If there has ever been a time when protection is necessary whenever you log on the Internet, it’s now. We need to be shielded from viruses, hacks, worms, identity theft and all the other net nasties. But why don’t we do it?  Is it complexity, cost, the constant updating or the feeling that there is no all-in-one solution?

AlphaShield has come up with a hardware firewall solution that promises perfect protection with easy setup and at a very reasonable cost.

Is it a mirage or does it really work?

I’ve been a firm believer for many years in and user of all sorts of firewall protection, mainly of the software kind. I have not had any catastrophic incidents that have disabled my computer network or systems yet (Touch wood). but to live in fear of such is no fun.

I would not know if identity theft has occurred either and using a software solution is forever being behind the eight ball…

There’s gotta be a better way so when SurfSecure, the Australian distributor of AlphaShield offered me to test the unit, I didn’t even have to think twice.

Simply put, AlphaShield is a hardware firewall that sits between your PC and your broadband modem.   

It claims to give you a plug and play Internet privacy protection solution for

broadband Internet connections.

More than that it guarantees 100% unhackable security or your money cheerfully refunded…

That’s quite a claim and I believe that at one stage they even offered a million bucks if the system could be violated!

Apparently the AlphaShield also was able to block the MyDoom worm!

Let’s keep the explanation very simple: when you log on the Internet your PC is always identifiable through your unique IP address. But what if no one knew where you “lived”? In other words: what if you were invisible for the outside world and yet, you could still roam around stealthily?

That’s exactly what AlphaShield does: it hides your identity through IP Stealth Technology and, coupled with a few other proprietary technologies, it also seemingly “disconnects” you from the Net and inspects all incoming and outgoing data.

If packaging makes a product stand out, I’m all for it.

The triangular-shaped box in the form of an A, presumably for AlphaShield, certainly does catch the eye.

The magic box itself is very functionally styled with two strangely-shaped buttons forming a perfect S and the whole device is about the size of the old iPAQs.

When I turned it over I felt a bit of a rattle, possibly from a somewhat loose connection where the two buttons connected to the circuit board. So I opened the unit. I don’t always do this with gear that we review but I wanted to make sure that a) nothing serious was loose and b) there really WAS some technology in this box of tricks!

It all looked pretty tidy and impressive so before I did some serious damage by probing too much I screwed it back together again.

The two buttons, forming the “S” on top of the device turn the unit on or off ("Connect" and "Disconnect"). There are 3 LED lights on the front to show outbound and inbound traffic and whether there is a connection or not. At the back you have the ports that connect to the PC, Cable/DSL modem and AUX, plus the power adapter port and a mode selector.

The mode slider switch has 3 user-selectable functionality modes. One position gives an inactivity disconnect timer value of 15 minutes. Another slide position gives an infinite inactivity timer value and a third slide position physically disconnects and locks out any communication through the AlphaShield.

The setup is extremely easy: plug your broadband modem into the device, connect the unit to the PC and plug in the power adapter! Press the Connect button and voilà!

One of the advantages of using AlphaShield is that most pop-up ads will be blocked. Not that I had much problems with these anyway as AvantBrowser is doing a brilliant job on that score too.

What you’ll “miss” too are the frequent Norton security alerts if you have their software firewall installed.

If you are using ICQ and MSN Messenger you need to initiate the conversation as otherwise your friends or colleagues don’t know where to find you.

You can’t be “pinged” so if someone needs to send a file to you, you have to switch the device off momentarily.

Personally, I don’t have a lot of use for ICQ or IM so this does not affect me.

Likewise, with users of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoiP) technology, which allows users to speak to each other either via computer-to-computer or computer-to-phone over the Net, you’ll find you need to bypass the system’s protection. You can do this by changing the plug position at the back.

I then compared the security situation with ShieldUp! before and after the installation of AlphaShield. The difference is amazing as the AlphaShield makes my computer completely invisible to the outside world.

Have a look at the technical comparison at the bottom of this review for the full specs.

Knowing that this device does provide very effective protection makes me want to see it implemented on every computer.

Personally, I like to keep my computer setup as tidy as possible. Don’t care much for devices hanging off the back with wires and power packs.

I’d like a version that can utilise one of the slots on the mainboard.

Ultimately, I’d like to see the mainboard manufacturers incorporate this sort of technology.

Also, whilst broadband is becoming more available and affordable all the time, there are still masses of dial-up users in need of the protection that only AlphaShield is able to afford.

So, a device that caters to the DUU world (dial-up users) is highly desirable.

• Easy setup

• No maintenance, no upgrades

• Works with all operating systems

• Very competitively priced

• Fort Knox security guaranteed

This particular unit was provided by SurfSecure in Perth who are the dealers in Western Australia. Contact Ferdinand there who was able to assist us very capably with our queries.

The AlphaShield sells for just under AUD200 and in the US for around the $100 mark.

Worth every cent/penny or pfennig…

Heck, even if you have to pay shekels or dinars, get one of these today!

Highly recommended!

For all other info, check the websites www.AlphaShield.com and www.surfsecure.com.au