When is the last time you thought about your Wi-Fi router? If you’re like 99.9 percent of regular folk, it’s probably the dark day when it stopped working. But, as the portal through which all internet traffic to your various connected devices flows, it’s actually one of the most important gadgets we have.
That’s where a new Kickstarter campaign for a “revolutionary” Wi-Fi router comes in. Called Gryphon, it’s a high-performance router with built-in real-time parental control and smart machine learning security that you can easily manage with a smartphone app.
“I have two daughters, who are now 11 and 13,” creator John Wu told Digital Trends. “A couple of years back was when they started to use the internet a lot more. As a parent, you have this moment when you’re aware they’re potentially being exposed to inappropriate material online. I wanted to create a solution to keep them safe.”
While software for censoring unseemly parts of the internet has been around for years, Wu found that it was unwieldy in an age in which most families have more than one or two points of internet access. “With the number of connected devices being used in the home, it’s very unmanageable to install software on each one,” he said. “That’s where I came up with the idea of rethinking the router itself.”
Gryphon is a plug-and-play alternative that gives parents more control over the internet access that takes place under their roof. Using the router’s app, they can set age levels for different devices, preset bedtimes and homework hours, or even infuriate grouchy teenagers by suspending internet access altogether in favor of family time. In addition, they can view browsing history for connected devices — even when they’re set to incognito mode.
It’s not just a solution for families, either. Gryphon also sniffs out possible cyberattacks and protects against them.
“A couple of weeks ago, there was a big attack on IoT devices which were hacked,” Wu continued. “We’ve built in security to the router so that it can monitor the activity of connected devices, flag any kind of unusual activity, and quarantine the device if there’s the potential of it being hacked.”
To that end, the system will filter all incoming data streams to clean up and prevent malware from entering your home. It’s smart stuff and — provided it works as well as described — could just transform the way that routers operate.
To get your hands on a unit, you can place a pre-order on Kickstarter, where a Gryphon router will set you back $139. Shipping is set to take place in June 2017.
