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.
I love the convenience of technology to help me get and share information, do things more efficiently, and communicate with friends and family. Unfortunately, all of that connectivity, also puts me and my family at risk.
By making it easier to access information outside our home, it opens a door for others to come in. From hackers to predators, a connected home is a vulnerable home.
That’s why I was thrilled when Best Buy asked if I would review the CUJO Smart Firewall which is specifically designed to safeguard our home network. It turns out, it’s the perfect solution for my family. This is why.
Despite the name that conjures images of a ferocious guard dog, the unit itself is friendly and actually, pretty adorable.
But don’t it’s adorable look deceive you. This little guy is just as good at protecting your home as the ferocious dog I originally imagined when I heard the name.
Security
CUJO provides business-level security, even though it’s made for family homes. It detects and blocks malicious sites, viruses, and hackers.
Kind of like an antivirus program but rather than taking up memory on each device, it guards your entire WiFi network. That means that ALL of your devices are protected including:
- Smartphones
- Laptops
- Tablets
- Gaming Consoles
- Cameras
- Smart Gadgets
Within minutes of setting mine up, it had already detected all of our devices.
Plus, even your guests who connect to your WiFi are protected too.
Parental Controls
CUJO also gives you extensive control over how your family accesses the internet. You can block certain sites or types of content, set time limits, monitor social media, and even block internet access during certain times.
If, like me, you have children of all different ages, you can set different parameters for each child in their user profiles and settings. I can shelter my youngest from some of the content I don’t mind my older teens accessing.
Ease of Use
Initial setup of CUJO is pretty easy. You just connect the unit directly to your router, switch or extender with an ethernet cable.
From then on, you control everything else via the CUJO app (available for both iOS and Android devices). The interface is really user-friendly and easy to use.
Basically, the CUJO Smart Firewall provides me with all the online protection I want for my family in the easiest way possible. If you decide to get one for your home, I strongly recommend you snag the deal at Best Buy that includes the lifetime subscription service.
If you see it advertised elsewhere for a lower price, you’ll find that those prices typically don’t include the subscription. With the Best Buy deal, you never have to worry about a monthly fee.