Digital privacy and security are vital in an age where everything happens online, from our work and studies to managing our private lives and finances. Signing up for one of the best VPN services is a cheap and easy way to secure your local home or office network, but that’s not always the best option. What if there was another way — perhaps a small palm-sized device that offered a decentralized VPN service and could even serve as a portable Wi-Fi router? The new Deeper Connect Pico is exactly that, and right now, Digital Trends readers can score an exclusive discount before the device ships in March. Here’s how it works.
- The Deeper Connect Pico is the smallest and lightest cybersecurity device on the market today developed by the Web 3.0 company, Deeper Network. It’s also unique in that it utilizes the world’s only decentralized virtual private network — an innovation that Deeper Network calls a decentralized private network, or “DPN.” Unlike a traditional VPN, this DPN doesn’t rely on centralized remote servers, instead, routing your connection through the Deeper Connect Network. This network is comprised of Deeper Connect devices all around the world, with each node serving as both a client and a server.
The Deeper Connect Pico’s DPN gives you all the security and flexibility of a traditional virtual private network, allowing you to bypass geo-blocking, tunnel your connection through specific geographic regions, and do pretty much anything else for which you’d use a VPN. Its unique Multi-Routing feature allows you to establish multiple tunnels in different geographic locations at once if you’re the multi-tasking type, or have family accessing different tunnels at the same time. Its Smart Routing function will choose the fastest tunnels available. All of your online traffic is encrypted and combined with the Pico’s on-device seven-layer firewall for enterprise-grade security and privacy. Built-in ad-blocking lets you enjoy browsing and streaming without annoying distractions, as well. Another feature we love about the Pico, and a major point that separates it from a traditional VPN, is that there are no subscription fees whatsoever — your Pico and all of its features are free to you for life, for as long as you own the device.
The Pico is also capable of blocking all ads, even pesky YouTube ads. Never again will you deal with annoying interruptions while you are browsing or watching media.
If all of these features weren’t good enough, you can even earn passive income by sharing your idle bandwidth through Deeper’s Blockchain ecosystem. That’s right, cryptocurrency mining. Users can earn DPR directly on the device wallet which is the gas that’s used to run the developing Web 3.0 ecosystem. It’s also capable of mining HNT with the purchase of an HNT miner attachment, which can be found in the shop.
The Pico is small enough to go with you just about anywhere and works in virtually any network environment, whether you’re at home, at the office, or just on the go. You can deploy it in one of three ways: In Virtual Wire Mode, the Pico connects to your modem and router, serving as a bridge between the two and encrypting/routing all traffic that goes through your local network. In Router Mode, you can plug the Wi-Fi adapter antenna into the Pico and then connect the device itself to a modem/router combo unit. This turns the Deeper Connect Pico into a Wi-Fi router to which you’ll connect, routing all of your traffic through the DPN.
The Wireless Relay Mode is particularly useful for travelers and anybody who’s on the move and is using public Wi-Fi, as you can simply plug the Pico (with the antenna attached) into your laptop. When accessing the public Wi-Fi network, all of your online activities will be securely encrypted and routed through the Deeper Network via your Pico, securing your connection and keeping your traffic away from prying eyes. This gives you all the advantages and protection of the Pico’s DPN wherever you are, and is a vital part of your security toolkit if you’re a frequent traveler and find yourself regularly connecting to public wireless networks which are often unsecured.
The Deeper Connect Pico crowdfunding campaign is currently live on Indiegogo, but it’s already blown past its goals and the campaign is almost complete. It’s set to ship out some time in March, so there’s still time left to back it and secure your Pico device. Digital Trends readers can enjoy a couple of exclusive discounts: The Pico + Wi-Fi adapter combo is available to backers for $149 (a 40% discount when you buy them together), but if you pre-order through Digital Trends, you can take another 9% off grab the bundle for $140. Or, if you want to double up, you can grab two Pico + Wi-Fi adapter bundles for $280.
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