Month: December 2020

Wi-Fi 6 has accelerated its creep into mainstream wireless networking, urged along by the similarly accelerating spread of gigabit internet. Until the last few months or so, purchasing a Wi-Fi 6 device has largely been a decision more about future-proofing and less about immediate gain. That’s quickly changing, however, with all manner of wireless device manufacturers releasing products boasting about blazing this and blistering that, and it’s finally time to take a serious look at 802.11ax routers.

The Asus RT-AX88U was an early entrant in the field, and the company now has several follow-ups, including our best gaming router runner-up: the RT-AX86U. There, I gave it credit for being extremely fast and for its restrained physical design. However, I took issue with Asus’s UI decisions. In the end, I concluded that I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good gaming experience. Now I’m taking an even deeper dive to find out: Is this router worth it for just any old person and not just gamers presumably reading this in a hoodie with some kind of RGB lighting and heat vents? I think so, and you should, too.

As far as the design of the Asus RT-AX86U goes, there isn’t much to say, and frankly, that’s a good thing. It’s neither a slab nor a monolith, neither an ancient alien artifact nor an air freshener chic pod (though it can be a Gundam, apparently). It’s black, it stands upright, and it has three stabby, removable, adjustable antennas jutting from the top. It has four outgoing gigabit ethernet ports—one of which is an auto-prioritizing gaming port—in the back, a gigabit WAN, and a 2.5-gigabit LAN/WAN port for those lucky enough to be able to make use of it. Two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports give you a fast NAS if you’ve got a hard drive lying around.

Getting it set up is a quick process, refreshingly letting me choose up front whether to separate the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Knowing that I would need to reconfigure some real dumb smart devices, I opted for separation, and my network was up and running in about five minutes.

But it should be noted there are two ways to handle setup and management. One is via a lovely mobile app, and the other is via the browser, and I hate the browser-based UI of Asus routers. It’s just a weird, unfocused, confusing mess. If you’re the type of person who wants deep, granular control of your home network, but don’t want to shell out for expensive enterprise-grade hardware, you could do a lot worse than Asus, but prepare to hunt for the settings you need to adjust. Trudging through the settings reveals menus and submenus that stretch out seemingly to infinity, with an intimidating depth that would have most people regarding it with narrowed eyes and a feigned understanding, muttering, “Yes, I see,” as they slowly mouse up to click the X button on that tab.

The intro screen has a basic network topology map which gives you a diagram of what all is connected, and a section where you can split out your 2.4 and 5 GHz bands or update your network SSID and password. After that, you get the shiny feature-y stuff, the majority of which, like the specific data-type prioritizing Adaptive QoS, Traffic Analysis, and various media modes and security, is powered by Trend Micro.

Together they offer a host of security features in the AiProtection section, promising to block malicious sites, protect you from Distributed Denial of Service attacks, and network vulnerability attacks like Heartbleed, while also monitoring outgoing traffic for suspicious packets from virus-infected devices. Each tab under this section gives you reports of suspicious network behavior, with downloadable logs for your review. In testing at wicar.org, the router blocked all but two of 10 sites, with Safari catching the last two. It seemed to work well, though the experience is barebones, and unlike the rest of the settings for the router, there are no opportunities for customization, just toggles for each of the three categories of protection. But using this, or a few other key features powered by Trend Micro, will bring you eventually to this EULA notice:

It seems that in order to have access to Trend Micro’s features, you must agree to give them access to all kinds of data, which may include your e-mails or your web browsing history. It’s spooky stuff, as usual, but thankfully all fairly easy to opt in or out of, as well—so long as you can bear the ensuing message about the valuable capabilities you’ll lose out on. So, it’s not quite the deal with Ursula the Sea Witch I initially worried it was, and, in the end, the details in the EULA are perhaps not unexpected for security software like this. I reached out to both Asus and Trend Micro for their input on what sort of data they collect and how exactly it’s used, and we’ll update here when we get a response.

Deeper in the menus, you will find a surprisingly pleasant Open NAT section with pre-configured port reservations for specific games and consoles, and NAS options that include support for Apple’s Time Machine backup software. Most people will go wall-eyed looking at options past these, but it’s worth noting that if you want to use features like OFDMA and MU-MIMO, beamforming, and, I don’t know, the actual Wi-Fi 6 standard, you’ll want to push on into the advanced settings—just don’t expect to understand much of what you are presented with here, unless you have studied networking down to a very specific level. That said, if you have time and sufficient grit, you can sift through it and find some truly powerful options.

Now, for all the shade I throw at the browser interface, Asus actually does a pretty decent job with their mobile app. Appearance-wise, it’s far from the tidy design of most of Asus’s competitors; the app looks the way we might have imagined the UI of the future would in the early aughts or late ‘90s—all sci-fi space controls floating against a star field, complete with animations that are just there to look neat. While very silly, it’s a breath of fresh air after using the web interface, with more of the stuff you would want quick access to right there on the home screen, like Adaptive QoS mode switching, letting you quickly switch priority to games, video conferencing software, media streaming, and more.

While not quite as robust as the browser UI, the mobile app is far more user-friendly, even if it isn’t perfect. I greatly appreciated seeing signal noise shown for individual devices—also an option in the browser—which helps a lot when placing them for the best signal, which is especially important for things like smart speakers, which can be made or broken by your choices regarding network topology.

Looking at the feature list, it’s not unusual to wonder why in the hell you would want to command your router with Alexa. But, in the interest of being thorough, I grabbed my long-banished Echo Dot to test, and I did find some genuinely useful bits here—temporarily activating your guest network, for example, or pausing wifi. Perhaps the most useful of the bunch is the ability to change Adaptive QoS modes without going into the app.

The main shortcoming of Alexa Skills remains: Every command must be prefaced with “Alexa, ask my router…”, followed by a prescribed set of phrases you must memorize (or look up every time, defeating the purpose). The pricier RT-AX88U gives you a small selection of more natural-sounding phrases like, “Alexa, pause my wifi.” I tried anyway; not only did it not work, but Alexa pretended not to know who I was.

The rest of my smart home experience on this router, initial difficulties aside, was a good one—lightbulbs flicked on and off, routines ran, and my chosen smart assistant didn’t hesitate to respond to my requests.

The RT-AX86U is powered by a 1.8 GHz quad-core CPU with 1 GB of RAM and 256 MB Flash memory. Theoretically, it can transmit up to 4804 Mbps on the 5 GHz band, or up to 861 Mbps on the 2.4, but you’ll never see those speeds, nor should you expect them. It has four antennas—one of which is an internal, printed circuit board antenna, and works all the way up to the 160 MHz band, which is a key component of Wi-Fi 6, and necessary to reach the fastest speeds the router is capable of. It has a long list of other terms that describe how powerful it is.

As I’ve noted previously, the RT-AX86U is great for gaming. I wanted to take it further, so I decided to stress test the router, streaming music at the highest quality available on multiple devices, watching a 4K nature documentary on Apple TV, which is known for its high-bitrate streaming, conducting a video call with a friend, and playing CS:GO on official servers. This is a realistic scenario in my home, and the RT-AX86U aced it—I saw no sign of buffering or stuttering anywhere, my friend reported clear audio and smooth video, and in-game ping seemed unaffected. In raw numbers, I had to move into my back yard to get anything slower than the max I’m getting from my ISP, finding that I had good, usable internet even at the farthest reaches of my yard, which is about a fifth of an acre.

I tested file transfers with a 734 MB copy of Ernest Saves Christmas—a typical use case for network storage—and found the transfers to be very fast, with the limiting factor seemingly the actual read/write capability of the router. Transfer speeds reached as high as 465.79 Mbps, but averaged between 310 and 350 Mbps, and hardly budged at any distance. Write speeds were about half that.

After determining that the RT-AX86U was gross overkill for my needs, I thought I would look at Asus’s AiMesh, which lets you use multiple Asus routers to create a mesh network. Self-healing and pretty straightforward to set up, an AiMesh network can definitely get you that kind of blanketed internet plants crave.

I tested the mesh capabilities with the addition of an RT-AX82U, and for some reason, setting this up ended up actually being the only way I could finally get my “smart” bathroom light switch to join my new network. I came to this experience with the breezy setup of Eero already in mind and found it similarly easy with Asus. Network performance was as expected, with devices generally connecting to the node closest to them or, at least, with the lowest amount of signal noise, and no real noticeable changeover time. Basically, mesh networking is a revelation to anyone who hasn’t used it, and that much is true here, as well.

In the end, the Asus RT-AX86U is a great router, with speedy performance and easy setup, despite an annoying menu system. Actually getting down and dirty in the settings is a pain, thanks to confusing, incompletely explained technicals and messy organization, but basic and intermediate settings can be easily changed in the mobile app. Security and device prioritization for the router is decent, though I recommend you review the EULA before proceeding to make sure you’re comfortable with the exchange you must make to take advantage. The mesh setup was fairly painless. The RT-AX86U met and, in some cases exceeded, my expectations, at least where it counts. Of course, you’re going to pay for it, at MSRP $250—though you can find decent discounts at the usual online retailers.

Whether you just want lag-free gaming or you need something that can handle a heavy overall load, this router does it with aplomb. We are rapidly approaching the day when recommendations like this one isn’t just about future-proofing, but you will find in the RT-AX86U a router more than capable of meeting the unexpected demands put upon all of us this year. If you’ve got a smaller home that needs a lot of power and would prefer to check out mesh networking at a later date, this is absolutely the router for you.

ASRock and Razer have today announced a product collaboration. Two of ASRock’s premium models for AM4 are being updated with Razer styling and Razer Chroma connectivity: the X570 and B550 Taichi Razer Edition. Built upon the popular Taichi series, both of the new Razer Edition variants include a 16-phase power delivery, with official support and compatibility with Razer’s Chroma RGB ecosystem.

Whenever Razer does a collaboration with any company in the hardware industry, it gets people excited and talking. One of the most prominent brands globally with its green inspired peripheral range, as well as its various wacky ideas such as an RGB gaming toaster; I can’t ever be as excited for a toaster as much as the Chroma Edition.

Back to the actual hardware, and it has teamed up with ASRock, a company seemingly fearless when trying new and off-the-wall ideas. This has realised the two new models, the B550 and X570 Taichi Razer Edition. The Taichi series is one of ASRock’s most popular ranges, especially in the premium motherboard space, and the new Razer Editions will build upon this with both the AMD AM4 500 series chipsets being treated to some Chroma.

Both the ASRock X570 and B550 Taichi Razer Edition models will feature much of the same feature set including a large 16-phase VRM, built with premium 60 A chokes and Nichicon 12K black capacitors. In regards to the actual specifications, both of these new models correspond nearly identically with its non Chroma counterparts. The X570 Taichi Razer edition includes three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, eight SATA ports from the chipset, a 2.5 GbE port as well as a Killer AX1650 Wi-Fi 6 module. For the B550, it is slightly lower down the pecking order due to the PCIe 4.0 support coming only from the CPU. It includes one PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot, with an additional PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slot with eight SATA ports, four from the chipset and four from an ASMedia SATA controller.

The biggest impact and only differences between the standard X570 and B550 Taichi’s compared to the Razer Edition models comes visually, with Razer’s flair located around the board itself. The addition of addressable RGB headers taps into one of the biggest RGB Ecosystems around, the Razer Chroma RGB. On both models, the Razer logo can be found on the rear panel cover and the chipset heatsinks, for a bit of added flair and vibrance that RGB offers. These aren’t OLED screens, just Razer branded vanity plates.

It should be noted that Razer is famous (infamous?) for doing things like green USB ports to unify the branding. That hasn’t happened here however, indicating that this is more of a collaborative branding exercise rather co-design effort.

As it stands, the ASRock X570 and B550 Taichi Razer Editions aren’t on the open market and neither company has opted to announce a release date or pricing. Given that both models include official pages (X570 and B550) on the ASRock website means that this launch for its target markets (TBA) should be imminent.

It’s getting pretty difficult to make a laptop that stands out. There are countless thin and light notebooks with comfortable keyboards, beautiful screens and enough power for most professional workflows. To really make an impression, manufacturers have to introduce some unique features that rise above mere gimmickry. HP’s latest attempt is something called Presence Aware on the EliteBook 1040, which lets the machine know when you’re in front of it so that it can dim the screen when you leave and wake up when you return. There’s also a new AI noise reduction tool to make your voice sound clearer on calls. 

Though we don’t review many commercial laptops like HP’s EliteBook series, we’re making an exception this time because interesting new features like Presence Aware and AI Noise Reduction tend to show up in HP’s consumer models after debuting in business-first lines. The $1,560 EliteBook 1040 is our first chance to determine if these are actually useful or if they’re actually useful.

Summary

The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7 is our first chance to test the company’s presence-sensing feature that dims and locks your computer when you leave and wakes it when you return. It works as advertised, but is mostly useful for people working in an office and don’t always remember to lock their machine when they step away. The EliteBook x360 1040 G7’s screen is on the dim side, but if you can tolerate that you’ll appreciate its beautiful design, reliable performance and good battery life.

Design

HP has become a leader in laptop design, with its Spectre series being some of the best-looking ultraportables around. The company’s machines often have super thin silhouettes with unique flourishes like leather coverings. The EliteBook 1040 is less striking — its silver exterior and sloping profile are pretty typical these days, but touches like the angled lip and shiny branding on the back edge add subtle style. HP also said this year’s model is slightly smaller and lighter than the last generation. Regardless, this is a good-looking machine, and one of few commercial laptops that also looks stylish. 

The 14-inch display is surrounded by thin bezels on the right and left, though the top and bottom borders are wider to accommodate a Windows Hello-capable IR webcam (and, uh, HP’s logo). You can use a dedicated keyboard shortcut to trigger a physical shutter to keep prying eyes from spying through your webcam. Meanwhile, next to the spacebar sits a fingerprint sensor. Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy Book Flex 13, which also has a fingerprint scanner on the keyboard, HP’s reader takes the form of a button that you can actually push down on. It’s a bit superfluous since you don’t have to press the key for the laptop to read your fingerprint. 

Possibly because it’s meant for business users, the EliteBook 1040 comes with a conservative (which is to say generous) port selection, including two USB-A connections, an HDMI socket, a microSD card reader and a headphone jack. There’s also a pair of Thunderbolt-friendly USB-C ports, which you can use to charge the device on the right edge. That said, having one on either side would have been a bit more convenient. 

Display and audio

The EliteBook’s 1,920 x 1,080 screen is crisp and colorful. I enjoyed watching Engadget’s docuseries Superhumans and the speakers flanking the keyboard were loud and clear. I also played videos of Costa Rica in 4K and they looked rich and detailed, while Christmas jazz music was bright and well-rounded. 

I do wish the display were brighter, though — it was sometimes hard to see in sunlight. It’s still clearer than HP’s other laptops with built-in privacy filters, though. By skipping out on the filter, the EliteBook 1040 instantly improved its viewing angles. 

Keyboard and trackpad 

I’ve loved HP’s EliteBook keyboards for some time now, and the 1040 doesn’t disappoint. The buttons are satisfyingly deep and offer clicky feedback that reminds me of mechanical keys. The layout is well spaced, and since this is a 14-inch machine there’s also room on the right for an additional column of keys including Home, Page Down, Page Up and End. 

HP also threw in a nifty programmable key in the shortcut row at the top, which you can set to launch your favorite apps, files or websites. Using a combination of Ctrl, Alt and Shift with the programmable button, you can create up to four different shortcuts. For example, you could set the key to launch your messaging apps, browser with tabs open for email and calendar, as well as your photo and audio editing software. This way, you can start your work day with all your frequently used tools with just a push. Then you could set Shift-ProgramKey to pull up three different browsers set to the PlayStation 5 order page for various retailers when a drop is about to happen. It’s a simple but surprisingly useful feature that I wish more companies would adopt.

Presence Aware and AI Noise Reduction

Another feature unique to the new EliteBook 10 series is HP’s Presence Aware. This uses a proximity sensor to tell if you’re in front of your laptop to dim your screen and lock your machine when you walk away, and wake it up when you’re back. Because it uses a proximity sensor instead of a camera, Presence Aware will also work if you’ve shuttered the webcam, and it’s not looking for identifying features like your eyes or face.

On my first review unit I couldn’t use Presence Aware at all; the settings page just said “Service Unavailable.” The second unit worked fine, and I set the system to dim and lock within five seconds of me leaving. It mostly behaved as I expected: The system woke up once I returned, and signed me in via Windows Hello using the webcam. 

Since I’m working from home and no one else is here, Presence Aware doesn’t offer many benefits for me other than a fraction of a second saved by not having to hit a button to wake the laptop up. HP claims that this can also help save battery by putting the machine to sleep when you’re away, though I don’t find it that different from existing screen timeout tools. 

When we do return to offices, though, this feature could be useful for those of us who don’t always remember to lock our laptops when we leave our desks. It still requires at least a few seconds after you walk away to lock your machine, so if someone stood in front of your desk once you leave they could thwart the auto-lock. But at least if you are still in the vicinity, you’d be aware of would-be interlopers.

point out that it uses a 60-degree TOF sensor that scans a wider angle so it’s quicker at knowing when you’re back at your desk.

Another feature that’s new with the EliteBook 1040 is an “AI noise reduction” tool that’s supposed to suppress ambient noise for “crystal-clear conferencing.” You might want to reword your claim, HP, because even though the feature seemed to work, it didn’t make my voice sound completely clear. 

I used Audacity to record myself speaking while I played sounds of a siren on my phone, and the AI was smart enough to silence the noise when I wasn’t talking. Whenever I did say anything, though, the mic activated and the EliteBook picked up the wailing sounds in the background, so I still had to compete to be heard. It’s impressive that the system is smart enough to know when I’m speaking and open up the microphone, but it doesn’t appear to be suppressing the sounds it claims it does while I’m talking. These noises include rustling paper, barking dogs and slamming doors. HP also didn’t respond to a question about whether this is something you can turn off. 

Performance and battery life

Thanks to its 10th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, the EliteBook 1040 was more than capable of handling my daily workflow. I encountered no delays as I wrote up news posts while covering a live event on YouTube, downloading and editing pictures and researching stories. It kept running even as I pushed it harder, jumping in and out of League Of Legends to chat with my friends on Discord and Telegram. That said, it did take a second or so to switch between those apps. 

The EliteBook also lasts a long time. On our video rundown test, it clocked 14 hours and 23 minutes, which is a respectable score. In general use, the EliteBook 1040 also managed to stick around all day.

Wrap-up

The EliteBook x360 1040 G7 starts at $1,500 with a hefty discount on HP’s website right now, and for that price there are plenty of better consumer options to consider. Of course, your company’s IT department might be willing to pay more for the security software and protocols that are compatible with its setup. 

But features like HP Presence Aware and noise reduction are what I’m more concerned about in this review and neither of them are very exciting just yet. If they’re a taste of what’s to come in future mainstream laptops, I believe companies will continue to struggle to find ways to make their products stand out. Aside from those features and its somewhat dim screen, though, the HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7 is a good if somewhat pricey laptop.

Jabra is back with its fourth-generation Bluetooth true wireless earbuds, the Elite 85t, with improved fit, better sound and active noise cancelling to rival Apple’s AirPods Pro.

The Elite 85t cost £219.99 and top the range that includes its predecessors the £170 Elite 75t and £140 Elite 65t.

The new earbuds have a lighter and more balanced fit compared with the Elite 75t. The redesigned oval-shaped silicone ear tips don’t enter your ear canal quite so deeply, but are no less secure. The remainder of the earbud sits comfortably outside your ear, avoiding resting on any delicate parts or protruding too far.

Specifications

Water resistance: sweat and weather resistant (IPX4)

Drivers: 12mm

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1, SBC, AAC

Battery life: 5.5 hours with ANC (up to 25 hours with case)

Earbud dimensions: 23.1 x 19.0 x 16.2mm

Earbud weight: 7g each

Charging case dimensions: 64.8 x 41.1 x 28.5mm

Charging case weight: 45.1g

Case charging: USB-C, Qi wireless charging

Connectivity and controls

The Elite 85t are some of the first true wireless earbuds to be able to connect to two different devices simultaneously – something that is common in high-end Bluetooth over-ear headphones and handy for connecting a phone and computer or tablet at the same time.

They support the latest Bluetooth 5.1 and both the universal SBC standard Bluetooth audio format as well as the higher quality AAC format used by Apple’s various products and most Android devices. They do not support aptX or higher quality audio formats commonly used by Windows PCs and Android devices, however.

Their connection to various iPhone 12 models, a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and OnePlus 8T was rock solid. The right earbud can be used on its own for calls or music, but the left cannot.

A button on each earbud supports single, double or triple presses to control playback, noise cancelling or to summon your phone’s voice assistant. You can set which button combo does what in the Jabra Sound+ app. Pressing and holding adjusts the volume – left earbud for down, right for up – with useful audible clicks as each new volume level is set. The music pauses on removal of an earbud and resumes once reinserted.

Sound and noise cancelling

The sound quality is much improved over Jabra’s previous efforts. The earbuds produced a rich, highly detailed but balanced sound with excellent dynamic range. Bass is deep, but doesn’t dominate in the way it does for the Elite 75t, mids are rich in detail and highs are precise.

The earbuds handle most music genres well, including the complex and overlapping tones of tracks such as the Who’s Baba O’Riley. They are suitably aggressive for Dr Dre’s Next Episode while still managing to sound deep and rich on tracks such as Darkside’s Paper Trails.

A fully customisable equaliser is available in the Sound+ app alongside a test to personalise the sound to your hearing, although they sounded great out of the box.

They beat Apple’s AirPods Pro on audio quality, making them easily some of the best-sounding true wireless earbuds you can buy, but fall just shy of the sonic highs of Sony WF-1000XM3.

The active noise cancelling is equally impressive. Turned up to maximum it was very effective, reducing the sounds of speech, eliminating rumble and unwanted noise but without making you feel completely plugged in or cut off from the outside world.

There are five noise cancelling levels to choose from, plus “hearthrough”, which is a really good ambient listening mode that allows you to hear the world around you – great for listening out for announcements or road awareness.

Battery life and case

The battery lasts more than five hours of continuous playback with noise cancelling active or about seven with it off. The case can recharge the earbuds 3.5 times, bringing the total combined battery life to 25 hours with noise cancelling or 31 without. A 15-minute charge in the case provides up to an hour of playback.

The case is small, black and plastic with a flip-top lid. It’ll fit in the money pocket of a pair of jeans, making it one of the best in the business.

Sustainability

Jabra estimates the batteries in the earbuds and case will last for 500 full-charge cycles while retaining at least 80% of capacity. None of the batteries are replaceable nor are the earbuds repairable, ultimately making them disposable.

You can buy replacement tips, earbuds and cases. Jabra operates a recycling and trade-in scheme but the product does not contain any recycled material. The company publishes sustainability goals and yearly reports as part of parent company GN Store Nord.

Observations

Activating noise cancelling doesn’t inhibit the bass or tone.

Call quality was good, with recipients saying I sounded clear, and there was little background noise.

Price

The Jabra Elite 85t cost £219.99.

For comparison, the Elite 75t has an RRP of £169.99, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds cost £249.95, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live cost £179, Apple’s AirPods Pro cost £249 and Sony’s WF-1000MX3 cost £169.

Verdict

The Jabra Elite 85t are some of the best true wireless earbuds you can buy.

They combine great sound, good noise cancelling, long battery life and a comfortable fit with an excellent, pocketable case and the ability to connect to two devices at the same time. Only the right earbud can be used on its own and it is regrettable, similar to most true wireless earbuds, that they cannot be repaired.

It has been a long time coming, but Apple’s AirPods Pro have finally been bettered by the Jabra Elite 85t, particularly for Android users.

Pros: great sound, good noise cancelling, multi-connection, good controls, comfortable fit, great case, long battery, no stalks.

Cons: only right earbud can be used on its own, no aptX, not repairable, batteries not replaceable, expensive.

I mostly write reviews of VPNs, articles and features about VPNs, and responses to emails (of varying degrees of hostility) from or about VPN services. In nearly all of these contexts, I’ve tried to explain that VPNs (although excellent for securing your internet traffic) don’t replace password managers, antivirus suites, or the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). But recently a reader asked me if I was implying that the security software from Microsoft was somehow lacking. That’s a question worth considering.

Here’s what our intrepid reader sent me. Note that this excerpt has been edited for brevity and to remove personal information.

The short answer is that the bundled security solution from Microsoft is pretty good at most things. But the longer answer is that it could do better—and you can still do better with third-party antivirus.

Is Windows Defender Any Good?

For those who are unaware, Microsoft Security Essentials was antivirus software included by Microsoft with Windows starting in 2009, until it was supplanted by Microsoft Windows Defender Security Center. With this software, Microsoft ensured that customers would have some kind of protection from the moment they first booted up their computer. It costs them nothing and doesn’t require them to take any action.

When Microsoft’s security offering first went under the microscope, it didn’t impress. But it improved over time, so much so that it started to snag top scores from independent lab assessments. In his review, my colleague Neil Rubenking found that Microsoft’s offering did an excellent job detecting and preventing malicious software.

Now, Defender hasn’t totally stolen the spotlight away from the McAfees and the Bitdefenders of the world. You could chalk that up to decades of name recognition for competitors, but testing has revealed some notable shortcomings in Windows Defender. Rubenking found that the SmartScreen filter in Edge blocked just 68 percent of phishing sites, for example. That’s particularly bad compared to the 89 and 90 percent blocked by Firefox and Chrome. In those tests, Kaspersky and McAfee blocked 100 percent of the phishing sites.

That’s especially disappointing because phishing attacks can do a lot of damage to victims, and they don’t require a lot of technical sophistication on the part of attackers. A phishing site tricks people into voluntarily handing over personal information—like credit card numbers—by impersonating a legitimate website. For more on this particular threat, you can read our story on how to avoid phishing attacks.

Windows Defender also doesn’t cover the same breadth of products that third-party security companies do. The company that sells you antivirus software can also provide backup protection, a password manager, a VPN, parental control, and more besides, often rolled up in a security suite. 

A Matter of Perspective

I’m always glad when I get a reader question that I can answer definitively. I’m even happier when I can point to the work of some like my colleague Neil Rubenking, to back me up. But there was a point that I needed to take from this reader’s question as well.

I realized that even when I tangentially recommend security products, I should strive to make the recommendations as accessible as possible. Windows Defender is a great example. It’s something most people already have, works well, and doesn’t require consumers to pay anything (beyond the cost of Windows, at least).

This is especially important because, to my mind, the two biggest obstacles preventing people from adopting good security practices in their lives are money and effort. Security software is not fun to buy and only a little fun to use. It’s also expensive! These days, we’re expected to pay subscriptions for the videos we watch, the games we play, and now security software. We’re rapidly approaching a future where security and especially privacy area luxury afforded to the people that can pay extra.

It shouldn’t have to be that way, and it doesn’t have to be. High-quality free security products do exist, and Windows Defender is a good way to keep you and your computer safe. It is, however, not the best. For that, we recommend Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, and Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus, among others. If you can afford them, these options will provide far more protection.