Norton's parent company Symantec announced at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show that it will enter the hardware industry with its home router dubbed simply as the Norton Core.

The Norton Core is an app-enabled router that combines both hardware and built-in software security in order to protect not just one device but all devices connected to it. Symantec claimed that the Core can protect up to 20 devices and support almost every popular computing platform including Windows, Macs, smartphones, and tablets, as well as Internet of Things devices, according to CNet. However, Symantec is yet to explain what happens if more than 20 devices are connected.

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Routers with embedded security protection are not entirely new. In fact, hardware manufacturer Asus has opened a partnership with security software company Trend Micro in developing such products. However, the Norton Core is taking a step further through integrating a mobile app, where users can monitor the network and see a list of possible online threats the router has blocked.

The app also shows the current safety level of the user's home network through an easy-to-understand scoring scheme with zero being completely vulnerable and 500 as completely safe. It also has a feature that pauses internet access to a specific device at a specific time, say, for example, bed time.

The Norton Core features a dome-shaped design. Powering the router is a dual-core 1.7GHz processor with 1MB of system memory and 4GB of flash memory. The router has four Gigabit LAN ports for Ethernet connections.

According to Engadget, the Norton Core is currently available for pre-order at $200. Once the router hits the market, its regular price will increase up to $280, which comes with a one-year subscription to Norton Core Security Plus.

TagsSymantec, Norton, Norton Core, router, Security, software security