What is it?

A smart firewall for homes and small businesses. We all understand the dangers the internet poses to our connected devices with a slew of almost weekly hacking scandals to remind us. Securing your digital world can be tricky at the best of times (and feel downright impossible at others).

Putting your faith in a hardware solution gives many benefits over software firewalls including preventing needless resources, such as space and processing power, being used on your computer.

Good Points?

The major upside of a hardware firewall is the minimal interaction needed with the user. There is no software to install and constantly update. CUJO acts like a security doorman and provides background protection by sifting through all the data entering your network and stopping malicious transmissions in their tracks.

Your devices can run free of additional firewall software which normally hog resources and grind everything to a halt. There are many security metrics employed in the device which are beyond the scope of this review but combined give CUJO additional protection you only find in enterprise level products.

Other benefits include protecting all home network devices from TVs to thermostats.

Bad points?

No virtual private networking (VPN) or parental control functionality available yet, but this is said to be scheduled soon.

Best for ...

Those who want highly secure internet access without the need for a Microsoft certification.

Avoid if ...

If you prefer to wait a few months for Norton Core or a dedicated firewall router such as the Asus RT-AC 5300 which have more proven track records.

Score: 7/10.

CUJO Smart Firewall, from £80 (getcujo.com)