Kickstarter: Super-Secure Veiltower WiFi Router Looks Great, Claims To Cloak Your Existence On The Network
Veiltower is an interesting looking router that's designed to intercept traffic from your ISP's router and put it through multiple layers of security before it reaches you. It can be hooked up with nothing other than a power cable if you want to connect it to your ISP router wirelessly, but for improved stability, there are two gigabit Ethernet ports provided.
Ultimately, Veiltower's creators say that there is roughly $800 worth of goodness in this $200 product. It's a router first and foremost, but also includes a firewall, VPN capabilities, and an antivirus engine. Beyond that, its creators claim that wireless performance is much-improved over regular routers, thanks to eleven antennas, as is the extent of protection it offers. It can help battle against man-in-the-middle and phishing attacks, for example.
Perhaps most notable about this router is that its developers are committed to keeping it up-to-date. We've seen it time and time again: companies that produce a slew of different routers inevitably stop updating their software from the get-go, instead choosing to issue security-focused firmware updates if the need arises. In Veiltower's case, the software can be updated over time, not just be treated to security patches.
Integral to Veiltower's operation is the accompanying mobile app, which allows you to set the device up in the first place, and enable or disable what kind of traffic will be allowed to pass through. You can also set the app up to automatically use your VPN at home to protect yourself from public networks - a very nice touch.
If I have any concerns about the product, it's that the project page is really light on technical detail, and almost too much emphasis is being put on how good the product looks (multiple instances of calling the typical router an "ugly box" can be found.) When it comes to security, aesthetics should be the least of anyone's worries. Hopefully the company will release in-depth details about how the Veiltower keeps so secure in the future.
