Most homes now have more than one PC connected to a broadband line. Adding several laptops to the equation multiplies the problem of keeping them all protected from the bad things that occur with an always-on Internet connection. Tasks such as loading anti-virus updates and making sure they're all up-to-date on all the machines can get put off.

A smarter way to protect a home network with multiple systems is to do it at the point of entry. While many broadband users have hardware provided by their ISP, users typically don't change the default settings. ISPs that offer a four-port router and wireless access point may have built-in firewalls, but they don't usually include anti-virus or parental-control and content-filtering features. Electronic Lifestyle Integration (ELI ) hopes to change this. The company recently introduced its Trust Eli home broadband security appliance as either a product for ISPs to offer to customers, or as a replacement device for homes that want Eli's security features.

The product is available only on the company Web site or from an ISP, but Eli says it hopes to have several large retail outlets in the future. ELI relies heavily on centralized management and a monthly subscription that keeps everything up-to-date. The appliance includes a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spam filter, content filter, 802.11b/g wireless gateway and four 10/100M bit/sec Ethernet ports. We tested the DSL version of the appliance, but it also comes in a model for cable connections.

Keeping it simple

Installing the appliance took only a few minutes. A handy quick-start poster shows pictures of the box and the software setup screens you need to access. The only configuration option you need to choose is how the box connects to the Internet.

Once installed, the appliance connects to ELI servers and downloads updates. ELI is big on keeping things simple. The configuration wizard asks only a few questions, and basic settings for many of the major broadband ISPs should work right out of the box. The only manual task we needed to perform was to enter the media access control address of the DSL modem provided by our ISP (Verizon), which it uses for authentication. All other configuration occurs through the Trust Eli Web site, after basic settings are established.

The keep-it-simple concept carries over to the Web site, which includes simple terms and configuration options. Each option includes a description in plain language that describes what will happen when you choose that option. Firewall configuration is handled by defining the type of user that will be connecting through the Trust Eli appliance. Options include Simple Surfer, Gamer, Telecommuter, Power User and All Outbound. The profile determines what ports the firewall will allow traffic on, while not requiring a veteran network administrator to set up.

For example, the default setting, Simple Surfer, allows only e-mail and basic Web traffic. We changed this setting to Telecommuter to allow our VoIP phone traffic to pass through the appliance.You won't find an "expert" mode on the Trust Eli box where you can tweak port redirection or port forwarding. Special requests of this nature require a call to the ELI help desk. A future release of the portal will add the ability to make these changes yourself. The good part about this approach is it's geared toward simplicity, and there's a number to call if you need help. Other configuration settings, including enabling/disabling the spam and virus protection, also take place through the Web site. Once the settings have been saved, the Trust Eli appliance receives updates over the Internet in minutes.