hardware firewall

[Temmu]

'k.  whaddabout a hardware firewall that is relatively easy to set up and maintain (oh, and did i mention, works?).  cost really isn't the factor, ease of use is, but cheaper is better.

now one can buy a cisco 515e, but who can maintain that?  (yeah, yeah, $600/yr cisco tech support contract...)  but that's not what's needed.

ideas?

[Brynn]

Hi Temmu,
Welcome to Landzdown :D!
This topic is outside my realm of knowledge about puters.  But for whatever it's worth, I would like to see more hardware firewalls for dialup users.

Most best security practices articles I've read, now recommend everyone use a hardware firewall, in addition to a software firewall.  I spent a lot of time looking for one which is intended for dialup connections, and never found one.  I posted a message about this somewhere, maybe at LzD, maybe not (I can't remember for sure), and someone who replied had found one somewhere, but its intended use is with a network (which I don't use a network).

Anyway, turns out the recommendation to use a hw-fw, is aimed to protect cable and dsl connections, which are usually active all the time.  Apparently the concept is that dialup users are at less risk, since they're not constantly connected.  Surely, I think, I'm not the only dialup user who spends a lot of time connected to the internet.  But this appears to be a situation which the authors of the articles I read, have not considered.  Either that, or hw-fw's to protect dialup connections don't exist.  I think they don't exist, is the more likely explanation.

Getting back to your topic, though, I no longer have links to the many hw-fw's (?) I looked at.  But I do seem to recall many which appeared to be fairly easy to use, and for a relatively reasonable price.  I suppose ease of use and reasonable price are relative terms....and it could easily be, that I wasn't understanding the descriptions I was reading (:blink: certainly wouldn't be the first time!).  But I'm wondering if you have other requirements, besides just ease of use and reasonably priced?

Wish I could be more help.
Best of luck in your search.

[Temmu]

thanks, brynn for the response;

anyone else?

[mitch]

first of all GRC is one good guy
you can check out your firewall there and will give a honest SAFE report  (sheilds up)

read this and go to his links ;-)

http://www.grc.com/lt/hardware.htm

[Temmu]

i like the grc site, but the leak test article is quite dated, it seems, last article in 2001.  yikes!
one then has to wonder if the tests are that old too...

[Corrine]

Sorry, Temmu.  I'm a dialup user with a software firewall.  I did respond to your 2nd question though.  :)

[Paddy]

Temmu, hello you might want to try these tests here ...
http://www.pcflank.com/ 


numbnuts... :breakkie:

[Temmu]

nice site, numbnuts (ooo it's strange calling someone that... :o )  thx!

and corrine, thx too!

[glenncof]

www.netgear.com/Products/VPNandSSL/WiredVPNFirewallRouters/FR114P.aspx

I started looking for hardware firewall for 1-2 user at home.  The print server is also useful in my case. This looks reasonable at $80 locally.  There is some administration to keep things updated.  I don't know the deal on this from netgear.