智能家居包括比五年前更多的设备。很多家庭都有智能电视(Smart TVs)、智能插头、智能灯泡、各种智能传感器等等。所有这些设备都很有用，但它们往往几乎没有内置安全性。他们中的许多人很少收到修复问题和安全问题的固件更新。结果，您的家可能比几年前更智能，但它的安全性也较低，并且是黑客的天堂。如果你想要一个安全的智能家居，你应该考虑Bitdefender Box 2。原因如下：
什么是 Bitdefender Box 2？
Bitdefender Box 2不是典型的无线路由器(wireless router)，虽然它可以作为一个路由器使用。您应该将其视为家庭网络的(home network)安全中心(security hub)。它可以提供以下网络安全功能：全网深度包检测、(packet inspection)入侵检测系统(intrusion detection system)( IDS )、入侵防御系统(intrusion prevention system)( IPS )、异常检测、设备发现(device discovery)、防火墙、URL 黑名单(URL blacklisting)、漏洞评估(vulnerability assessment)、家长控制和本地防病毒保护(antivirus protection)。
Bitdefender Box 2可用于以下三种情况之一：
- 作为独立的无线路由器(standalone wireless router)，在家中提供WiFi 和安全性(WiFi and security)
- 作为与其他制造商制造的个人无线路由器(wireless router)一起使用的安全盒(security box)
- 作为安全盒和 WiFi 路由器(security box and WiFi router)，与您的互联网服务提供商提供的路由器一起使用(internet service provider)
在这些情况下，设置和用户体验可能会有很大差异，因此请务必阅读我们的完整评论以了解详细信息。
Bitdefender Box 2：它对谁有好处？
该设备适用于：
- 拥有大量智能设备的智能家居
- 希望为家庭网络(home network)提供最佳安全性的人
- 拥有许多设备并希望节省防病毒许可证的用户
- 需要有效家长控制的有孩子的家庭
- 具有强大无线路由器(wireless router)的智能家居可与Bitdefender Box 2一起使用(Bitdefender Box 2)
优点和缺点
Bitdefender Box 2有很多优点：
- 它提供了您可以在智能家居中获得的最完整的安全性
- 它可以帮助您节省所有设备的防病毒许可证
- 它具有强大的硬件，可以处理保护许多设备
- 它看起来不错，并且具有可靠的构建质量
- 它可以通过智能手机和网络浏览器进行远程控制(web browser)
- 它为有孩子的家庭提供有效的家长控制
- 它提供了各种有用的支持选项
Bitdefender Box 2有以下弱点：
- 初始配置只能从移动应用程序完成。您无法从 PC 进行设置
- 它没有USB端口
- 它只有两个以太网端口
- 当用作无线路由器(wireless router)时，它提供平庸的WiFi 覆盖范围和性能(WiFi coverage and performance)
- 当用作无线路由器(wireless router)时，它会阻止许多合法网页。幸运的是，当用作无线路由器(wireless router)旁边的安全集线器(security hub)时，不会出现这种行为。
判决
Bitdefender Box的第二个版本是一款令人兴奋的创新设备。它拥有出色的硬件，支持最新的网络标准，看起来不错，并且它的订阅中包含无限的防病毒许可证，适用于您的所有智能家居设备。它并不完美，但它击中了正确的位置，如果您想为您的智能家居提供尽可能好的安全性，Bitdefender Box 2是必须购买的。我们强烈建议您将它与功能强大的无线路由器(wireless router)一起使用，而不是作为独立的无线路由器(standalone wireless router)使用。它在这种模式下的性能明显低于其他AC1900 无线路由器(wireless router)。此外，当用作路由器时，它的“误报”率更高。
拆箱 Bitdefender Box 2
Bitdefender Box 2采用漂亮的白色盒子，带有绿色装饰，上面印有许多关于该产品功能的细节。如果您想熟悉拆箱体验，请观看下面的视频。由于我们位于罗马尼亚(Romania)，因此我们收到了用于测试罗马尼亚(Romania)包装中的Box 2 。国际版看起来与下面的视频相同。它只是用英语(English)或其他语言。
在包装内，您可以找到以下元素：Bitdefender Box、电源适配器、以太网电缆、设置指南和保修。(Inside the package, you find the following elements: the Bitdefender Box, the power adapter, an Ethernet cable, the setup guide, and the warranty.)
硬件规格和设计
Bitdefender Box 2是一款谨慎、美观的设备。它全是白色的，上面没有任何按钮。当您打开它时，您只会在前面看到一个圆圈亮起。(circle light)这个圆圈表示Box的工作状态，它让我们想起了Windows 10中的(Windows 10)Cortana。
在背面，您会发现只有两个 1 Gbps 以太网(Gbps Ethernet)端口、电源插孔(power jack)和一个重置插孔(Reset jack)。
通风网格位于Box的顶部和底部。在底部，您还有三个橡胶支脚，可将其放置在平坦的表面上。
Bitdefender Box 2内部的硬件非常强大。它配备1.2 GHz双核(GHz)ARM Cortex-A9 处理器(ARM Cortex-A9 processor)、1GB RAM和 4GB 固件存储空间。它具有MediaTek MT7615 无线(MediaTek MT7615 wireless)芯片组，支持 802.11ac Wave 2标准和 3x3 MU-MIMO 传输。总理论最大带宽(maximum bandwidth)为 1900 Mbps ，拆分如下：2.4 GHz WiFi 频段为 600 (GHz WiFi band)Mbps，5 GHz 频段(GHz band)为1300 Mbps。
Bitdefender Box 2是一款高大的无线路由器(wireless router)，尺寸为 7.0 x 4.5 x 4.5 英寸或 17.78 x 11.43 x 11.43 厘米高x 长(x length) x 宽(x width)。它的尺寸相对较轻，重量为 34 盎司或 966 克。
设置和使用Bitdefender Box 2
Bitdefender Box 2不仅仅是一个典型的无线路由器(wireless router)。它首先是一个安全工具(security tool)，它可以以三种不同的方式使用。只能通过您的智能手机或平板电脑(smartphone or tablet)进行设置，并借助适用于Android和iOS的(iOS)Bitdefender Central应用程序。要使用该应用程序，您需要一个Bitdefender 帐户(Bitdefender account)。在设置Box之前创建它并阅读设置说明：
正如您将看到的，所涉及的步骤并不容易完成，最好在完成之前熟悉该过程。通过这种方式，您知道成功设置Bitdefender Box 2需要什么，您可以最大程度地减少设置时间以及因错误而导致的挫败感。我们注意到的一件事是，当您将Bitdefender Box 2配置为无线路由器(wireless router)时，唯一可用的配置是设置WiFi的名称和密码。Bitdefender Box 2为您处理所有其他事情。在其他模式下，您也可以很少设置Bitdefender Box 2 的方式(way Bitdefender Box 2)作品。唯一可用的设置是白名单、WiFi、我们网络中使用的 IP 地址、DNS服务器和固件更新。
Bitdefender Central应用程序相对简单。它向您显示流量信息(traffic information)、设备概览、本周阻止的威胁报告以及您在家庭网络(home network)中定义的用户。
当新设备连接到您的网络、对每个设备进行漏洞评估(vulnerability assessment)以及检测到威胁时，该应用程序会显示通知。当您开始使用Bitdefender Central和Bitdefender Box 2时，该应用程序有些冗长。随着时间的流逝，它变得更加沉默。
Bitdefender Box 2的一个重要方面是它包含家庭网络(home network)中设备的无限许可，只要您的Box 订阅(Box subscription)处于活动状态。因此，您可以在 Windows 和Mac OS X、Android 和 iOS上安装(Android and iOS)Bitdefender Total Security。如果您拥有广泛的家庭网络(home network)，这是一个很好的选择，因为它可以帮助您节省购买防病毒产品的费用并在家中获得尽可能好的网络安全。
安装在家庭网络(home network communicate)设备上的防病毒应用(antivirus apps)程序与Bitdefender Box 2和Bitdefender Central通信。您还可以通过网络浏览器(web browser)访问Bitdefender Central网站，查看您的家庭网络(home network)及其安全设置。
可用的设置很少，任何人都易于理解。不幸的是，极客和 IT 专业人员想要更多的控制和功能，(control and features)比如更容易的白名单。当我们查看Bitdefender Box 2时，无法查看它阻止的所有内容，因此我们可以将不应被阻止的内容列入白名单。
完成初始设置后，Bitdefender Box 2会处理所有事情，并采用类似于(Bitdefender Box 2)Bitdefender的防病毒产品的“非接触式”方法。它为用户自动完成了这项工作，无需用户进行任何干预。
我们在两种情况下测试了Bitdefender Box 2：作为独立的无线路由器(standalone wireless router)，以及作为与华硕(ASUS)制造的高端个人路由器一起运行的安全集线器(security hub)。在我们的家庭网络(home network)中，我们有很多设备：个人电脑、笔记本电脑、平板电脑、智能手机、一台Xbox One控制台、几个智能插头和智能灯泡，以及一台无线打印机。我们能够毫无问题地将它们全部连接到网络。Bitdefender Box 2根据其安全配置文件(security profile)迅速识别和分类它们. 家庭的一项巧妙功能是，您可以为孩子创建个人资料，选择他们使用的设备，并为他们访问详细的家长控制。您还可以在他们的移动设备上安装Bitdefender Parental Advisor，这样即使他们不在家，您也可以进行控制。
当我们将Bitdefender Box 2用作独立无线路由器(standalone wireless router)时，我们注意到它阻止了许多合法网页，包括Google Drive文档和Feedburner RSS提要。我们所有的发布工作(publishing work)都是在Google Drive中完成的，所以我们不得不使用VPN 服务(VPN service)来防止Bitdefender Box 2阻止我们。甚至数字公民(Digital Citizen)旧文章中的一些合法网页也被屏蔽了。这种模式下的“误报”率太高，无法用于生产用途。
当我们切换到我们的无线路由器(wireless router)并使用Bitdefender Box 2作为路由器旁边的安全集线器(security hub)时，这种糟糕的阻止行为停止了，Bitdefender Bitdefender Box 2只阻止了真正的威胁。这一次，我们能够毫无问题地完成工作，被阻止的网站数量显着减少，仅限于恶意网页。
正如您将在我们的基准测试中看到的那样，Bitdefender Box 2在用作无线路由器(wireless router)时表现一般。许多 AC1900无线路由器在(wireless router)WiFi 覆盖范围和速度(WiFi coverage and speed)方面都轻松胜过它。如果你想要一个快速的网络，你应该使用个人路由器和 Bitdefender Box(router and Bitdefender Box) 2 作为整个网络的安全工具。(security tool)在这种情况下，您的网络性能会显着提高。
Bitdefender Box 2 是适用于您的智能家居网络的高效安全解决方案。它提供完整的保护，并且只要您的 Bitdefender Box 2 订阅处于活动状态，它就可以为您的家庭设备提供无限的 Bitdefender 许可证。(Bitdefender Box 2 is a highly efficient security solution for your smart home network. It provides complete protection, and it includes unlimited Bitdefender licenses for your home devices, as long as your Bitdefender Box 2 subscription is active. It can be an efficient way to save on antivirus products and get the best possible security)这是节省防病毒产品并为您的家庭网络( for your home network)获得最佳安全性的有效方式。然而，作为一个独立的无线路由器，它可能会令人失望。(. However, as a standalone wireless router, it can be disappointing.)
如果您想了解有关Bitdefender Box 2无线性能的确切细节，使用无线路由器时，请转到本评论的下一页。
Bitdefender Box 2 review: Next generation home network security!
Smart homes include mоre deviсеs than they used to include five yeаrs ago. Many homes have Smart TVs, smart plugs, smart bulbs, all kinds of smаrt sensors, and so on. All these devicеѕ are useful, but theу tend to have little to no security built into them. Many of them rarely receive firmware uрdates that fix problems and security issues. As a result, your home may be smarter than it used to be a few years ago, but it is also less secure, and a heaven for hackers. If you want a ѕecure ѕmart home, you should considеr Bitdefender Box 2. Here's why:
What is Bitdefender Box 2?
The Bitdefender Box 2 is not a typical wireless router, although it can be used as one. You should think of it as a security hub for your home network. It can offer the following cyber-security features: deep packet inspection through the whole network, an intrusion detection system (IDS), an intrusion prevention system (IPS), anomaly detection, device discovery, firewall, URL blacklisting, vulnerability assessment, parental controls, and local antivirus protection.
Bitdefender Box 2 can be used in one of three situations:
- As a standalone wireless router that offers both WiFi and security in your home
- As a security box working alongside your personal wireless router made by another manufacturer
- As a security box and WiFi router, working alongside the router provided by your internet service provider
The setup and the user experience can differ significantly between these situations, so make sure to read our full review for details.
Bitdefender Box 2: Who is it good for?
This device s a suitable choice for:
- Smart homes with a large number of smart devices
- People who want the best possible security for their home network
- Users with many devices who want to save on antivirus licenses
- Families with children who require efficient parental controls
- Smart homes that have a robust wireless router to use alongside Bitdefender Box 2
Pros and cons
Bitdefender Box 2 has many positives:
- It offers the most complete security you can get in a smart home
- It can help you save on antivirus licenses for all your devices
- It has powerful hardware that can deal with securing many devices
- It looks good, and it has reliable build quality
- It can be remotely controlled both from a smartphone and a web browser
- It offers efficient parental controls for families with children
- It offers varied and useful support options
Bitdefender Box 2 has the following weaknesses:
- The initial configuration can be done only from a mobile app. You cannot set it up from a PC
- It does not have a USB port
- It has only two Ethernet ports
- When used as a wireless router, it offers mediocre WiFi coverage and performance
- When used as a wireless router, it blocks many legitimate web pages. Luckily, this behavior is not present when used as a security hub alongside your wireless router.
Verdict
The second version of the Bitdefender Box is an exciting and innovative device. It has excellent hardware, support for the latest networking standards, it looks good, and it includes unlimited antivirus licenses in its subscription, for all your smart home devices. It is not perfect but it hits the right spots and, if you want the best possible security for your smart home, Bitdefender Box 2 is a must buy. We highly recommend that you use it alongside a powerful wireless router, and not as your standalone wireless router. Its performance in this mode is sensibly lower than that of other AC1900 wireless routers. Plus, it has a higher rate of "false positives" when used as a router.
Unboxing the Bitdefender Box 2
Bitdefender Box 2 comes in a good looking white box, with green accents, on which there are printed many details about the features of this product. If you want to familiarize yourself with the unboxing experience, watch the video below. Since we are based in Romania, we received for testing the Box 2 in the Romanian packaging. The international one looks the same as in the video below. It is just in English or another language.
Inside the package, you find the following elements: the Bitdefender Box, the power adapter, an Ethernet cable, the setup guide, and the warranty.
Hardware specifications and design
Bitdefender Box 2 is a discreet, good looking device. It is all white, without any buttons on it. You only see a circle light up on the front, when you turn it on. This circle signals the working state of the Box, and it reminded us of Cortana from Windows 10.
On the back, you will find only two 1 Gbps Ethernet ports, the power jack, and a Reset jack.
The ventilation grids are on the top side of the Box, and on its bottom. On the bottom, you also have three rubber feet for placing it on a flat surface.
The hardware inside the Bitdefender Box 2 is quite powerful. It comes with a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor at 1.2 GHz, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of storage for the firmware. It has MediaTek MT7615 wireless chipset which offers support for the 802.11ac Wave 2 standard and 3x3 MU-MIMO transfers. The total theoretical maximum bandwidth is of 1900 Mbps split as follows: 600 Mbps for the 2.4 GHz WiFi band, and 1300 Mbps for the 5 GHz band.
The Bitdefender Box 2 is a tall wireless router, having a size of 7.0 x 4.5 x 4.5 inches or 17.78 x 11.43 x 11.43 centimeters in height x length x width. It is relatively light for its size, having 34 ounces or 966 grams in weight.
Setting up and using the Bitdefender Box 2
Bitdefender Box 2 is not just a typical wireless router. It is first a security tool, and it can be used in three different ways. The setup is done only from your smartphone or tablet, with the help of the Bitdefender Central app for Android and iOS. To use the app, you need a Bitdefender account. Create it before setting up the Box and read the setup instructions:
As you will see, the steps involved are not that easy to go through, and it is best to familiarize yourself with the process, before going through it. This way, you know what you need to set up the Bitdefender Box 2 successfully, you minimize the time it takes to do it and the frustration resulting from getting it wrong. One thing we noticed is that, when you configure Bitdefender Box 2 to work as a wireless router, the only configuration available is setting the name and the password for the WiFi. Bitdefender Box 2 handles everything else for you. In the other modes too, you can set little about the way Bitdefender Box 2 works. The only available settings are for the whitelist, the WiFi, the IP addresses used in our network, the DNS servers, and the firmware updates.
The Bitdefender Central app is relatively straightforward. It shows you traffic information, an overview of your devices, reports about the threats blocked this week, and about the users that you have defined in your home network.
The app displays notifications when new devices are connected to your network, when a vulnerability assessment is made for each, and when threats are detected. When you start to use Bitdefender Central and Bitdefender Box 2, the app is somewhat verbose. As time passes, it becomes a lot more silent.
One significant aspect about the Bitdefender Box 2 is that it includes unlimited licenses for the devices in your home network, as long as your Box subscription is active. As a result, you can install Bitdefender Total Security on your Windows and Mac OS X, Android and iOS. If you have an extensive home network, this is a great offer, as it helps you save money on antivirus products and get the best possible cyber-security in your home.
The antivirus apps installed on the devices from your home network communicate with Bitdefender Box 2 and Bitdefender Central. You can also review your home network, and its security settings, from a web browser, by accessing the Bitdefender Central website.
The available settings are few and easy to understand by anyone. Unfortunately, geeks and IT professionals want more control and features like easier whitelisting. When we reviewed Bitdefender Box 2, there was no way to see everything that it blocked, so that we could whitelist what should not have been blocked.
After the initial setup was done, Bitdefender Box 2 took care of everything and had a "no-touch" approach just like Bitdefender's antivirus products. It did the job automatically, for the user, without any intervention required from the user.
We tested the Bitdefender Box 2 in two situations: as a standalone wireless router, and as a security hub running alongside a high-end personal router made by ASUS. In our home network, we have lots of devices: PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, an Xbox One console, several smart plugs and smart bulbs, and a wireless printer. We were able to connect all of them to the network without issues. They were quickly recognized and classified by Bitdefender Box 2 according to their security profile. One neat feature for families is that you can create profiles for your children, choose which devices they use, and get access to detailed parental controls for them. You can also install Bitdefender Parental Advisor on their mobile device so that you can be in control even when they are not at home.
When we used Bitdefender Box 2 as a standalone wireless router, we noticed that it blocked many legitimate web pages, including Google Drive documents and Feedburner RSS feeds. All our publishing work is done in Google Drive, so we had to use a VPN service to keep Bitdefender Box 2 from blocking us. Even some legitimate web pages from older articles on Digital Citizen were blocked. The rate of "false positives" in this mode was too high for productive use.
When we switched to our wireless router and used Bitdefender Box 2 as a security hub alongside the router, this lousy blocking behavior stopped, and Bitdefender Bitdefender Box 2 blocked only real threats. This time, we were able to do our work without issues, and the number of blocked websites decreased significantly, being limited only to malicious web pages.
As you will see in our benchmarks, Bitdefender Box 2 is mediocre when used as a wireless router. Many AC1900 wireless routers outperform it with ease, in both WiFi coverage and speed. If you want a fast network, you should use a personal router and Bitdefender Box 2 as a security tool for the whole network. The performance of your network increases significantly in this situation.
Bitdefender Box 2 is a highly efficient security solution for your smart home network. It provides complete protection, and it includes unlimited Bitdefender licenses for your home devices, as long as your Bitdefender Box 2 subscription is active. It can be an efficient way to save on antivirus products and get the best possible security for your home network. However, as a standalone wireless router, it can be disappointing.
If you want to know exact details about the wireless performance of Bitdefender Box 2, when used a wireless router, go to the next page of this review.
