Keezel is a great combination of hardware and VPN software. It can protect your online communications at home, at school, in a hotel room, in a coffee shop, and most anywhere else you might use a wi-fi connection to the Internet. Unfortunately, it is also quite expensive.
If you want or need the best, Keezel might be your answer.
The Keezel device isn’t a typical wi-fi hotspot although it does perform many of the same functions. It creates a local encrypted wi-fi network that can be used simultaneously by multiple computers, tablets, smartphones running VoIP telephone apps, GameBoys, Xbox game consoles, Roku boxes, and anything else that uses a wi-fi Internet connection. You can even encrypt your Nest thermostat’s wi-fi communications although I doubt if many people feel they have a need for that. In short, it can connect anything and everything to the Internet through its own VPN. The owner of the Keezel remains in full control; no other person or device can connect to the device without the owner’s permission.
Why do you need to use encryption? There are dozens of answers but here is a brief one: lurking hackers live to access publicly-available wi-fi networks. Once they connect to the network, these hackers can see every bit and byte that all users of that network send and receive across the Internet. Checking your email? The hacker can see the messages as well. Connecting to your bank or online stock broker? Hopefully, that connection is encrypted by SSL but even that is not foolproof.
Open Wi-Fi at cafes, bars and airports is alluring, but dangerous.
For a longer and more detailed explanation, see Why You Should Encrypt Everything and the Reason You Probably Don’t at https://bigthink.com/connected/encryption-privacy-signal.
The one-button Keezel device turns on easily and intuitively. The first time you use it you will need to go through a somewhat technical set-up procedure. Once configured, future use of the device is about as easy as falling off a log.
The Keezel device is portable; you can create your own online security anywhere and through other Wi-Fi networks (coffee shops, hotels, airports, flights). It can be battery-powered by its included internal battery or powered by a USB cable connected to your computer. It is not only an encrypted VPN but it also adds in ad blocking and anti-phishing.
The Keezel is available at several different prices. Actually, it appears that the hardware is the same at all price levels but the VPN software options vary. Purchase prices range from $179 to $499. The highest price includes a LIFETIME VPN subscription while the lower prices include VPN subscriptions that need to be renewed occasionally.
Is the Keezel device worth the money? The only answer I can offer is “it all depends on your needs.”
If you only need to protect one laptop when traveling, there are many excellent VPN software solutions that are much cheaper than the Keezel. Avoid the free VPNs, however. (See my earlier article, Why Free VPNs are not a Risk Worth Taking, at https://privacyblog.com/2017/09/18/why-free-vpns-are-not-a-risk-worth-taking/.
However, if you need to protect several Internet-connected devices at home or with an entire family staying in hotels, you may find the single Keezel device to be a very cost-effective solution.
You can learn more about the Keezel device at https://keezel.co/ (note that the address ends in “.co”, not the more common “.com”).
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Categories: VPN (Virtual Private Networking)
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