Router firewall vs software firewall

[luco]

I currently have Linksys wireless router between my cable modem and my desktop. I got it to be able to use wireless connection of my work laptop. Quite frankly the wireless router is spotty and lately I have just been connecting to one of 3-4 unsecured networks around my building because I get better connection and I only need the connection for 1-2 hrs/week max.

So, now I'm thinking of ditching my router and just use ZoneAlarm personal free firewall. Would that be smart? In other words, educate me on the advantages of hardware firewall on my router vs firewall such as ZoneAlarm.

Thanks!

 

[JackMDS]

You actully need both.

The Router's NAT Firewall is only very partial protection.

Basic Protection for Broadband Internet Installation.

:sun:

 

[Atheus]

The router is a good extra layer of security, you should keep it, it's not as if it uses much power.

If you want to fix it you should upgrade the firmware. Try the newest official one if you like to stick to spec, or there's dd-wrt, alchemy, and openwrt (advanced) which all allow you to boost the transmit power as well as improving stability.

 

[ColKurtz]

I view a hardware router as a defense against things trying to get in to my computer, and a software firewall as a way of identifying bad things already on my computer (like a trojan trying to launch a program or malware trying to call home). Cetainly if you're on an unsecured network you need a software firewall (though you shouldn't be doing anything too important on an unsecured network anyway). I wouldn't ditch the router - keep both. If the router is acting flaky get a new one -- they're not that expensive.

 

[luco]

Thanks everyone. Mine is the basic Linksys WRK54, so I don't get the tweaking that's available for WRT version.
I'll keep it.

P.S. I also hate wires passionately. I hope that someone will come up with a built-in onboard wireless router in time for my next build.

 

[smashp]

grab an old pc and setup a m0n0wall