D-Link on Monday announced that it is shipping Securespot, a new hardware device that provides threat protection for up to four computers and also offers parental controls for families. It costs $99.
Securespot connects between your broadband Internet connection and home router. It detects and eradicates computer viruses, spam, popup ads and other content that users find objectionable, and is Mac OS X and Windows-compatible.
Parents can use Securespot to customize each child’s computer content. They can assign access times, block keywords and Web sites, filter known and unknown e-mail addresses and view event logs to check for suspicious activities.
Management of Securespot is handled through a Web-based control panel, and it uses real-time databases that are automatically updated to keep virus definitions, URL information, spyware and spam server lists up to date. Eighty-two filtering categories are recognized — for example, users can selectively filter peer-to-peer applications, instant messaging and more, without slowing down network traffic.
Because Securespot is constantly being updated with new threat information, the $99 you initially pay gets you a year of updates. After the first year, Securespot licensing for up to four computers costs $79.99, and you can buy additional licenses for $19.99 each if you add additional machines to your network that require protection.