Netgear Armor is a $70 router update that defends your home network with Bitdefender.
Don't call it a trend, but D-Link isn't the only router maker announcing a network-based security solution for home users during the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show. Netgear announced late Monday that it is also getting into the game with a new service called Netgear Armor.
Unlike D-Link, however, Netgear is aiming for a software-based approach instead of selling a new box with a security platform built-in. Netgear Armor will be powered by Bitdefender and first show up via a firmware upgrade in the Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 Smart WiFi router (model R7000P). We haven't looked at the 7000P, but we did review its close cousin the R7000. Netgear didn't announce when the firmware update would roll out, or which routers would receive the feature upgrade after this first model.
While you don't have to pay for a new box with Netgear's approach, the new feature is not free. After a 90-day free trial, anyone who wants to stick with Armor will have to pay $70 per year. You get quite a bit for that fee, however.
From the sounds of it, Netgear Armor is basic Bitdefender antivirus running at the network level.
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