Anyone who follows this blog knows what a home automation and gadget freak I am. The massive amount of IoT devices in this house need a fast internet connection to perform as expected. The more significant task is the management of all of these devices.
I turned to the Gryphon AX router to increase my network speed and help me better manage these devices and more.
The Gryphon AX looks very clean and sleek. It takes up less real estate than my old router and is more discrete on my entertainment center.
An accompanying phone app walks the user through setting up this router. This makes for a less frustrating process than connecting to the router over your network while the internet is down. After scanning a QR code on the router, I was off and running to set up my preferences. So much simpler than setting up my previous router.
The “User” interface allows me to set up rules for individual users. The management in the app is fantastic for parents that want to limit screen time and manage their children’s internet experience. The user can manage access control via URL or by category. The category feature takes the guesswork out of trying to guess which of the millions of websites and URLs you need to block. Some of the categories are Dating Sites, Explicit Content, and Mature. Online Shopping, Online Games, and even Gambling sites can be also be managed.
The categories can be restricted permanently or only be blocked at a self-dedicated “homework” time. There are also simple toggles to implement “Safe Search,” “Safe YouTube,” and the ability to store browsing history.
Testing your network speed is native to the app. I ran an online speedtest to get a baseline, and the app’s analysis of my network speed aligned with the 3rd party test I conducted. As you can see in the image above, my internet speed is impressive for a home-based network.
Another impressive feature is Malware blocking. Depending on your needs and security concerns, different levels of malware protection can be selected. The protection levels can be set to block malware to be tightened up to block phishing and scam sites. I took a trip across the internet to hit a site I knew would be suspect. The Gryphon AX blocked the malware and alerted my phone, letting me know which device encountered the malware and the URL of the site the device visited.
The product can also be operated in Stealth mode. Stealth mode will disable the notification to users when they attempt to access a blocked site or when the internet is suspended.
While we are on the subject of suspending the internet, there is a button on the home screen that allows you to suspend the internet with the touch of one button.
All of the aforementioned features can be assigned to a Guest network. This ensures your visitors are not compromising your network by exposing your network to suspect sites and applications.
The speed, flexibility, and ease of use of the Gryphon AX make it the perfect home router. I would strongly suggest the Gryphon AX for geeks like myself and people that want better insight and management of their children’s internet experience.
You can find more information about Gryphon products at gryphonconnect.com, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
