit the market in April 2017, and so far, customer reviews are mixed. Some users love it, while others haven’t been able to get it up-and-running properly.
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Pricing
- Price: $43.50 includes device and first year of service
- $9.99/month or $99 annually for service after the first year
- 1-year warranty
3rd Place: Firewalla Red
The Firewalla Red (not to be confused with the Blue) is a cybersecurity firewall that protects your home or office network from viruses, malware, and more. It has parental controls, an ad blocker, and a built-in VPN server. The Firewalla connects directly to your router (check compatibility first).
The IPS functionality is limited to 100 Mbits, but its unique intrusion prevention system (IDS and IPS) protects all your devices for an affordable price. Firewalla also uses deep insight and cloud-based behavior analytics engines to proactively find and block issues when they arise.
Pricing
Video: How To Set Up Your Home Firewall
Watch this quick video that shows how to set up a firewall for your smart home using Cujo.
Secure Your Home
VPNs are a key way to protect your computers and network from prying eyes as your family plugs into the internet. We also review smart home security systems that can protect your physical belongings and provide an eye on your home while you’re away.
