Bitdefender Box 2 – Connected Home Cybersecurity Hub – Plug into Your Personal Route
The Bitdefender BOX protects all of your devices connected to the Internet, including your home computers. Plug it into your router to secure smart phones and tablets, smart TVs and all your other home appliances and gadgets, like Wi-Fi thermostats, gaming consoles, laptops, and even your baby monitor.
The BOX also includes a 1 year subscription to the BOX Service, a 1 year subscription to Bitdefender Total Security (protects an unlimited number of your devices).
Manage your network while you’re at home or on the go from our Bitdefender Central iOS/Android app – requires a 4G/3G data connection and either iOS 9 (or higher) or Android 4.4 (or newer).
You must have the app to set up the BOX. It’s compatible with most out of the box personal routers (not including ISP provided routers). Before buying, please make sure that your router can be configured to AP mode (or Access Point mode) or Bridge mode otherwise BOX will not be compatible. In rare instances, some users with premium routers may experience a loss in select non-essential router features. Bitdefender BOX is not currently compatible with Wi-Fi extenders and with Mesh router systems including Google Wi-Fi.
| Weight: | 1.15 kg |
| Dimensions: | 11.7 x 10.3 x 18.8 cm; 1.15 Kilograms |
| Brand: | Bitdefender |
| Colour: | White |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | Bitdefender |
| Colour: | White |
| Reference: | 5949958014675 |
This was much easier to set up than I originally imagined. You basically just follow the instructions that come with the downloadable app and everything is finished in about 10 minutes. The box then notifies you via the app whenever a new device connects to the network and automatically scans it for vulnerabilities. You can block the internet connection for any device you don’t recognise and it automatically blocks malicious web pages / scripts from loading. You can bypass the security measures it puts in place if you want, but in reality you barely know it’s there. This was such a great purchase I am surprised it is not more popular. I feel much safer now that I’ve got this thing protecting the entire house of IOTs
Setup with a Virgin Media Hub 3.0 in modem mode, went smoothly following Bitdefender app instructions.
A couple of weeks in, it’d been performing as expected. Port forwarding configured for some devices and all smart devices working as expected. Low latency maintained and powerful WiFi signal.
Also, it’s nice looking so I don’t mind having it out on the top instead of being hidden away. That’ll help it keep cool and maximize the WiFi signal.
So, all good at the moment. Hopefully it continues to perform well…
I am using this in a setup between a Sky router and Plume WiFi Superpods and in this configuration it works very nicely for me. I have disabled the WiFi from the Sky router and the Bitdefender Box (just going to say ‘Box’ from now on) so everyone can connect to either our Plume WiFi network or an Ethernet connect, both of which sit in front of the Box. In this configuration it was fairly quick and easy to setup, the wizard tries to suggest a few steps that aren’t needed but I was able to skip that easy enough. I do think even in a more basic configuration the setup would be difficult for my parents so I have given it 4 stars on that point, but I do think they have made it about as easy as they can whilst supporting so many different setups.
Overall I have been pleased with the performance of the device. Plume has its own ‘security’ and ad blocking features which catch some things before they reach the ‘Box’. However plenty of stuff still gets flagged up by Box, and in particular when I have intentionally tested visiting sites that it should block for phishing or malware* it did block them in almost all cases.
When new devices have connected I get a little report about if they have any vulnerabilities etc. I had never seen any until the other day when I connected a new AV receiver up to my network and it had several vulnerabilities. I was pleased it even reported the specific library and version being used that had the issue which I could look up. The Box promises that even so it will ‘protect’ the device, which I would assume basically means it blocks external parties from accessing it to exploit the weakness.
My overall view is that this was a worthwhile purchase, it gives me some peace of mind that in some instances when a family member has accidentally visited a site related to phishing or malware it has blocked them. Of course I do not count on that being a 100% success rate and so always better to teach users better behaviour, have anti virus where appropriate etc. But overall it is an extra layer and it has some nice reporting.
* I didn’t visit genuine malware sites, just ones used to test anti virus products so can’t vouch for its ‘real’ performance in that regard.
Good stuff: It scans your home network for vulnerabilities (the Sky box had 123!) and prevents e.g. security cameras, doorbells etc from getting hacked and used maliciously. These types of devices are sitting ducks because you can’t load an antivirus on them like you can with a laptop or phone.
You also get an unlimited number of devices you can add, which immediately makes this terrific value for money.
So-so stuff: The initial unit was faulty (not a good start). Support was fairly good, once I got through after 2 x 25-minute attempts and one final (and successful) 5-minute attempt to get through. Email support has been very good.
Bad stuff: You can only control the Box 2 with a phone/tablet. For non-IT people – phones can be hacked, cloned or lost, so this is not a good way to manage the device. A better way would be plugging your laptop directly into the Box.
I also found that, although more secure, the Wi-Fi provided by the Box 2 is slower than previously when the devices connected directly to the router.
Another problem is that if you hide the name of your network (tech term: Disable broadcast of SSID) so potential hackers can’t even see your Wi-Fi (a very smart thing to do), then Android devices can’t see the Box 2 anymore and won’t connect. I tried reconnecting them, deleting the old connections and starting over, but still nothing. Their support said I should try again, and voila! everything worked again. I suspect that they might have released an update in the space between when I logged the ticket and got their reply. Anyway, it works now.
Final words: Every home needs something like this, and right now the Box 2 is the only affordable option, but Bitdefender should perhaps do some more work on making the Box 2 better, like adding a LAN interface for admin, and making sure the Wi-Fi works properly and faster.
Very easy to set up and works without any issues
My only complaints that there is no web interface to configure the box from a PC; you literally must use the mobile app which is annoying and seems like a massive oversight by Bitdefender in an otherwise great product. It also doesn’t allow for much deeper config/customisation for advanced users.
One final note is that it can be a little tricky to set up depending on which set up you choose to use. That’s not a complaint, just a warning that if you’re not tech savvy you might need some help getting started.
Before installing Box 2, my set up was pretty typical for fibre;
* phone line into Openreach modem,
* ethernet cable from modem to SmartHub 1 (HH6A) Router (+ wifi),
* ethernet cable from SmartHub to network switch + powerline adapters etc
(NB: I know the Smart Hub 1 is a modem / router, so I could do without the modem, but I found my internet speeds were better using the separate Openreach modem.)
The instructions that come with the Bit Defender Box 2 appear comprehensive, but having now been through the installation experience I feel they are inadequate and, in their effort to simplify them for some users, they have frankly created confusion for many others (you’ll note many of the reviews have the same complaint).
The first steps are pretty straightforward though:
Step 1: requires install of the bit defender “central” app on a smart phone (an iPhone in my case)
Step 2: Powering up Box 2
Step 3: Connecting to Box 2 via Wifi using smart phone (which then facilitates the rest of the process via the app)
Step 4: Connecting Box 2 to ISP Modem (white Openreach box) using ethernet cable
Problem 1: The Box 2 would not recognise an internet connection. To resolve this I had to manually select PPoE network connection and use the following; User name: [email protected], password: should be blank, but the app doesn’t accept no entry (!!) so entered “1” instead and for name (optional): I used “BT”.
At this point the Box 2 connected to the internet (but my first reaction is that I shouldn’t have had to research the internet to solve this — it should be “plug and play!”)
Step 5 — confirming connected to internet
The instructions then say there are then 3 different set-up scenarios (1: Using a router from your ISP, 2: Using a personal router and 3: Using Box 2 as a standalone router). This is where the confusion begins. From my experience, I believe the setup choices actually have more to do with the considerations below, rather than options presented, as this seems to pigeon hole some peoples setup into the wrong group!
* Do you currently use a separate modem and router OR a combined modem / router (irrespective of whether this / these are ISP supplied or 3rd party or both)
* If you intend to keep your router on the network, does it have as an AP (Access Point)/Bridge mode (irrespective of whether it’s ISP supplied or 3rd party).
I think my experience demonstrates this point pretty well.
Having done the research, I assumed my setup qualified for “Using a router from your ISP”, which has a picture showing a “combi” modem / router connecting to the internet in the instructions. It has to be the one, I thought!
(The other options; “Using a personal router” shows a third party router connecting to a ISP router (should be modem?!?) to the internet — which clearly didn’t apply for me. Re: using the Box 2 as a “Standalone router”; it was suggested in online reviews I’d read that it’s preferable to leave the router doing the routers job and the Box 2 covering the security to deliver the “optimum set up”.)
The “Using an ISP router” set up is also described by BitDefender as the most “typical Set up” so that’s what I went with.
Going through the process on the app, after the Box 2 successfully cloned the SmartHub’s Wifi settings, it then advised I should disable Wifi on the SmartHub. I was (pleasantly) surprised to see that it provided a link to a range of UK ISP routers advising how to do this (including the BT Smart Hub).
Problem 2: However on my iPhone Safari would not let me access it as it believed the app was impersonating a genuine website! Grrrr! Second fail! So, I used my noodle and worked out how to turn off wifi manually on the Smarthub (easy enough as it turns out).
The app process for “Using an ISP router” seems to end after you clone the wifi. However, if you leave the ISP router connected to your network and you don’t disable DHCP / enable bridge / AP mode, the ISP router will continue to assign IP addresses.
Problem 3: The Box then reports a DHCP conflict as it and the router are fighting to allocate IP addresses!
In effect, it appears that the first option “Using an ISP router” in fact requires you to remove it from the network IF you can’t enable AP / Bridge mode (which disables DHCP / IP allocation). Isn’t that the 3rd option — using the Box 2 as standalone?!? See what I mean about their simplistic options? Too much confusion! Since the Smart Hub 1 won’t allow AP / Bridge mode, it couldn’t remain on the network and I had to remove it.
(NB: To be fair, the item description on Amazon does clearly say “Prior to purchase, ensure that your router can be configured to AP (Access Point) or Bridge Mode otherwise Bitdefender BOX 2 may experience compatibility issues. ” but in their effort to simply the instructions, they’ve created a confusing set up process…..)
After calling the free helpline and discussing with one of the tech advisers, it became clear that.
I had effectively arrived at the Box 2 working as a “standalone router” by default, as the Smart Hub (and many other ISP routers I suspect) cannot have AP / bridge mode enabled. So why not explain the importance of that from the offset?!?
The rep explained that Box 2 will protect all devices to which it allocates an IP address. This is good if like me you have a powerline adapter with Wifi in the corner of the house which had poor wifi reception. As this acts as an AP, the Box 2 will assign IP to devices connected to it so these are also protected.
The down side to this is that in effect no other device on the network can assign IPs (so that’s any ISP or 3rd party router where you can’t disable this).
In addition, in my experience, most network routers etc use the IP range 192.168.1.0 to 255, with .254 normally being the router IP. The Box 2 creates a new network with range 172.24.1.0 to 255 by default (but this can be changed back to the “norm”). Somewhat unhelpfully the app does not list the IP address given to individual devices (which just sucks!). So you’ll need to use a separate network app to scan / determine all IP address — which was essential for me to get my Synology NAS back up and running as the app doesn’t show it at all!
Be clear — for the Box 2 to protect devices, Bit Defender advised it must assign the IP — that means if your router cannot have AP / Bridge mode enabled it will not happily coexist on the network with Box 2.
All in all, the Box 2 appears to now be working fine and, apart from a few other niggles (e.g. my NAS not being able to access the internet for updates) I’m reasonably happy with it. But to save you stress / time, I suggest you are very clear which is the most appropriate set-up option on the app for your circumstances before you start off, and don’t make any assumptions, as I did!
Bottom line, the process felt clumsy and confused — it feels as if it’s not adequately been tested — the fact that they plaster the documentation with their technical helpline number speaks volumes — it’s almost as if they expect most users will need to call them to discuss one or more aspect of install – which says it all really…. And worst of all, issues with the install of such equipment can’t help but tarnish your overall impression of the device – it might be the best thing since sliced bread, but if it was a git to install you’re not going to forget that….
UPDATE AFTER A FEW DAYS USE….
– I was wrong, the app does provide the IP address! It’s just hidden behind the individual device details in the app.
– I was concerned initially that half of my network was not listed in the device list (e.g. my NAS) – but they all appeared eventually – some listing vulnerabilities to resolve – so it’s correct that it takes a few days for the Box to get a feel for your network (and to let data come and go happily). My NAS was eventually allowed access to the internet after the Box had finished testing it and it was shown on the device list.
– in terms of Wi-fi strength / range, I’ve been pretty impressed as the Box is at least as good as the smart hub.
– The integration with the Bitdefender AV software is impressive – the central app on your phone flags important alerts from the software installed on your desktops etc.
– On the downside, the mobile phone app for iPhone caused me problems – the Ring (doorbell / camera) App wouldn’t allow live streaming after bitdefender was installed. I removed bitdefender mobile app and the Ring App works again …..If I can only have 1 of these apps on my phone, I know which one I’ll be keeping (sorry Bitdefender!)
– Having now had the box running and without issue in the background for a few days, I’m happy to increase my score to 4 stars…. I just wish the set up was more intuitive!
Works very well although I had do some manual setting up on my Sky route
Brilliant. Easy setup and the online/email support is fast. It’s already blocking fishing attempts! Updates are automatic and new features have already been added to the software. Really good and worth the annual fee.
The installation went ok, and it was in and working on the 2nd attempt.
If you’re not too tech savvy, you may well struggle – this isn’t because the instructions are rubbish or it’s deliberately confusing, its just a case of this isn’t a simple plug and play box. You will need to know how to access a few settings on your router, and how to reset the Box2!
Installation tip – power off devices which connect to the internet like Laptops and IOT devices – this makes it quicker to get everything working once the Box is running.
Once up and running it just works – alerting you when connected devices attempt to access malicious or phishing sites, checking new devices as they connect and searching them for vulnerabilities.
Of the 32 devices I added only one – a WD Cloud NAS – had any vulnerabilities, 8 of them! I think a firmware upgrade would resolve most if not all of these.
I contacted support and can confirm they did respond quickly and accurately on a technical query.
As well as the hardware, the purchase includes unlimited installations of the Bitdefender AV software on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. Within this installation is a VPN which at purchase is limited to 200MB data per user per day – this can be upgraded to unlimited data for the year.
As well as the mobile version of the Central app which is required for initial installation, there is also a web interface which gives similar detail to the app. The central app includes all alerts, a list of connected devices which you can individually pause internet access for, and a daily traffic volume graph.
Overall a very good package, the only issue was with the installation, this is not a plug and play device.
However, once it’s running it does exactly what you expect, it does not slow down the connection and does prevent issues on connected devices.
I will add that packet inspection is only active on the LAN / WAN interface, not between connected devices, so for example running a full port scan using Nmap on a connected device, even on the box its self, does not alert. this is expected behaviour, but as you do receive an alert when a new device connects this should be sufficient to alert you. Attacks from the WAN will be prevented.
October update – having the Box 2 on the same network as our new Youview + box prevents the youview box from receiving on demand channels. Catch up services like BBC iplayer work, just not the channels which use multicast. We’re now running the youview on a separate powerline network connected directly to the router not the Box 2.
Unless you are good with tech you will probably need the assistance from Bitdefender Support to set up your new Bitdefender Box 2 correctly. But once you’ve done that you will probably realise and agree with me what a FANTASTIC tool this is: all internet connected devices in your home gets protected without limit. I recommend Bitdefender Box 2, 1,000,000,000,000% !!! Probably the best investments in your online security and safety that you’ll ever make!
The phone app is very easy to use and set up. I am very pleased that this set up was easy and feel better that the wireless devices are being protected and it will work out cheaper because you can install it on all computers phones and tablets, where as before this box I was paying for it to be on only 5 devices. I think the yearly subscription after the first year is 89 well worth the money I would recommend getting this if you have a lot of devices in the house like we do. Customer service are brilliant and so helpful.
I needed to be assured that the product has no adverse effect on my network and offers the full protection that it claims to provide.
My network consists of a ISP fibre router (BT in my case)—->bitdefender box2—->network switch—->wired connections and wireless access point.
The setup of the unit is pretty straight forward, it took me a bit of time since I have so many wired and wireless devices, especially IOT devices. I have a variety of devices that have a static connection eg. printers but also dynamic such as wireless devices.
Further complications in my network were by me trying ‘different’ ways to connect up the box2. I tried using my wireless access point (WAP) in series with my box2. This caused the network speed to drop (this was a limitation of my WAP, an old Asus black knight not box2).
I have installed bitdefender total security on all phones and devices and this has sped up all these devices since before I had firewall and virus checkers on all devices, making them really slow. The reports on the devices are really useful informing me of network breaches. It also informed me that certain devices on my network had serious security faults!
There can be instances where the box will block certain devices, I had issues with my printer. However a quick look online showed how I would make exceptions for the firewall.
Pros: Total network connection on all devices; android, windows and IOT, no significant reduction in network speed
Cons: Rubbish wifi on the device (do not expect reception at the other end of your home), rubbish product literature (you will need to look for online help)
Final result: I would thoroughly recommend this product
update 20/11/19: I have installed this now for someone with Plusnet and also another with Virgin Media, in both cases it works brilliantly.
Both of these installations needed a wireless access point that bypassed the Bitdefender, so in both cases used an old router wifi hub as a wireless access point. I tried to access the network protected by Bitdefender from the new access point and was denied. This is a better way to set up a guest network, so visitors etc can be given access to the internet but not your internal network. The range is also better than the internal wifi from the bitdefender box. Also hot swapping a router from a service provider is not a problem. I changed a router and all worked perfectly.
The addition of free software protection on all devices (laptops, tablets, phones) is a bonus.
I now use it with the following extensions in Chrome; Cookie AutoDelete, HTTPS Everywhere, Password Checkup extension, NoScript, uBlock Origi
Customer Service is 24 hours 7 days a week. You will get answered immediately by someone kind, fluent and knowledgeable of the product with a solution. A complimentary follow-up service by the company, 1 month after purchase is also something I have only seen from car dealers. Nice touch, Jason.
There are a few minor reasons that I didn’t rate this product a full 5 star.
1) The installation wizard asked me for an activation code and I spent 20 minutes searching the box and trying the barcode and serial number until I called the support line who told me that I just needed to login with my new profile. Installation and activation needs to be idiot-proof. I am tech savvy, but I had an issue. My grandparents would buy this unit and pack it in the closet or return it if they struggled to activate it.
2) Please add an option for this device not to broadcast the SSID for added protection
3) Consider an additional WIFI extension solution via the electric socket for people with big houses and cottages who don’t want to get 3rd party devices. The range is good, but some people have farms and basements.
4) Include the new WIFI standard in your next upgrade
5) Add me as a Beta Tester
Don’t let these points put you off, there is no product like it on the market. It’s award winning and even displyed at CES.
Set up was simple, it recognized all of my devices, hasn’t slowed down the network and has a nice interactive app.
Pretty much exactly what we were looking for.