If there is one thing you start to take seriously in 2017 make it your online privacy. Irish startup InvizBox are making protecting your online privacy easier than ever with InvizBox Go.

Why is online privacy so important?

First of all, we’re not trying to put the fear of God into you. The internet simply demands a healthy respect. You can now find cheap accomodation with Airbnb and skip the queues in banks. The convenience of online has paved the way for faster and better ways of doing things. But perhaps things have become a little too convenient. You consume a crazy amount of data when you’re out and about. Irish smartphone users consume an average of 3.4 GB per month. And that’s not even including WiFi.

Shopping centres, cafés, airports and bars are just some of the most popular places you’ll now find public WiFi. These places now people expect WiF these days and that it’s likely to factor in your opinion of the place. Now, did they even have a WiFi password? Probably not, because logging in is too much of an inconvenience isn’t it?

Public WiFi is dangerous

Public WiFi is dangerous because would-be-hackers can position themselves between you and the internet. Sifting through data, they can gather your personal information and use it against you. Thankfully, it’s now super easy to combat this.

VPNs are the safe way to use public WiFi

People are connecting to public WiFi for one big reason – convenience. To combat the dangers, we’re going to need a pretty convenient security solution. We’ve already gone over how VPNs can keep you safe but now we can tell you the best way of going about getting one. First, we looked at Anonabox. Anonabox works perfectly fine, but their system would be really hard for non-techies to grasp. Considering how the world and its mother uses public WiFi, a more user-friendly option was badly needed. We waited patiently and came across InvizBox Go.

InvizBox Go

Irish company InvizBox Go came about through Kickstarter. After a successful campaign, the team have just shipped first orders to customers. We were lucky enough to get our hands on the InvizBox Go, so what’s it like?

Security

There’s actually plenty on offer here from the InvizBox Go, but let’s start with the real reason it exists – security. The box offers two ways to protect your privacy online. First is through a VPN. Do you remember in secondary school where teachers told you you’d never have a calculator with you all the time? And how silly that is considering your smartphone does everything? Internet security leaders Kaspersky said a similar thing about VPNs. While believing VPNs are one of the most secure ways to browse the web, they also conceed you’re not likely to have a VPN handy for general browsing. Sure enough, just as the smartphone did for calculators, InvizBox Go bridges the gap making use of VPNs much easier.

InvizBox Go bridges the gap making use of VPNs much easier

Secondly, the InvizBox Go lets you easily connect to the Tor network, an open source anonymous network. Tor is fantastic for protecting your online privacy, but that’s a full day of research and fun in itself. Lets continue looking at the box.

Geoblocking workarounds

When using VPNs you usually have the option of virtually moving your location. Sure enough, this is great for security but also for entertainment. Let me set the scene. It’s All Ireland weekend but you’re on holidays. Strangely, there’s no Irish bar so you turn to your smartphone. RTÉ are blocking the RTÉ Player app on your phone because you’re outside Ireland. Thanks to your easy to access VPN, you could just pop into the local coffee shop with your tablet and InvizBox Go. Connecting to an Irish VPN you will be able to access RTÉ Player and watch Kilkenny romp to victory.

Of course, the big win here could be Netflix. Due to licensing and other legal non-sense, Netflix is different in many countries and regions. A quick look at US Netflix will really whet your appetite for some fresh content. The InvizBox Go could potentially help you access loads of videos on US Netflix. It’s not currently possible, but we expect to see that come in down the line.

WiFi extender

If you’re staying in an old house, you’ll feel my pain here. You are going to bed and realise that the WiFi signal can’t get through the nuclear bunker like walls you have. If you live there, you’ll likely find a more permanent solution. If you’re visiting, pop your InvizBox Go between your room and the WiFi to extend coverage in your house.

Powerbank

Everyone has a powerbank these days right? We’re complaining less about battery life anyway so I presume that’s it. With convenience in mind, the InvizBox Go has been designed to charge your device while it secures you too. The team claim it’ll easily charge your phone at least once.

Verdict

Having tried out similar products and similar VPN services, InvizBox Go is the easiest and most user-friendly approach to protecting your online privacy. The team told us that they paid particular attention to the user interface when they were building the box. It really shows from setup through to daily use.

InvizBox Go is just an easy to use way of protecting your online privacy. If you find yourself travelling between public WiFi connections in hotels or airports, you should really pick yourself something like the InvizBox Go. Get it over on their site with pricing starting at €99. That includes two months access to a VPN too.