The Next Generation Of Cyber Home Security
The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has marked a new age of the Internet. Along with computers, we now have mobile devices, AI-based assistants, thermostats and other smart home devices that are connected to Internet 24/7. These connected devices, like any other device connected to the Internet, are in constant danger of security threats.
Cujo Firewall
According to CNBC, back in October 2016, 100,000 IoT devices were hacked to be used for blocking traffic to websites, like Netflix and Twitter. It is expected that the number of connected devices will reach 30 billion by 2020. With so many connected devices vulnerable to security threats, there could a major cyber attack on our privacy anytime. To prevent this, we need an extra layer of security on our networks; this is what Cujo Smart Firewall provides.
Cujo is a smart firewall for smart homes. It is an adorable little device that acts as a gatekeeper to your network so all the devices connected with it remains immune to any possible hacking or malware attacks. It not only protects your data and privacy but also provides you control over network usage by allowing you to block or whitelist any website and monitor the activities of any connected device.
Design
Unlike regular routers, Cujo is neither bulky nor unattractive. It has an elegant design with a cylindrical body of 4.87 in. x 4.87 in. x 5.75 in. and comes in cream color. It could be a room freshener, a vase or a night lamp, that’s how well it blends with the interior of your house.
It has adorable looking smiling eyes, which are actually LED lights that represents its status. The smiling eyes mean the protection mode is enabled, the full eyes mean the device is on standby and the sad eyes mean the device has detected some threat or unwanted activity.
At its back, Cujo has 2 ethernet ports and a power socket to connect to a power source using the power cable that comes with. One of the ethernet ports is there to connect the device to your router using the ethernet cable that comes with it. The other one is for using the Bridge Mode (more on this later).
Hardware
Cujo is not exactly a powerhouse when it comes to hardware specs. It comes with 1GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB DDR RAM, and a 4GB flash storage. This rather underwhelming hardware makes sense considering most of the processing is done on the cloud. That’s right. Cujo Smart Firewall is connected to Cujo Cloud Service using an encrypted channel, where it constantly sends the statistical data, not the actual data, to the cloud for analysis.
To keep your data secure, Cujo device and Cujo app (more on this later) only communicates with the Cloud Service. The device uses Cryptographic Hardware Acceleration to speed up the communication with the cloud service.
At a time, Cujo can keep up to 50 connected devices secured. It recognizes and supports 99% of the smart devices that are available in the market.
Setup
Even if you are a tech-savvy person, Cujo could give you a hard time setting it up.
Setup
Even if you are a tech-savvy person, Cujo could give you a hard time setting it up.
There are two modes of connection, Direct and Bridge.
Configuring Direct connection is relatively easier. Connect the device to your router by connecting one end of the cable to the bottom port on the device and the other end to Open LAN port on the router. Install the Cujo app, which is available for Android and iOS, and create an account with it.
Open the setup wizard, enter your routing credentials and, if the app recognizes your router model, it will automatically configure the DHCP setting. Otherwise, you will have to do it manually, which is quite a pain because the guide tells a list of items to change, but doesn’t mention how to find these options in your router.
If you are having trouble with setting up Cujo, you can either follow this manual or get on a call with their support team. I would recommend taking help from their support team. The manual is not much of a help either, because it still doesn’t tell settings for your specific router.
If you are using two routers, Router A for internet and Router B as a switch or access point, then use the Bridge Mode. The Router B will be connected to the top port on Cujo. In this mode, you will have to change DHCP settings on your Router B and all the devices will have to be connected to this router.
Once configured, the Cujo device will start scanning all the connected devices on your network and the eyes will turn from full eyes into smiling ones. Now, all your network activities will be filtered through Cujo. If there are any threats, you will be notified through the app.
You can use Cujo app to monitor and control the network usage. You can enable parental control on your children devices, which include:
- Putting time limit to the usage
- Monitor social media usage
- Cut off their internet
- Blacklist or whitelist sites
- Individual profile setting
You can set a schedule for parental control to make managing multiple devices a breeze.
The app also shows you all the connected devices on your network, along with their details, including device type, IP address, MAC address, etc. This way you can easily spot any unknown device connected to your network.
You can buy Cujo Smart Firewall for $99 and monthly subscription fees of $8.99. Privacy is a big concern for all of us and you can’t put a price on it. Considering routers that perform similar function could cost you more than that, Cujo is worth the money. If you want to ensure that your privacy is safe from hackers, you need something like Cujo that safeguards you from cyber threats.
