InvizBox is a device to protect our privacy on the Internet. When we connect to the Internet, a lot of our private data are exposed to the world. From personal data including banking and financial transactions, our GPS location, our browsing history, there are many potential issues if these data are obtained by other people we do not trust. Many people think they do not have anything to hide, so Internet privacy is not their concern. However, Internet privacy is NOT about hiding ourselves from downloading pirated movies. Internet privacy is about protecting our Internet activities and private data that do not break any law. Everyone has private data. Even your full name and date of birth are already private data. The number of our credit card and ATM cards are also private data. Our passwords are private data. Which banking institutions we frequently accesses from online account are also considered as private data.
Now how to protect ourselves on the Internet? Let me start with one simple fact: there is no such thing as 100% secure digital data. As long as something is in digital format and connected to the Internet, there must be a way to obtain it. The problem is how difficult, how expensive is the required skill and/or investment needed, and how many people in this world capable of doing so. Therefore as long as we use reasonable safety precautions and we do not have a national-security level information and/or multimillion dollar secret, chances are we have a good chance of staying secure.
Back to the previous question, how to protect ourselves? People with sufficient technical knowledge would be able to do things manually. However, most people would have problems if they have do learn and understand those technical terms. Therefore a product to simplify the process might be a good idea. Invizbox is the tool that might be useful for us to protect ourselves using easy steps. If you are interested to learn more about how it works in technical terms, read this nice article from ArsTechnica.
To use Invizbox, simply connect the unit using standard network cable (RJ45, included) to our existing router/modem. Next, Invizbox is powered by a micro-USB port. The cable is included, but the power source is not. We can choose either to use third party wall charger, or if our router/modem has an empty USB port, chances are, it will provide enough power for Invizbox. After getting connected and received power, Invizbox creates a new WiFi hotspot. We can connect basically any device with WiFi connectivity to this new wireless network.
I like the concept of having a separate WiFi network. Therefore we can choose to use my normal WiFi network for everyday usage, and switch to the secure WiFi network when we are about to any sensitive activity and we feel the need for privacy.
The process of initial setting is reasonably easy. The included quick manual provides good guide on how to setup this mini device. Basically, every Invizbox device has a unique built-in password, attached as a sticker at the back of the device. Once we are connected to the network, we can use a browser to connect to its IP address to access a control center interface. Here, we can easily change the SSID name and the password to access the secure WiFi. It is probably a good idea to do so because I certainly do not want “Invizbox” as my WiFi name.
Initially I did the setting of Invizbox using an iPhone, right next to the device itself. No problem in connection. However, when I tried to connect my Mac desktop computer to Invizbox’s WiFi network, it failed. The network name was not even appear in the list of available networks. I thought maybe the WiFi range is short, and I almost got disappointed because this device will be useless unless I can use it to protect my main computer (Mac). However, after about 15 minutes, I repeated the process and the WiFi name appeared. I tried to connect and still failed. Then I disconnected my iPhone from Invizbox’s WiFi. Then I tried to connect my Mac again. This time, it worked. So at least now my Mac CAN connect to Invizbox, but it always take few minutes of waiting. I find this a bit unusual because my iPhone can immediately join the WiFi few seconds after I turned on Invizbox if I put the phone nearby. So the WiFi network needs few minutes to reach other rooms in the home?
Now, let’s talk about Invizbox’s performance. Invizbox is basically routing our Internet activities through the anonymous Tor network. This will NOT make our private data 100% protected, but it will enhance our privacy significantly, at the cost of connection speed. Yes, Internet connection through Invizbox is noticeably slow. It is stil usable for normal web browsing, sending emails and other basic tasks. Using it for video chat services like Skype is a total no no. So Invizbox will not replace my main WiFi network. It stays there as an alternative that I might use occasionally.
For now, I switched off Invizbox until the time I need it.
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