Symantec Norton Core Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

The Norton Core comes in titanium gold and granite gray.

Symantec

You’ll know Norton as one of the most popular names in security software, but now it’s a piece of hardware too, as parent company Symantec introduced today at CES 2017 its first home router, the Norton Core.

Protection for the entire family

This is a new app-enabled router that has built-in security to protect the entire home, rather than just an individual computer, the way Norton Security software does. Symantec says the device aims to keep safe up to 20 devices connected to it, including Windows computers, Macs, phones, tablets or any internet-of-things devices, in real time. (It’s unclear what happens if you have more than 20 devices, however.)

According to Symantec, the Norton Core is backed by a team of security experts who are constantly analyzing and eliminating cybersecurity attacks worldwide. The router gets regular updates on cybercrime information and protection mechanisms to keep any device connected to it safe. In case an infected device is connected to the network, it can isolate it from the rest of your devices to prevent the spreading of the malware.

You can use the mobile app to view your security score.

Symantec

Easy home network management

Security protection at router level is not new. Asus has teamed up with Trend Micro to offer this for free on its high-end routers, such as the RT-AC5300 or RT-AC88U. The Norton Core, however, has gone one step further by making the protection comprehensive to home users.

Via the mobile app, you can monitor the network and see a list of online threats that the router has blocked. It even shows you the current safety level of your home network with a credit-score-like number, from zero (completely vulnerable) to 500 (completely safe). You can also use the app to pause the internet for any connected device and set a bed time, during which the broadband connection is turned off.

Powerful hardware

The Norton Core is a compact dome-shaped device that measures just 6 by 6 by 5 inches (15 by 15 by 13 cm). Yet it’s packed with powerful hardware, including a dual-core 1.7GHz processor, 1MB of system memory and 4GB of flash memory. The router supports the latest 4×4 AC2600 Wi-Fi standard, with a top speed on the 5GHz band of 1.73 megabits per second and up to 800Mbps on the 2.4GHz band.

Symantec says the Norton Core’s Wi-Fi can cover a home of somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 square feet. It also comes with four Gigabit LAN ports for wired clients.

The Norton Core is a relatively compact router.

Symantec

Availability

The Norton Core is now available for preorder at $200, with a regular price of $280, in either titanium gold or granite gray. The price includes one year of subscription to its security protection, called Norton Core Security Plus, after which the ongoing cost is $99 per year. UK and Australian availability was not announced, but the preorder price converts to about £165 or AU$275.

The router is set to ship this summer.