![[Bytes Link logo]](../../../cgif/bytelnk2.gif)
Home Networking and Your Privacy
by Jim Scheef December 2000 dacs.doc electric Danbury Area Computer Society, Inc. - December 18, 2000 at 14:44:58:
The main reason behind the growth of home networking is the need to share a high-speed Internet connection such as a cable modem (Charter Pipeline and Comcast@Home) or a DSL connection (SNET and many Internet service providers). Both of these technologies provide a fast connection to the Internet that is always on. That last part is a very important point—these connections do not disconnect when you close your browser. And since they are always available as soon as you turn on your computer, they make it much easier for the nefarious and nasty people of the Internet fringe (I hate to call them hackers) to do bad things to your computer. This is not really an issue about home networking as such, as it is about these faster Internet connections. If you have networked several computers to a cable or DSL modem, you simply have more to lose.Protecting your computer is the job of your firewall. In fact, there is a growing section in the bookstores devoted to this very subject, along with many, many products intended to protect your computer while connected to the Internet. A firewall is a device, or software, or both that controls access to and from your computer and the outside world. Rather than try to review products here I will simply list some of the products available in the table below.
Some of these are hardware solutions. I prefer a dedicated router, the hardware solution, primarily because it’s not a computer. Hackers attack computers, a dedicated router is simpler and, less intelligent, than a computer. It has a few simple tasks to perform and that’s all it knows how to do. There simply is less for a hacker to attack. The disadvantage to the hardware router is cost; although the ones with a built-in switch (a switch is basically a faster hub) are great deals. Personally I chose the SMC Barricade 8-port Cable/DSL Router because I needed more than four ports and it has several other features that fit my needs. So far it’s working quite well with a cable modem connection.
Jim Scheef is President of TelemarkSystems, Inc, a provider of custom software design and development and Windows NT Networking Services. He has been with DACS longer than anyone can remember. You can reach Jim at jscheef@telemarksys.com.
========================= Types of Computer Firewalls Product Type Cost Source ZoneAlarm 2.1.44 Software Free/personal use Zone Labs
ZoneAlarm Pro 1.0 Software $39.95 Zone Labs
Norton Internet Security 2000 Software $59.95 Symantec, Inc.
BlackICE Defender Software $39.95 Network Ice Corp.
BEFSR41 EtherFast 4-Port Cable/DSL Router Hardware $159.95(Tiger Direct) LinkSys, Inc.
BEFSR11EtherFast 1-Port Cable/DSL Router Hardware $109.95 (Tiger Direct) LinkSys, Inc.
SMC Barricade $169.45 with 4-port switch Cable/DSL Router Hardware $228.51 with SMC Networks, Inc with 100/10Base-T Switch 8-port switch (CDW)
![[------STRIPE-----]](../../../cgif/str1.gif){kind=small}
Site Disclaimer Suggestions? E-Mail to webmaster@noccc.org