I don't have kids, but if I did, when they left the house the first thing I would say is " Remember to use a Firewall ". That joke may be in bad taste, but these days a firewall is an essential part of PC security.

 Unfortunately many people don't know how to configure or setup a typical hardware or software firewall. Many people don't even have the time to learn how! Stingray Inc means to make it easier for those users with their new product; lets have ourselves a look!

Stingray Intelligent Hardware Firewall

Provided By: StingrayInc
Retail Price: $90 - $100
Review Date: 7-20-05
Review Author: Rusty Newton

Instant Protection!

 As a geek or a connoisseur of gadgets you may get suspicious when products are labeled with claims like "Instantly Protect Your Online Privacy" or "No Configuration Required". For many products these claims translate into "Fits Great in Your Garbage Can"; however, for the Stingray Firewall we may find out that life throws us a curveball once in a while.

What's Included?:
• Stingray Intelligent Hardware Firewall 
• 6' RJ45 Ethernet Cable
• AC Adapter
• Installation Guide
• Registration with Avast 4 Pro Anti-Virus for lifetime of product

 The Anti-Virus program does not come on CD with the Firewall package. You will register the Stingray unit on their company site then you will download Avast and register it with a serial number given to you by Stingray Inc.

Design and Features

 The Stingray Intelligent Hardware Firewall is designed to be an easy to use alternative to a typical firewall. It is made for users who want to save time, have simple requirements or need a secure firewall for mobile use. Lets take a closer look!

 First off, this thing is tiny! Approximately 3" x 3" x 1". In fact it will probably fit anywhere you need it to , which is a definite plus. This will boost the Stingray's appeal for mobile use.

 Oh yeah if you don't know what a Firewall is in the first place. Find out HERE. It's always a good thing to understand what your reading.

Here is some of the Stingray's primary features.

• Hides IP address from intruders
• Intelligent packet filtration
• Full VPN pass-through
• No computer resource usage
• No configuration
• No maintenance
• No patches and upgrades required
• Complete protection from Viruses and all Hacking attempts
• Does not rely on any Preset Rules - Independent Operation
• Works with any computer or Operating System
• LED Status lights

 Besides the features of the Firewall's firmware; the Stingray Firewall has a unique physical feature as well. They call it the "Bypass" button.

The Bypass Button

 The "Bypass" button is essentially an "On\Off" button except it doesn't stop the flow of data being transferred through the Stingray. Instead it just stops the Firewall protection and lets all data pass through. Since there is no configuration for the Stingray; you cannot set permanent "rules" like you would with a software firewall. Using this button is how you manually tell the Firewall to allow a connection that it previously blocked. The reasoning behind this is that it is easy for anyone to push a button; especially for those that would otherwise have no idea how to configure a firewall\router and believe that the internet is AOL or MSN. =)

Performance and Testing

Setup

 Though the Stingray is marketed for simple users who would not know how to configure a firewall; the Quick Install Guide is rather vague and would be confusing to a person who doesn't know the computer lingo.

 For example after telling you to plug in the power for the Stingray, the instructions tell you to "unplug existing RJ45 cable from PC". From my experience in the computer repair service industry, the average person or average computer user does not know what a RJ45 cable is.

 I found that there is a more in-depth "User Manual", but you only see that after you register your Stingray unit on their web site. The problem is nothing that comes in the package tells you that you need to go to the site and register. This could be a problem for many people.

 However, if you know what a RJ45 cable is then you are good to go. You plug power into the Stingray, then you plug your modem into the Stingray and plug the stingray into the PC.

{right side} you can see where you plug in the cables to the Modem and PC (or router). Click to zoom in.

 The power adapter plugs in right in between the PC and Modem cables, so you will need power nearby your Stingray Firewall unit.

 Plugged in, the Stingray lights up with Green LEDs showing us that everything is okay.

 To see how we set it up or for those that are not familiar with Firewalls or where they should go on your network, take a look at the diagram below.

 Both of these configurations will work and is how we set it up for testing. Put simply, the Stingray needs to be in-between your Modem and whatever machines you are protecting.

 Now its all set up! Lets take a look at the results of testing.

Testing

 Security:

 We were not attempting a professional security audit, but we employed several different tools for port scanning and vulnerability analysis. (Nmap, GFI LanGuard, etc )

 All of the attempts received no response from the machine protected by the Stingray ( that's a good thing ). It successfully "stealthed" the machine and satisfied our basic security check.

 During port scanning or similar activity the Stingray's status LED lights would blink bright Amber and Red to alert us of the malicious packets being disregarded.

Ease of Use and Limitations:

 With no configuration, the Stingray is very easy to use. You just sit back and let it protect your PC.

 Of course like all Firewalls it will eventually block an application or connection that you want to use. Instead of configuring options and rules like a typical firewall; with the Stingray Firewall you push the "Bypass" button and the firewalling will be disabled. You run your application, and then when your done you push the button again to re-activate the Firewall.

 It proved to be easy enough and we only had to use the Bypass button for a few things like P2P filesharing, printer and filesharing on a LAN, etc. The majority of applications work fine, the Stingray recognizes the traffic and lets it through.

 The drawback to the push button method of the Stingray is that you have to push the button Every single time you make a connection that the firewall would block otherwise.

 The other primary limitation is that the Stingray line speed is only 10Mbps. This is a good thing because it extremely limits the possibility of a DoS attack, but could be a bad thing too, because it also limits file transfer speed over a LAN ( if the Stingray is in-between a pc or LAN segment and the rest of the LAN ). However, if you place the Stingray at the root of your internet connection, that being directly after the modem, then it will not create a bottleneck. The average Cable\DSL Modem has a downstream speed of 3 or 4Mbps; since the Stingray runs at 10Mbps, the Stingray will not "slow" down your internet connection.

Included Avast Anti-virus:

 The scope of this review will not cover the effectiveness of Avast Anti-Virus. I will say though that of all the AV programs I have used (AVG, Norton, McAfee, AntiVir, etc etc ) Avast Professional if not the best, is one of the best Anti-Virus programs out there.  It runs with a low footprint and has a very nice feature similar to windows "System Restore".

Review Summary

 The Stingray Intelligent Hardware Firewall is a small but friendly Firewall that is easy to use and effective; especially when combined with the Avast Anti-Virus program. It should eliminate the possibility of many threats a typical home or mobile user would be exposed to.

 The bypass button does have to be pushed to make some connections that would be typically blocked, but for a user who doesn't have time or patience to learn routers and firewall settings it could be a real time saver.

 At $80 to $100 the price may be more expensive than some router\firewalls with many more options, though we feel the ease of use and size factor will make it worth the price to those people who sweat when we use words like "Port Forwarding".

PROS 
• Security quality is equal to or greater than other typical firewalls.
• Very small physical size, Easy for Mobile users to carry with them.
• Status LED lights let you know when your being "attacked".
• No configuration, Easy set-up.
• The Bypass button simplifies the process of allowing an application through the firewall.
  
  CONS
• Quick Install Guide uses terminology some "computer illiterate" users will not understand. Should include some more visual help for setting up.
• Having to push the Bypass button Every time you make a connection that would be blocked typically. 

FINAL RATINGS

We would like to thank StingrayInc for providing their
Stingray Intelligent Hardware Firewall for review.

If you are interested in purchasing a Stingray unit or would like to learn more, visit Stingray Inc's website at http://www.stingrayinc.ca/