Review F-Secure Sense routers: Effective, affordable protection

F-Secure Sense is a wireless router capable of blocking access to malicious websites and other threats, blocking trackers, as well as including firewalls to protect all connected devices from attacks.

The included applications help set up and manage the router, as well as provide even more independent protection such as URL filtering, download scanning, behavior monitoring, banking transaction protection, and control of parents and more (different features will depend on your platform).

Design of F-Secure Sense

The minimalist, neat design will allow F-Secure Sense to fit most homes. The ports, cables and buttons are located at the back, leaving only a cream-colored box with a light-emitting LED clock ahead.

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Larger than some competitors at 8.54 x 4.88 x 3.54 inches (21.7 x 12.4 x 9cm), but F-Secure claims its vertical design and 4 antennas F-Secure Sense will bring a stronger signal.

Other Sense supports all the standards you need - WiFi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac on 2.4GHz and 5GHz (AC1750) - and provides Gigabit Ethernet WAN port and 3 LAN ports. USB 3.0 is also available, but currently only for powering other devices.

Unfortunately, there is no WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) option to quickly connect new devices.

Establish

F-Secure does a great job of simplifying the Sense setup process.The well-designed Quick Guide will guide you through the first steps of installation and have a specification sheet, if you are interested.

After connecting the power, some glowing LED lights will change and start flashing, indicating the router status. There are 11 options to indicate whether Sense starts, pairs with other devices, updates software, or performs other tasks.

Download, install, and run the F-Secure mobile app (although Windows and Mac apps are available, it can only be set up with Android or iOS apps).

The app allows you to set up Sense to use a wired or wireless connection. The application will assign the router a network name and password, update the firmware, and then be ready to use.

Finally, you can protect all your existing devices by connecting them to the new Sense wireless network.

Android application

F-Secure Sense does not require any management or adjustment actions other than the initial setup, as the default settings work well and the firmware is automatically updated in the background. But it's still worth looking into the Sense apps and learning about some handy extras.

The Devices screen lists all the hardware connected to Sense at the present time and a list of other devices that Sense has protected in the past.

You can also manually block Internet access for a device.

The Guest Network feature allows you to create a customized wireless network for your visitors, allowing them to access the Internet without having to share the main WiFi password.

The Settings page allows you to whitelist websites that shouldn't be blocked.

The Tracking Protection feature blocks the web tracker, but is disabled by default. You can enable it for maximum protection.

Port forwarding support allows you to create custom rules to access the network from outside.

The App Security feature monitors every other application you try to install on your device, alerting you to anything harmful.

The default Sense network settings will work well in most situations, but if you encounter problems, there will be some things that can be tweaked, like configuring Sense network names and passwords, WiFi channels, and addresses. The router's IP, DHCP IP range and login details for any custom WAN connection (username, password, address, port, DNS, etc.). Even so, F-Secure Sense is still very easy to set up and handle the basics.

Windows, Mac, iOS apps

If the Android application is not right for you, F-Secure has services for iOS, Windows and Mac. That's good news, but be careful, these applications are very different and each platform has its own set of features.

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For example, the main router management and setup tools are only available on Android and iOS.

Windows, Mac, and Android applications can scan files and downloads for malware, as well as block malware. These are app features, not routers, so they work anywhere. But behavioral monitoring is only for Windows.

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The Windows application also has a simple parental control system. You can set content blocking, enforce secure searches, and restrict device usage over time.

Efficiency

F-Secure Sense reaches speeds of 350 - 650Mbps with all security features enabled, depending on traffic (browsing, streaming, uploading, downloading).

WiFi speed in the real world will depend on how your home is built and laid out. Even so, Sense has no trouble transmitting 4 4K video streams to individual test devices and has not detected any serious performance issues.

Sense's web filtering uses cloud-based technologies just like regular F-Secure security applications.

F-Secure is one of six companies capable of blocking at least 85% of phishing websites. Sense performed quite well in tests. Windows, Mac, and Android applications will recognize most malicious downloads, and anti-virus software will be able to handle everything else.

Conclude

F-Secure Sense is not the market leader in terms of speed, features or anything else, but this router is easy to set up and provides a good level of home network protection at a reasonable price.

Advantages:

1. Great value
2. Stylish designs include LED watches
3. Easy to set up
4. Mobile and computer apps for added security

Defect:

1. Only the basic features
2. There are not many configuration options
3. Not available independently