Owners of Netgear routers can now buy some extra security features. Netgear Armor, powered by security firm Bitdefender, is an add-on security service that helps protect your home network. Via a firmware upgrade, you get a 90-day free trial. You then have to pay $7 a month or $70 per year (about £50 or AU$90) if you want to keep it.

The subscription includes the Bitdefender Family Pack antimalware software for Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android devices. It’s designed to monitor your home network and block threats like phishing websites and viruses.

Here are some of the features that you get with Netgear Armor:

• URL blocking of fake and malicious websites
• Vulnerability assessment that scans your network for devices with security risks
• Device management to see if unauthorized devices try to access your network
• Protection from ransomware
• Secure remote access to your network

In the wake of all the security issues over the past few years, Netgear Armor is a welcome add-on feature to help protect your ever-growing collection of Wi-Fi devices. Paying $7 per month for robust home network security is reasonable compared to other security router subscriptions like the F-Secure Sense, which costs $10 per month. Netgear Armor will first be available on the Nighthawk AC2300 Smart Wi-Fi router (R7000P) via a firmware upgrade later in early 2018.

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