Bitdefender BOX 2 (Latest Version) - Complete Home Network Protection for Your WiFi, Computers, Mobile/Smart Devices and More, Including Alexa and Google Assistant Integration - Plugs Into Your Router

EDIT: 6/29/2019: I tried the Bitdefender Box 2 again. Remember how I said it wasn't Gigabit compatible? Guess what? 1 year later I finally realized that the Bitdefender Antivirus software that is included is a POS! It was their antivirus software all along that was slowing down my gigabit internet speed! So now I use Kaspersky Internet Security on my PC, and I decided to re-buy the Bitdefender Box to protect all my IOT devices. However, I did NOT install Bitdefender software on my computer. I have not lost a single Mbps in internet speed! So... I thought, let me uninstall Kaspersky, and reinstall Bitdefender Total Security since it's included with my box. Guess what!? My speed slowed down to 200Mbps again! It was their crappy software this entire time! So I am upping the box to 5 stars. Why? Because it does a phenomal job at blocking phishing sites and malware. I decided to keep Kaspersky installed on my PC and use the BitBox 2 to protect/block everything else. With this combo, I feel double secured, and I get to keep my gigabit internet speed! P.S.! Bitdefender.. are you listening!? Fix your crappy antivirus software and stop slowing down my computer/internet speed! EDIT 6/4/18: Came home tonight after work and the Box was completely blocking ALL wifi traffic! All wired connections were fine and receiving Internet just fine. However, my iPhone, Fire TVs, and a few other devices were "connected" but I couldn't get out to the Internet. I am done troubleshooting with this box. It's going back to Amazon tomorrow. I've spent 15+ hours troubleshooting with this device, and that's not how it should be. At this point, I can't recommend the Bitdefender Box 2. EDIT 6/3/18: Changing my review 4 stars to 1 star. Bitdefender Box 2 is not compatible with Gigabit Internet, despite what they say. I just tried downloading something and noticed the speed was extremely slow compared to what I should be getting (I download a lot of torrents that max out my Internet) and my speed could not get past 240Mbps. So my speed dropped yet again from 900+Mbps to the 250s. See my full review below. I tried 3 separate routers with Bitdefender Box 2. I'm returning this device. I'm giving this 4 Stars because "I like it." However, that doesn't goes without saying that I had numerous issues to get it working 100%. There was a review from February 18th, 2018 where the person said the following, "However, my internet connection began experiencing intermittent outages that could only be resolved by restarting the BOX 2." I can agree with the person who said this. Let me explain below. I setup the Bitdefender Box with my Netgear Orbi router. I setup the Orbi in Access Point mode behind the Bitdefender Box. Everything worked PERFECTLY, except I would get 20-25 messages from the Bitdefender Central app notifying me of a DHCP conflict (screenshot attached to my review.) Inside the error message, it informed me the DHCP conflict was coming from my AT&T ONT's box. The ONT box is on the outside of my house that handles the Gigabit Internet coming into my house. Basically, I have NO control over the ONT box and can't access it. So, I ended up buying a different router to see what would happen. I bought the Linksys EA9500 router. This is one of the best consumer routers and costs quite a bit of money. I put the Linksys router in Bridge Mode with the Bitdefender Box 2. The DHCP error messages went away, and everything seemed to be working great! But, guess what? My Gigabit Internet speed would go from around 950Mbps to 250Mbps. I called Bitdefender support, and essentially we found out that the Bitdefender Box was handling my Gigabit Internet speed just fine. What I did was completely disconnect the Linksys router, plug my computer directly into the Bitdefender Box and I left it for a couple hours. I eventually ran a speed test, and the Gigabit speed stayed 900Mbps+. So it WAS the Linksys router. But here's the kicker, it was a brand new router and it's a premium router. So my theory is that the Bitdefender Box is/was the culprit for reducing my speed to 250Mbps. See why I agree with the guy from February 18th review? I had issues with my Internet too. So what did I do next? I bought yet ANOTHER router. This time I bought an Asus RT-AC88U router. Everything happens for a reason :-) Why? I like this Asus router so much better than the Linksys. I put the Asus in AP mode with the Bitdefender Box, and the coverage is better and the speeds are faster than the Linksys. However, I did still notice speeds dropping to 250Mbps with the Asus router. What I did was flash the router with custom firmware 'Asuswrt-Merlin.' I've used Merlin's firmware before and his work is amazing! After flashing his custom firmware to the Asus router, everything is working FLAWLESS! 300Mbps - 500Mbps with wifi, and 950Mbps over wired Internet. It took a lot of work to get to this point, but in the end it was worth it. I'm not getting any error messages, and my Gigabit Internet speeds are stable and rock solid. The Bitdefender box truly does block 99.99999% of phishing sites and who knows what else. I use PhishTank website for testing. No matter what device you use (Windows computer, iPad, iPhone, etc.) if you visit a phishing site the Bitdefender Box stops you. The device truly does work. I feel more protected using it, and I have 36 devices on my network since moving into a smart home. I do have a problem with Bitdefender saying "100% Network Compatibility" on their website. Because as you can see from above, I had a heck of a time getting this to work with certain routers and keeping my Gigabit Internet speeds. If you have questions, please comment on my review. I will try to answer the best I can.

I have been using Bitdefender Antivirus on my Mac computers for 6 months and liked the product. So when I discovered the Box 2 could similarly protect all the devices in my home, I was excited to give it a try. There seems to be alot of talk about hackers using our connected devices to conduct DDoS attacks or gain access to other devices in our homes. I was a little concerned because I am a bit of a gadget person and have collected a wide assortment of connected devices: wireless router with multiple extenders; multiple Amazon Echo devices; Apple TV’s; Dish sling player and multiple Joey’s; Computers; printers; Kindles; iPads; iPhones; thermostats; switches; even my car connects to my network while in the garage (who knew). Just over 50 devices. I like gadgets, but don’t really care to know how they all work; just that they do work. I know next to nothing about wireless networking. It all seems like magic to me. Because of this I was nervous. How hard was this going to be? When the Box 2 arrived, before even opening anything, I called Bitdefender customer support. A live person answered immediately. I gave him a brief description of my setup. He was extremely pleasant and helpful and gave me a brief tip on how to get my wireless router in bridge mode. He encouraged me to call back if I had any difficulty at all. They were here to help 24/7. The best customer service interactiion I had had in a long time. I took a deep breath and went through the installation steps as per the enclosed instructions. The only equipment not supplied was the reading classes needed to read the Password on the back of the unit ;-) The installation procedure was straight forward. The Box 2 then takes some time to discover your devices and assigns them an IP address the 172.x.x range by default. My previous setup assigned IP addresses in the 10.x.x range. My brain has been used to working in this range so I went to settings and changed the DCHP setting to 10.x.x. The IP addresses of my devices were then reassigned to that range without difficulty. You check the status of all your devices through the Bitdefender Central app on your mobile device. Not all of my devices were immediately connected. They were discovered but not connected. It could be that I was impatient and they may have connected on their own. However, I just went around a power cycled any device not connected and it connect immediately. A couple of Echo devices and Apple TV’s didn’t make the list initially. A power cycle and ther they were! I subsequently read a review here from someone who was much more knowledgeable than me who recommended disconnecting all your devices before installation and then reconnecting them one at a time afer installation is complete. I guess either way you do it, some of your devices will need to be power cycled to be assigned a new IP address. Not a big deal at all. The Box 2 then assesses all your devices for vulnerabilities. On mobile devices there will be a recommendation to install the Bitdefender Security app. I did this and it is straightforward. You are notified when any new device attempts to connect to your network and if it has vulnerabilities. I discovered this when we had people over last night. Pretty cool! My Box 2 came with the lastest firmware, but I have had one firmware update since and it caused no issues at all with my network or any of the devices. I had 6 months left on my Bitdefender Antivirus subscription. When I installed the Box 2 the 12 months subscription included was added to the 6 months remaining so that I am paid up for 18 months. I appreciate the customer friendly approach. So, how hard was it going to be? For me and my set up with just over 50 devices it was very straightforward even with changing the IP address range. I feel much more secure having the Box 2 watching my network and it has already indentified and blocked some threats. So far, I am a very satisfied customer.

I have been working with Bitdefender, since my purchase more than six months ago, on this problem....and have the emails to prove it. I am a relitively computer savvy tech consumer, with years of experience in setting up my ever changing home entertainment network, with excellent results. I love their computer based antivirus product and have been a Bitdefender Total Security subscriber for years, and love that product. This is a different story: - When I purchased this box, I was excited about the idea of protection for my network printer, smart tv, my multiple kindles (especially my Kindle Fire), for doing more sensitive things like banking and shopping on my iPhone at home, along with the ability to scan these devices for threats, since they don't have there own antivirus. What is available, I felt was weak and took up valuable memory/cpu. Router based protection made sense to me. - Unfortunately, while it does the vulnerability scans and seems to offers run-of-the-mill protection from automated intrusion, it is easily set off-line/Invalid DNS server error. - When it goes off-line, I can no longer use the smart apps on my tv. ie: Netflix goes offline. When I'm gaming and it goes off-line, I get kicked when it goes back online (weird). I'm also not convinced it's random, because of the times it occurs. Regardless of why it's happening, Bitdefender should have some idea why. I allow data & crash collection, etc. With my many conversations, we've even talked on the phone,...they got nothin'. Meaning, they first didn't know why it was happening. Then, a few conversation later, they have a fix in the works and will get back to me....I'm still waiting. - This box is designed to work/clone your ISP's modem. So I have both up an running, as recommended. I've resorted to hardwiring my Gaming computer and Smart TV directly trough my ISP's modem, for a less frustrating online experience. (My ISP's modem has 4 ethernet ports - the Box has 2 - One is filled, on each, by their wired connection to each other). And I use the Kindle Fire's memory to download movies, instead of streaming, for the same reasons...Not The Experience I Was Looking For. BTW, I still have to unplug the Box when Gaming or Streaming on my SmartTV, because it will still effect my hardwired internet connections. When the Box is unplugged, I have yet to have any internet issues. - Now it's past the return date. Awesome. Whatever. So, I will plug it in when I need to use the wi-fi for printing, downloading movies, updating phone apps, using my laptop, or scanning devices for vulnerabilities. Then I unplug. - They have a fairly nice app that allows you to interface with the Box2. This is where you initiate device scans, change your password, name devices and such. It has instructions for what to do when you get an Invalid DNS Server error. You could say it works? How would you know. It come back on-line properly when followed. It also comes back on-line properly when you simply reboot the Box2. Future Invalid DNS Server disconnects are still happening, and still nothing new from Bitdefender Support. Did I mention, this wasn't the experience I was looking for? - My advice: Buy something else or simply use the best security offered by your ISP's Modem. Unfortunately, if the bad guys want to get in, they are probably going to get in.

The Good: Not to difficult to setup. And, very effective in protecting the devices on my network. So far, I love my BOX! The Bad: The downside is that if you do not purchase your BOX directly from Bitdefender (such as purchasing from Amazon), renewal is problematic. You cannot setup auto-renewal until you manually renew once because Bitdefender uses a third party vendor for payments which does not have a record of your subscription being purchased, therefor they have nothing to setup an auto-renewal for. This is further exacerbated because you will also not get any notice that your subscription has expired other than a red light on your BOX!! Which means you either need to renew early, or keep a close eye on the expiry date. Otherwise, your protect may not be there when you need it. I have mentioned my concerns about this to Bitdefender customer support and hope that they will figure out a solution. Meanwhile, I stuck with a sticky note on my laptop to remind me to renew.

My set up was not documented with the user manuals so I went ahead and called support and they walked me through the setup. I have a modem with only one ethernet port. The Bitdefender box provides dhcp and I'm able to continue to use my Asus router to provide wifi I just had to turn off dhcp on the Asus wifi router (same as bridge mode). It also seemed like there was a specific order in which I had to plug back in my modem the Bitdefender box and Asus Wi-Fi router. After that all my devices connected just fine. Only thing to remember is that this will put your devices on the 172 network so if you have any devices assigned to a static IP you'll need to make some adjustments and assign that device with a static IP consistent with the new IP range. You'll be able to monitor each connected device via the app or the Bitdefender central website. Only thing I wish I was able to do is access the Bitdefender box directly by entering its IP address on my browser but I don't think the Bitdefender box was designed to allow users to make adjustments to the settings. If you're the type that wants to hook up your devices and just rely on it to work then this is the device for you. If you like to tinker and are a power user then the inability to access the settings of the Bitdefender box may leave you a little disappointed. As far as networking performance, I haven't noticed a drop in performance except when I try to access my indoor security cameras from its respective app (just takes a little longer) I imagine it's the Bitdefender Box making sure the connection is secure. One more great advantage to this product is the ability to install Bitdefender security software on unlimited devices to include computers and mobile devices as well as the ability to monitor traffic going to your child's mobile device, contacts, text messages, designate internet usage etc etc. This is a great product to have in your home especially if you plan on implementing smart devices in your home.

I have FIOS and that means I need their router (unless I use a MOCA adapter). I also have a large house so I need their FIOS network extender. Setting Bit Defender Box 2 up with this scenario is near impossible and their tech support people are not very helpful. In order to truly do this you need a router which has AP mode - which the FIOS Quantum Gateway does not have - at least not "officially". I say officially because there is a way to do it but it's a lot of work for the average consumer and Bitdefender seems to have no clue what they're talking about when you ask them. Steps: * Disable DHCP * Disable DNS * Set router to bridge mode * Setup Bitdefender Box 2 as though you are using it alongside your own persona router (not the ISP provided option) It may or may not work. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I've done this six separate times and twice it refused to see any devices on the network. The other few times it did work fine. It seems super hit or miss. Great product (when it works) but it needs to be more intuitive for the average person. Having to make people go through all these hoops yourself is kind of stupid and products like CUJO are more than willing and able to do them for you - so why can't Bitdefender Box?

One year later: superb protection and has stopped ransom ware attacks and what not. It has the capability to stream UHD and is faster than before. Edit after using it for 3 months: As long as your are connected to it, your device is secure. It does scan every traffic. Every byte. And hence your network slows down when you are streaming on many devices. *Edit on 6th day : after disabling the iPhone WiFi sync, and rebooting the Box, works perfectly. Return canceled. *Edit on 4th day latest: Returning it for a refund. Does not work. Frequently drops connection and have to cold reboot every few mins. Not worth the effort and pain. Support from Bitdefender is next to none. *Edit on 4th day: Had to pull out power for a cold restart after WiFi and LAN did not work. Seems this Bix has a defect or a problem. Don’t know which. Dramatic slowdowns and dramatic stoppages. *Edit on 2nd day. It randomly slows down and completely pauses WiFi for some devices or pages. I have 8 devices connected and I suddenly find twitter not reachable. No phishing URL. * Easy to setup. ESP the way it clones your current WiFi. That helps a lot. The funny thing is blocked access to my ISP router’s IP address. Without that access I can’t disable the ISP routers WiFi. Had to connect via Ethernet cable to do the needful. Please disable ISPNrouyer WiFi BEFORE connecting this Box to router via Ethernet cable.

I only have a cable modem with 1 port unlike what is shown in setup. The first try to setup the box said it couldn’t detect an internet connection. Then it lets you tell it what kind of connection you have. Even after selecting the right one the box still couldn’t find the internet. I then rebooted the cable modem and waited for the modem to get the internet connection. Once it did I rebooted the box and it then found the internet connection. The rest of the setup went as described. I have two kids at home and my son loves downloading programs and making his own programs and even his own operating system. With that comes the risk of malware, viruses, and phishing sites. I love having the peace of mind that I have an extra layer of protection than just my antivirus solution. I now also have parental controls and everything is controlled through one app. I have always loved Bitdefender’s software solutions. Always top notch in reviews and best of all the lowest impact on my network. I was expecting some slow down with using internet on my devices with the box. I am happy to say every thing responds as quick as it did before including controlling my smart devices. I have a 480mbps down. And 24 up. After the box install I still get 480 down and 24 up. I read on other reviews of the Norton Core that it really slowed down the internet sometimes over 50%. Bitdefender just didn’t make up that their box gives you maximum internet speed. Thanks Bitdefender for a great product and some peace of mind.