Trend Micro

A Review of Trend Micro Home Network Security

You don’t have to have a degree in IT to enhance your home network security. The Trend Micro Home Network Security system is a simple device that connects easily to your router with the use of an Ethernet cable. With this single step, the system scans everything that enters and exits your private network. You’ll have peace of mind that your family’s privacy is protected, with alerts to any potential hacking attempts and network intrusions appearing at the most crucial moment.

Written by Ria du Plessis - Web Developer

Updated on September 22 , 2021

Why Choose Trend Micro for Home Use?

Pros

  • Easy installation - The Trend Micro Home Network Security system is quick and easy to install. No professional assistance is required as it plugs easily into your router.
  • Cell phone app for easy control - Once connected, download the app onto your smartphone. The system uses a simple interface, giving you instant access to the device at any location.
  • Parental controls - Parents have various control settings, including time limits, filters, and a customizable schedule for different family members.
  • Customer support - Trend Micro offers online support to help users with any problems they may encounter. The assistance is through telephonic communication, email, or online chat.

Cons

  • No web access - At present, direct access is only available via the smartphone app. The user is unable to control and maintain the system without making use of the app.
  • No VPN tool - The system doesn’t include a VPN (virtual private network).

Check out the Offer of Trend Micro for Home Use

Software
Features
Price
  • Multi-layered ransomware protection
$39.95/m

Features

The Trend Micro Home Network Security system protects any product connected via the internet in your home. This includes computers, cell phones, smart televisions, game consoles, and appliances. If a product links to the internet, it’s under threat of being hacked, resulting in potential data theft. The device can scan the websites you access and warn of any potential dangers.

In addition, it protects against phishing sites where your private login data may be under threat. It also records which devices are on your home network and are currently in use at a specific time. 

The Trend Micro Home Network Security system doubles as an effective parental control system with profiles available for each family member. You can block access to specific websites containing inappropriate content. This website filtering feature includes various categories automatically blocked by the system, i.e., adult or sexual, controversial, communication or media, shopping, and entertainment. 

The device security features include intrusion protection, web threat protection, a device vulnerability scan, in-the-cloud file scan, remote connection blocking, and a device password check.

Daily internet usage can be limited to 15-minute segments, up to 8 hours in total. The restrictions for the use of YouTube can be limited separately. There’s also a notification feature that activates when your child has reached their time limit. Alternatively, you can create specific time periods when internet usage is allowed. 

Performance and Protection

The Trend Micro Home Network Security demonstrates high performance in intrusion prevention. The effect on the network speed is minimal as it has its own processor and memory. It can perform a variety of functions to ensure high-quality protection of your network devices:

Network Protection

This protection secures your private network and connected devices. It involves monitoring incoming and outgoing network traffic to detect and block any suspicious activity  and keep your connected devices more secure.

Protection Against Viruses and Hackers

The Trend Micro Home Network security system stands between your connected devices and the internet, scanning all traffic coming in and out of your network, including files you want to download. This prevents viruses and hackers from gaining access to or infecting your devices.

Blocks Malicious Websites

Malware, ransomware, spyware, and adware can infect your devices and can compromise your data. Phishing websites try to steal sensitive information by posing as legitimate sites. Trend Micro’s Smart Protection Network identifies, records, and blocks all malicious and unsafe websites that could compromise your data or harm any connected device.

Blocks Malicious WebsitesBlocks Malicious Websites

Privacy and Security

Privacy and security are essential features for all network users, including the online gamer. Trend Micro Home Network Security includes a variety of features to ensure that the system performs as it should.

Smart Protection

The Trend Micro Home Network Security system connects to your Wi-Fi, protecting all enabled devices simultaneously. Whether you’re browsing the internet on your PC, streaming a movie on your tablet, or playing an online game on your console, your connection to the internet will always be secure thanks to the Smart Protection feature. In the event of any cyber threats, you’ll be notified while the system quarantines or blocks any threats.

Intrusion Prevention

Trend Micro’s Intrusion Prevention (IPS) feature is built into the Home Network Security product. It protects your entire network (and therefore all of your connected devices) against network attacks, which are all too common among home Wi-Fi users, shared servers, and gamers. While the product doesn’t come with a VPN, this feature detects and prevents intrusions, threats, and hostilities in real-time - before they infiltrate your network and devices.


Dynamic File  Blocking

There’s always some degree of risk when downloading files from the internet. Cyber criminals are continually coming up with inventive ways to gain access to your system. One such technique is by tricking people into downloading seemingly legitimate apps, games, and video or audio files. With the Trend Micro Home Network Security system, you don’t have to worry about this. The dynamic file blocking feature scans all files on the cloud, before they’re downloaded onto your device.   

Dynamic File  Blocking
Dynamic File  Blocking

The product retails for about $149, excluding the necessary subscription cost of about $60 per year. Keep an eye out for a sale or promotion to bring down the price slightly.

Pricing Plans

McAfee has four pricing tiers: single device, individual and couples, family, and ultimate. Below is a price breakdown of each package. 

PriceSingle DeviceIndividual and CouplesFamilyUltimate
$34.99$39.99$44.99$69.99

The single plan covers only one device yearly at $34.99. The individual and couples plan covers one to five devices a year at $40. For $45, you and your family can enjoy security for a whole year under the McAfee for Home plan, which covers up to 10 devices. For $69.99 annually, you can cover an unlimited amount of devices. 

Ease of Use and Interface

The Trend Micro Home Network Security system’s interface is straightforward to use. Once downloaded onto your phone, the app can be accessed from any location, giving you complete control of the system. Tapping on the app will open up a dashboard on the home page. The overall usability of the device generally receives high ratings amongst consumers. 

The interface is clear and set out logically, allowing any person to feel in control of the system, regardless of their knowledge of technology. The home page will show a summary of the security alerts that have been detected since you last logged in. These include the number of network attacks that have been blocked, vulnerabilities found, the web threats blocked, devices protected, inappropriate websites blocked, and inappropriate apps used.

You’ll be able to control and monitor all the devices within your home system throughout the day. The Trend Micro Network Security system will send a notification to the app when a new device is connected. 

You can disconnect any device to block its internet connection and get complete management of family profiles. Each family member’s profile can be given individualized time limits and specific times for access during the day. 

The voice control function through Amazon Alexa or Google Assist allows you to get updates on the system’s status, temporarily block access to the internet, and suspend connections of individual users.

Trend Micro interface

How to Set it Up and Uninstall

  1. Plug the Ethernet cable into your Trend Micro Home Network Security system and your router.
  2. Plug the power adapter into your router and an electrical outlet.
  3. Using Wi-Fi, connect your smartphone to the same network and wait for the flashing green light on the Trend Micro Home Network Security system to appear.
  4. Download the Home Network Security app onto your phone from either the Google Play or Apple Store app.
  5. Enter your 16-digit pairing code into the app. You’ll find the code in the Trend Micro Home Network Security box and at the back of the system.
  6. Sign in to your Trend Micro account when the “connection successful” message appears.
  7. The Trend Micro Home Network Security system will activate automatically and immediately scan your devices connected to the home network.
  8. Uninstalling the device is easy. Simply unplug the device and uninstall the app from your phone. Your subscription would also need to be canceled.

cable layout

Is Trend Micro the Right Choice for Home and Family Use?

With over half a million IT companies using Trend Micro, the Home Network Security product has proven to be popular amongst its customers. The positive aspects of this product definitely shine through and Most customers are happy with the simple and efficient installation process. 

The instant remote access to the system via the app was a significant advantage. However, the lack of access to the system via a computer is a downside to the product. 

The price is pretty fair; it’s not a cheap product, but not overly expensive either. With a simple, clear user interface, customers feel in control of the system. 

The Trend Micro Home Network Security system focuses on the two crucial aspects of online activity: safety and privacy. If you’re looking for a secure way of protecting your loved ones online, this could be the best solution.