Do I need a router?

[tigersty1e]

So my roommate moved out along with the router.

I'm the only that uses the internet and I'm connected directly to the modem. Is it bad to do this?

I only have the Windows firewall. I remember hearing somewhere that a router acts like a firewall and you need it or else you're vulnerable.

 

[MustISO]

IMO a hardware firewall is the best defense. At the very least get a really good software FW.

 

[Blain]

Routers are cheap... Get one.
Besides the security, you can do a little networking from time to time.

 

[Atheus]

Might be useful if someone comes to your house with a wireless laptop too.

Basically, if you have money for a router, get one. If not just unplug from the net when not using it.

 

[lxskllr]

I say get a router for all of the reasons posted above :thumbsup: It's cheap insurance against hacking, and allows more freedom with your connection. In the meantime make sure you're at least using a decent software firewall.

 

[Blain]

If you're not going with a router Get ZoneAlarm Free.

 

[RebateMonger]

Unless you really know what you are doing, there's no good reason not to use a router. You can frequently find them for ten dollars on sale. ANY router, no matter how inexpensive, would be drastically safer than directly hooking to the Internet nowadays.

The secret is the NAT function, which keeps outsiders from probing your computer directly from the Internet.

 

[tigersty1e]

If I connect with cables, does the performance matter?

http://www.staples.com/webapp/...tType=1&cm_re=CATS_ALL*TECHNOLOGY*Networking%2B%2526%2BCables&catalogId=10051&categoryId=10105&secondlevelCatName=Technology


Staples has 4 categories.

Fastest
Faster
Faster
Fast


I was thinking of picking this up..

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...50001&id=1099392876098

 

[ForumMaster]

the kind og cable you connect with makes no difference. a router is a good basic firewall. i still suggest running ZoneAlarm as a firewall too. i suggest you get a Linksys router. these router are very good but best of all, they are extremely hackable. meaning that if you dare, you can upgrade the features of this router to match those of a much much more expensive router.

 

[Skotty]

Check to see if your modem is also a router. Some new modems double as a router, and have built in firewalls and other garbage. If it is, no need for a second router. If you didn't already know, you can tell by your IP address. If it is 192.168.xxx.xxx, then you have a router. You can also usually access the router's config screen by going to http://192.168.1.1.

 

[vailr]

My suggestion would be, to get a wired router, as opposed to wireless.
Look on Buy.com or eBay for a Linksys, D-Link or NetGear wired 4-port router.
Also use a software firewall; I prefer Sygate.
ZoneAlarm, from my experience, is too prone to interference with other software.

 

[Roguestar]

Yes indeed, get a router. Get something by a big name. If I had to make a recommendation I'd say Linksys - Cisco's consumer side.

 

[tigersty1e]

So I got this....

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...50001&id=1099392876098


I know it's not the fastest wireless router, but I connect with cables.

Is there a difference in speed between the expenive routers and mine if I connect with cables?

 

[Zolty]

Originally posted by: tigersty1e
If I connect with cables, does the performance matter?

http://www.staples.com/webapp/...tType=1&cm_re=CATS_ALL*TECHNOLOGY*Networking%2B%2526%2BCables&catalogId=10051&categoryId=10105&secondlevelCatName=Technology


Staples has 4 categories.

Fastest
Faster
Faster
Fast


I was thinking of picking this up..

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...50001&id=1099392876098

The only time this will come into play is if you have an internet connection that is faster than 100mb/s

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: tigersty1e
So I got this....

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...50001&id=1099392876098


I know it's not the fastest wireless router, but I connect with cables.

Is there a difference in speed between the expenive routers and mine if I connect with cables?

No. If you're using normal ethernet with network cables then all you need is any old 10/100Mbps router. Yours is fine.

 

[Modelworks]

Or if you have an old pc around look at sites like ipcop.org and pfsense.org.
Really great software for converting an old, otherwise useless pc into a full fledged router/firewall/dns cache,traffic shaping, bridging wan, etc

I'm currently using pfsense.
Its running on an old compaq deskpro , p2-400, 128mb ram, 20gb hard drive, 2 nics.
Even with 400+ open connections, p2p, etc it never even flinches.
I had trouble with some hardware routers needing to be reset often , etc.

This box has been up almost 2 weeks without a hiccup.
Only uses about 50% of cpu at max, and about half the ram.
It powers down the hard drive when its not needed so power draw is really low.
You can also replace the hard drive with a compact flash card making it even better.

Web site admin and more features than I will ever use.

 

[Roguestar]

Run m0n0wall on an old PC, share out the connection from there.

Enough said.