Wireless network and Internet Connection Firewall (1 Viewer)

[Luke_Y]

At home we have a cable modem connected to a wireless router (hardware firewall & WEP is enabled), the main desktop is hardwired to the router. My sons desktop, my wifes notebook, and my notebook connect to the network via wireless cards.

As all internet traffic goes through the wireless routers hardware firewall, do I need to enable XP's Internet Connection Firewall on the computers that connect wireless?

OK a step further, we use the notebooks at work and campus to connect to the internet via the wireless access points there. Should it be enabled for that? I would assume both campus and work have a firewalled internet connection already right?

lastly, what about the rarely used dial up connection on the notebooks?

A guy I work with told me basically I don't have to worry about it.. He said the hardware firewall covers me at home. School and work are covered because I am not connecting directly to the internet, but through a firewalled network. The dial up connection could possibly use the ICF but it is seldom used and is not a always on connection so don't worry about it if you don't want.

I asked about other computers or wireless networks possibly connecting directly to our wireless computers shared folders via the wireless cards and he told me that WEP would cover that from all but determined hackers with some time. OK well, work and school don't have WEP enabled on their Wireless networks (school is understandable-public acess, my work is just ignorant but they don't really have anything shared on the network anyway)...... my friend didn't really have an answer for that. He said the internet access should be fine, it is firewalled, but our shared folders my be vulnerable to a prankster on campus with no WEP enabled. Work is not much of a concern as the wireless network dose not extend outside the building.

So.... Is all this true?

 

[Kelvin Tucker]

Hmmm,

In short - Yes.

In real life, everyone has a slightly different opinion, especially when it concerns firewalls, etc.. So, expect to receive differing alternatives on what you could do.

My 2cents -> Basically, I have done everything you listed for the past 3-4 years and never had any serious problems. If you start to have doubts, just turn on the Firewall functions and relax. I never have, and hopefully never will use it. I'm stuck on a having a dedicated machine take care of protecting me and mine.

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

Why NOT run it?

Turn it on, or download Sygate Personal Firewall and then you are protected on several levels.

Especially notebooks that go from environment to environment should have firewalling on. Just because you are behind one firewall doesn't mean there can't be computers inside it that are malicious and/or infected.

At school or work there can be hundreds of machines inside the perimeter firewall, and you can never be sure they are all safe; what if some other user who takes their laptop home and has no firewall gets infected and brings the infectation with them to work/school?

Updated anti-virus software and a software firewall is pretty much something you should have on any networked computer today.

 

[Mike Fassler]

hehe the built in firewall in windohs xp isnt gonna protect you from anything,in fact it generally causes more problems for XP users than more often than not. If you really need a firewall, then here are a few of the really good ones and I highly suggest one of them.

1. F-secure distributed Firewall

2. Sygate Personal Firewall PRO

3. Cisco Centari Firewall

Mcafees firewall isnt to bad either and integrates into their antivirus software nicely.

 

[SethH]

Go ahead and use it, but it will not do too much since you're behind the router's firewall. Now, when you're at school you should use some type of firewall to help protect yourself from other users on the network. The problem with installing a firewall for use at home is that it can prevent file-sharing and communication between your three computers in your home network. You might should look for a firmware upgrade for your router for any security patches and then just leave things the way they are.

PS Make sure you have your wireless connection encrypted with WEP and using MAC Address filtering. Without at least one of these no firewall will help you too much.