14 DAY TRIAL // Home networking has almost no secrets for most of us. Maybe except for those nasty glitches that put on hold the connection and no matter what you do you can't make it work. And then, all of a sudden, a computer restart miraculously puts two and two together in order to make four.
The softwares dealing with this aspect have also evolved and a mere cable connection between two computers and file sharing options in Windows are simply no longer the method in trend. All sorts of complicated applications designed to make home networking easy appeared out of nowhere.
NetTrooper from Sereniti is a new entrant on the home network management market and aims at simplifying the process of protecting your home network. The $29.99 network tool aims at facilitating the control of your home network as well as providing efficient protection against identity theft. The 30 days trial period holds no restriction and can be fully evaluated.
The next thing on NetTrooper's agenda, once the installation process completes, is detecting all the devices available in the network. The application pinpointed all the devices available on the network in a relatively short time and with no fuss.
As visual presentations are known to be more effective, NetTrooper maps the network for you allowing either horizontal or vertical view of the machines. You will be presented with the entire road the bytes have to beat in order to reach to your computer embodied as data files. Starting from the mighty Internet, following your router and ultimately dissipating into your computers, the software will show if there are any dysfunctionalities on the road.
Every computer and connection device connected to the network is displayed in the map with the specific name and the adequate IP address. The name of the device can be changed at any moment, unlike the category and the icon.
"Frugal" information can be learned on the device simply by hovering your mouse over the desired representation. You will be provided with minimum detail about the connection status, security enforced, presence of backup or optimization softwares and P2P programs. Additional information is supplied on the type of connection detected, speed, and the operating system ran on the PC.
All the options are running down in the left hand part of the interface and offer you selective information on the state of the computer, grading each of the available sections: Virus Protection, Spyware Protection, Firewall, Windows and Browser, Wireless Security, Backup and Optimization, P2P Software and Identity Theft Assurance.
As the last of the fields cannot be properly taken care of by an average computer user, NetTrooper launched an assurance service covering up to $25,000 in Identity Theft Insurance and up to 1,000 in expenses due to a virus on any of your home PCs. The catch is that you will have to adopt the Premium service for all these.
For each of the modules, the PC in cause will get a grade from D to A, according to the compliance level of the application. In case the required application is present on your computer but needs to be activated (like a firewall) or some settings need to be changed, there will be a Fix It button available which can also remotely correct the problem.
The Details button opens a two-tabbed window that will inform you of the detected issue and if the appropriate protection software is installed, it'll give you the name of the application. If there is no software to make the PC an A grader, Summary section supplies you with links to NetTrooper compatible applications that will increase the rating once installed.
Handling a home network and keeping it secure is a job novices avoid from the beginning. With NetTrooper everything seems natural. The software can monitor the entire LAN and alert you of outdated anti-spyware/antivirus definitions, giving you the possibility of keeping the entire net in tiptop condition. The same thing happens if one of the computers is not updated with the latest Windows security definitions.
When a PC decides all of a sudden to take a vacation from the network, the Repair Connection feature sure comes in handy. It will verify the status of the network adapter, detect the IP address and repair any related problems, check and repair the problems with Internet connection as well as the ability to surf the web pages. Windows' similar option falls short regarding the web surfing, as it stops acting the moment a valid IP address is obtained. NetTrooper, on the other hand, makes that extra stretch and attempts to complete a HTTP request.
File sharing is also a very important component of a LAN (as important as security). NetTrooper is equipped with folder sharing capabilities allowing you to complete the operation fast and painless. Every shared folder will be displayed in a separate window. As opposed to the similar feature in Windows, NetTrooper requires fewer steps to complete for both printer and file sharing.
Provided that you have one of the models supported by the application, you can make modifications to your router as well as access the admin page. In this sense, you can change the password or the SSID (Service Set Identifier) in case you are wireless.
NetTrooper covers most of the areas when it comes to home networking solutions and it is designed for fast detection of all the computers in the LAN as well as managing their security. It is a very good solution for novices and falls short only in the limited number of routers supported and the security solutions provided when these are missing.
The Good
The interface is absolutely great: it has a modern look and all the options are arranged in plain view. There is no difficult access to the features and the managing is done fast and quite accurately (with some mis-detections).
You can monitor and improve the security level for all the NetTrooper-equipped computers in your LAN.
The license is not for a single computer. It covers three machines, so you can start building your network right now.
The Bad
There is no current support for Vista yet. A limited number of router models are supported. I could not find one free application recommended by NetTrooper for backup and optimization of the PC.
The Truth
NetTrooper is a heck of network manager, especially for novices. A few clicks are enough to set up the network. And installed on each of the network's computers, you can manage the entire LAN from any of its PCs.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
