Manage Alarms

To support Firewalla key features like cybersecurity protection and parental control, the little red box analyzes network traffics and raises alarms to notify user with related activities, such as:

• Connecting of new device
• Possible cyber attacking
• Abnormal uploading
• Playing game
• Watching video
• Accessing adult content website

However, not all users care for the same thing.  Therefore, the App provides knobs for user to turn on/off features that interest them. Turning off a feature, its related alarm will be turned off as well, and vice versa.  

When a feature is turned on, an alarm within that category is raised, if user determines OK for  such activity, no need to raise such alarm, the App also provides knobs for user to ignore alarms.

So, to better manage alarms:

• first step is to determine whether a feature is needed
• second step is to determine whether certain alarms should be ignored

Steps to turn on/off feature:

1. Tap the configuration wheel on top right corner

2. Tap right arrow key next to "Features"

3. Tap right arrow key next to the feature name

4. Toggle the on/off button to turn on/off the feature:

Steps to ignore alarm:

1. Tap alarms icon

2. Under the alarm that you determine to ignore, tap "Allow" button

3. Determine whether to ignore just a specific URL, the entire domain, or everything from that IP address, then tap on the choice you choose.

Note, this action will send matched existing alarms to archive, and suppress any matching alarms in the future.  Archived alarms can be found by tapping the archive icon on the top right corner of alarms UI.

The "Block" button on alarms UI means, based on the alarm details, you determine it is unsafe to access the site, you want to block it for future access. Tap on "Block" button, determine whether to block a specific URL, the entire domain, or everything from that IP address, then tap on the choice you choose.

If you need more help on this alarm, just click the alarm once.  It brings up an alarm detail page, more information related to the alarm can be see here, such as site registration, location of the server, previous 6-hours data transfer between your device and that site, and even Firewalla intelligence service suggestion regarding to this transfer. 

Whether to ignore alarm or block access, Firewalla will generate rules to the little box for determining how to handle similar activities when it shows up again.  To review these rules, it can be found by tapping the rules icon.

Like any other mobile App, you can also turn on/off alarm notification message that appears on mobile phone's banner, badge app icon or lock screen.  Firewalla App even allows you to manage alarm notification based on feature set.  

1. Tap on top right corner's configuration wheel icon.  Tap on the right arrow key next to "Notifications".

2. Tap right arrow key next to the feature name: