It’s called Dojo and it looks like some kind of pebble-shaped contraption with no buttons.
But what it is, in actuality, is a different kind of security device. Instead of protecting your premises from physical intruders, Dojo is designed to keep cyber attacks out, providing home network security.
This video gives a brief overview of the device and its functions:
There are an increasing number of “smart” devices on the market, all connecting to your network with access to your information. This presents a security problem that the makers of Dojo feel has not yet been properly addressed. An especially daunting concern for the small business owner with a home office.
So how does Dojo propose to help?
What Dojo promises to do is continually scan the connected devices on your home/office network. By learning your patterns and “getting to know” your devices, Dojo finds common vulnerabilities and then blocks security and privacy risks.
Dojo sits on a dock, presumably to charge as there is little information regarding just what functions the dock performs. The dock does have ports to connect to your network but the Dojo device itself is wireless. It can be picked up and carried around your home/office if you so desire. There seems to be little call to do so though as all security issues are addressed through a companion app.
You control Dojo through a “chat” app, as the company calls it. The app doesn’t talk to you, but notifies you of detected threats in a simple text format. Much like chatting with a friend over text message. The company claims all notifications are sent in plain language that is easy to understand with no technical knowledge.
Through the app, you are supposed to be able to control what is blocked and what information is shared and with whom. Dojo’s idea is to put security in the hands of the consumer, as the company states on its Amazon page, “There is no other technology that exists for consumers today. There are enterprise and state technologies that thwart hacks and safeguard data, but there’s nothing that helps the everyday consumer manage these types of vulnerabilities. And nothing that anyone could understand without some kind of security knowledge. We set out to build something that will define this market.”
If you are interested in Dojo you can preorder the device for $99. The wait isn’t too bad for it either. Dojo is set to be released March 8, 2016.
Image via Dojo-labs
Aira Bongco
At first, it looks like a simple stone. I think that your visitors will not even think that it is a gadget. Interesting indeed.
Interesting that they have picked the word Dojo for the product. A dojo is a place for martial arts activities.