BullGuard - Internet Security 2021 Edition (3 Devices) (1-Year Subscription)

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• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Easy Security without sacrificing performance

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 1000 Contributor

  I’ve had mixed feelings about the need for an extra internet security software. Microsoft does a really good job of protecting most situations with its included security features in Windows. The only problem with that, is that I feel that works well if you have a bit of technical know-how. This became evident when my 3 sons started using PCs. While I might know what not to click on or what emails to never open, they don’t have the same experiences I do. So, some form of extra protection really comes in handy in these types of situations. Some things that I think are important for my use case in a security software are, low resource usage, no negative effect to our gaming, parental controls, and constant updates to virus/malware definitions. Luckily, the BullGuard suite checks every one of these criteria off. It comes with enough licenses that I was able to install this on all 3 of our gaming laptops. I was able to easily configure my sons’ laptops to limit what sites, or topics they can open/search for. It has features that also let you limit or set schedule for internet usage, but I use the software in our wireless router, so I didn’t use that section of parental controls. This software is very lightweight as far as resources are concerned. It has had no negative effects to system performance on either of the 3 laptops we are using it on. You can’t tell that you have a security software installed which is fantastic. It even has a Game Booster feature that allows your games access to online components without you needing to fiddle with settings. This Game Booster automatically runs whenever you start a game, no need to configure or set it up. We loved this feature since we’ve had bad experiences with security software blocking or giving some games issues when they are trying to get online. This software is great, keeps us feeling protected, it has frequent updates, and keeps our systems running exceptionally smooth. Once we had it installed there was little to no setup to make sure that everything stayed running smoothly, and updated, even the initial update and scan went smoothly. It’s lightweight, protections, performance boosts, and parental controls make this a great piece of software. The only thing I thought was off, and this is a real minor thing, is that the interface looks pixelated. The UI gave me 90s gaming vibes. I am guessing this is the style they are going for. It’s not that big of a deal, but I thought it was worth mentioning. This is an easy recommendation to anyone looking for an extra layer of protection without sacrificing performance.

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  Posted 4 years ago by Balboa3

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  I really don’t know if it’s working

  • Top 500 Contributor
  • Tech Insider Network Member

  I was curious to try this out on my Android Devices (Samsung Tab S7 Plus and S3) as those are my primary devices where I multi-task on. Using tablets is a very interest experience, as they never quite replace my laptop and I don’t know how safe they are to viruses. Again, my curiosity got the best of me and wanted to see how BullGuard was as a Android Internet Security option. Setting up was a breeze as you just download the BullGuard app from the Google Play Store. It does require at least 1GB of RAM in order for it to work. Thankfully, both devices have 6/3 GB respectively. Once it’s downloaded it automatically begins to check the device. This was sort of annoying as I have a subscription and so I had to navigate to the MENU and type in my credentials. Once that was done, I re-scanned the tablet. The scanning took a few minutes and showed “Your decide is clean”. Again, I am skeptical to see how effective it is. On the top left of my device(s) there is a notification tab showing the BullGuard image and stating “BullGuard is actively protecting your device”. That is comforting to know and visually have. Navigating the menu, you have Antivirus; Parental Control, Antitheft, Backup and WiFi Security. Overall, this is a pretty easy app to use and navigateD very simple navigations and options.

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  Posted 4 years ago by APFLORES413

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Quietly working in the background

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 25 Contributor

  I’ve had several antivirus programs over the years and this one has been one of the least intrusive that I have seen. Like the fact there weren’t any constant pop-ups to upgrade or try their VPN or premium upgrade, even though it is there in the menu. Without changing some of the settings everything just seems to work in the background. There is a lot to this Bullguard application that is more than just internet security. It has a simple menu, drop down boxes for everything which lumps some features under one category. But, this includes antivirus, firewall, parental controls, a secure browser, vulnerabilities, backup options and PC Tune up & Game Booster. Identity Protection, Home Network Scanner and VPN all require upgrade. Each of the dropdowns have quick options like scan and manage functions of that category, but also have settings that just lead to the same settings page as all the others. The PC Tune Up section has different functions that all help optimize your PC in some way or another. Such as clearing browser cache, helping you identify files that are taking up storage space and a duplicate finder that you have to be careful with as some applications have duplicate files but for different purposes. I was surprised that it found a duplicate photo that had a different name and different date but was clearly the same upon observation. The Cleanup Helper simplifies the file explorer of windows to folder/file size and directs you to the folder so that you make the decision of what to do with the file, rather than offering to remove it directly from the app. The Backup feature allows you to direct a backup to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, an external drive or network location. It doesn’t really guide you through the process, but it is simple as picking what you want saved, where you want to save it to, when you want it to do the backup, like weekly, daily or monthly and how you want it to save it. It also allows you to encrypt the backup and filenames for added security. As for antivirus protection I tried a few test sites and my browser did more blocking than Bullguard. But, when I downloaded the test virus it wasn’t until I extracted the file that it would catch it and put it into quarantine. I have had some programs actually catch it as it was being downloaded in the archive and stop it before it even finished downloading, but this one did not. It was the same situation on my Android device, where I downloaded a test virus application and Bullguard said it was clean while a different application flagged it as a virus and suggested removal. Other major review sites say it stopped their virus tests and I don’t have their complex tools to test it, but the simple options I had didn’t meet my full expectations. I know many programs have multiple services running to perform their duties, but I was surprised by the number of individual services running since I have installed Bullguard. It really makes them stand out as they all have red icons. I noticed 11, but they all were pretty low resource usage. One feature I liked that isn’t so obvious till something is captured, is the messaging center. When nothing drastic has happened it shows as a little chat box in the top right corner with a 0 in it. Going through this you can see more details of what has been permitted through your firewall, any previous captures and some additional logs. For the most part though, it is just brief summarizations that the application did something. Some options, like the Parental Controls and advanced firewall settings rely more on Windows features. You must have an different user profile on the Windows computer to take advantage of the parental controls. The firewall settings literally just opens up the Windows Defender Firewall settings when you click the advanced tab. You get similar features on an Android device, but also when enabled you have additional Antitheft features that can be used to help locate, lock, wipe or “scream”. Through their Mobile Security Manager site you can see recent virus alerts and see a map of the location, which may take a bit to update. Initiate the lock or wipe options or activate the “scream” feature to find where you set your phone even when muted. However, the scream has no way to stop it once your phone is located and you just have to let it run its course. There are also parental control options that can show recently installed applications and recent taken photos. Overall, the features are nice and it did stop the test virus on PC, not so much the malware application on Android. It offers more than just virus security as it helps keep your PC running smoothly as well as protection for your phone. It is fairly discrete and less annoying than some others I have tried.

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  Posted 4 years ago by DavidJr