The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.
As the mother of a very curious 10 year old that is very drawn to YouTube, I am always concerned for her security and as much as I want to control what she watches and researches on the internet, I didn’t really have a way to insure she didn’t ended up on a site she didn’t need to be.
Our internet setting is probably not what an average family needs as the husband is a computer engineer and does a lot of his work from the house and he likes to keep tabs on the security…He has also decided to automate our home as much as possible and we have several smart devices throughout the house.
We decided that we needed a firewall that could handle all of our devices and give me a better handle on the daughter’s internet activity.
Here is where the CUJO Smart Firewall came into place.
If I have to be honest, when I told the husband I was getting a CUJO Smart Firewall unit to try, he wasn’t really thrilled as in his mind the setting he had for the firewall was enough for his business needs and assumed would be sufficient for our household needs as well.
It took some convincing, but he reluctantly agreed to give it a try…A normal user should just be able to plug the smart firewall in and download the app and pretty much be done, but since our set up was far from average, we did encounter a couple of issues where we had to call the tech support.
Let me start by saying that if you do run into any problems with the install, do yourself a favor and call the CUJO tech support right away, this was by far one of the best and more knowledgeable tech support we have dealt with and they were able to connect to our unit and fix the issues we were having. The issue had to do with our router conflicting with the CUJO firewall, and the tech support resolved it from their side without any user interaction required which should be comforting to those that aren’t real tech savvy.
Once the unit is set up, and you have downloaded the app (on your iphone or android device), you will be asked if you want a tutorial of how the CUJO Smart Firewall works to which I said yes.
Once that is done, you will be able to see all your devices and even name them so that you can control each one (that’s what we were really happy about). Please be aware that it could take up to 48 hours for all of your devices to register (that will depend on how often they search for their DHCP address … a reboot of your device should make it show up with CUJO right away). That however was not our case and we had 23 devices ( yes, 23 devices), registered in about 12-15 hours.
After seeing what CUJO can do, the reluctant husband was no longer reluctant and he was overly impressed with the CUJO features and capability!
Security Features:
Safe Browsing (IP/DNS)
Command and Control blocking
Unauthorized access blocking
Antivirus and Antimalware
Behavior Analysis
Local+Cloud security layers
DoS attack protection
Protection of all devices on the network (like PC, Phone, TV, Camera and etc.)
Rule based protection
So let me make things simple and tell you that with the CUJO Smart Firewall, you can set up profiles, so you can create individual settings for each family members, and add names to each device in your home, so you can quickly and effortlessly take action on any of the devices.
You can also have time limits which allows you to control the time allowed for internet activities like social media and video streaming…While my daughter is not allowed on any social sites, it is awesome to know this is available when that time comes.
My favorite feature?
You can manage internet access by day and time…So when I say no computer on school days…I can make sure there is no computer (internet activity) on school days!
What do you get with the CUJO Smart Firewall
You get a fierce guardian that provides you with business – level Internet security that detects and blocks malicious sites and hacks. You can easily see the different threads that are being blocked right from the app which by the way is really user friendly, so anyone can manage it.
You get protection for all your devices no matter if you have one ( or 23), you can control all of them with one CUJO device.
Parental control to avoid inappropriate sites and apps…And let’s not forget the access schedules!
The CUJO also features a Gigabit Ethernet ports that prevents it from slowing down your internet.
CUJO has the capability to connect with your router by following the step by step instructions…Again very user friendly and remember that the tech support is amazing and really easy to work with.
The free mobile app allows you to control the CUJO and it is available for iOs and Android. While the CUJO can only be accessed from a smart phone and not a desktop, I was told that there are a few different updates in the works and access from a computer, was one of them!
If you currently have port forwarding on your router, the CUJO can handle that as well. We also questioned the folks at CUJO about VPN capability and we were informed that they are constantly improving the firmware and what your CUJO will do, and acting as a VPN server is in the works and should be available before the end of the year.
Compact and modern, the CUJO is one small devices with great features and you can get your own CUJO for $249.00 and it is on sale right now for $219.99 which is a great price for this device! There are different modes, but this is the price point for the firewall with no monthly fees 😊.
I want one of these so bad. What a brilliant idea. All families should have one.
Absolutely! Best way to keep all your devices protected!
I need to pick this up. I’m always worried about my kids when they are online, so anything that can help keep them safe makes me happy!
I highly recommend it. I didn’t know how much I needed it one, but after using it, I could not do without it!
This has some terrific features. As a parent who’s had to make their way into the router to change things I can say the parental controls sound very appealing!
It is, my husband wasn’t sold on it, but loves it! Amazing features that are easy to implement are always great!
Since I have been seeing this fire wall all over the internet. Thinking this is going to be the next product to purchase for home security for the computer.
I highly recommend it!
This is definitely something that concerns me. Anything to do with online is scary to me when it comes to my kiddo. I want to make sure they are protected from predator on the internet!
My 10 years old was my main reason to look into a device like CUJO. And I love the peace of mind I get having a firewall like this one!
This firewall device sounds like a great addition to any home. Nowadays one cannot be too careful when it comes to internet security.
Amen to that! I totally agree and you really want to avoid any issues before they happen.
Amen to that! I totally agree and you really want to avoid any issues before they happen.
I got this after I got hacked. A wonderful piece of technology to help with security.
Yes, it is and I really like the fact that it does not slow down the internet connection!
I have teen and tween grandkids and I’m so careful about what they visit online but of course, I can’t monitor them 24/7. I love that this smart firewall would help with unauthorized access blocking
Yes! My daughter is also my biggest concern and I love having the CUJO backup to monitor what she is doing online.
We have one of these and I love it. It is such a great product and I like knowing it keeps us secure.
I have not heard of anyone who does not love the CUJO yet:)
I think the fees were what really bum me out the most about our network protection subscription. CUJO really looks like it would help minimize these costs.
Absolutely, you can buy your unit and forget about the fees and costumer service, is amazing too.
We have been using ours for a few weeks. I love seeing all of the potential threats it blocks on our devices.
Right? Getting the report right on your phone is awesome!
My son has been using my laptop for school work and of course to watch his YouTube videos! I would love to get Cujo for the safe browsing feature!
Yes, those YouTube videos…My daughter loves them too, so now I can keep better control of what she is watching.
Cujo certainly has a lot of useful features. I really need a firewall like this for my home.
Check it out, it is really a nice addition to your home online security
I love that cujo has easy set up and does so much. It’s proof that dynamite comes in small packages. It seems like a must have for parents. Technology moves fast!
Agreed, small but mighty:)
Agreed, small but mighty:)
For the first time, this has been a huge concern. My son’s teacher has sent access to online computer programs for school and I’m so worried about what may pop up. I’m going to check this out. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely! My daughter goes on the computer for school also and she sneaks a YouTube video whenever she can, so I need to stay on top of it. I really like this device…Her internet access is paused right now,I love it!
This sounds like such a great tech gadget for tech savvy families. My kids are a bit too young for parental controls now, but once they are older I will definitely look into the CUJO.
It is and the great thing about the CUJO is that everyone in the family can benefit, not just the little ones:)
This could really make keeping our computers safe and secure easier. The filter options would be great for the kids too.
I am loving the sound of the Cujo, I love that it is so easy to set up and it allows you to put yourself in full control of your home network.
Yes, a really handy little device. We love it!
Everyday we learning of so many online businesses hoarding our information getting hacked so its more paramount now than ever to ensure we have good cyber security and CUJO seems to fit the bill
It can get scary out there and there are so many hacks and threads everyday, that protection is just a smart thing to do. This device is really easy to use and includes all your devices, not just the computers!
This sounds like a great option. It’s so important to keep your devices safe and your family protected online.
It really is, we are very happy with the CUJO Firewall:)
It is becoming increasingly important to make sure that your family and information is kept safe. I think this is a great concept.