Firewall for gamers?

[Jynx980]

I have heard that if you have a dsl or cable connection a firewall is a must. User reviews of products like ZoneAlarm say that it complicates online game play. I play PC games everyday. Should I even bother with a firewall? If I should what is a good one for gamers?

 

[Fausto]

I also game online quite a bit and have DSL. I have a Norton software firewall (free from Earthlink) installed and was amazed at how often it catches trojan attempts, usually after a few hours of gaming. The configuration of the firewall can be a bit annoying occasionally, but I'd say it's worth it overall. Also: I tested my dl/ul speeds with and without the firewall on and it has no effect on this.

Mark

 

[Ringer]

I have Sygate Home Network 4.0 and share a cable modem. I use the Zone and Game Spy all the time. Sygate allows you to determine what ports to use and what ports not to use, so you can program the ports individual games use. Its really simple once you install and read the instructions..never had a breach always catches the incoming packets and lets you know when a program is trying to access the web, good for trojan detection. Also lets you do a trace of the incoming intrusion, letting you know the originating ip address and sys ad for the service of the incoming packet. Cant go wrong with it. Its not as expensive as the other big name brands and a little less demanding then Zone Alarm. My firewall before using Sygate was Zone Alarm... They have a trial version.