LINKSYS Wireless-G broadband router question?

Question

I have a LINKSYS Wireless-G router (model WRT54G) and it claims to have 128-bit WEP encryption, Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall, Packet filtering, and MAC filtering. Right now I am running ZoneAlarm Firewall and it is a big inconvenience having to configure it to allow basic services that run on the computer to have access to the Internet. I am thinking about removing it and sticking with the built in security that my router offers, but I don't know how reliable it is.

Answer 1

Whether or not to keep a commercial firewall is pretty much a personal preference in my opinion. With the laptop I'm on now, it's being protected by that same router as well as the standard Windows firewall and it's been running pretty well for years.



I'd like to clarify something about the linksys router and the WEP encryption and MAC filtering. The WEP encryption, and you should try and configure WPA or WPA2 because even the 128 bit WEP is pretty weak, is protecting your home lan from other wireless computers from connecting to your lan and accessing your computers or the Internet. Same goes for the MAC filtering, and you should enable this also because it keeps the kiddies from wardriving and connecting to your wireless lan unless their MAC address is listed on your router.

Now, these things help protect your lan from outside wireless connections. The SPI firewall is nice because the router actually inspects each packet as it's coming in from the Internet and making sure that it's actually been requested by a machine on your lan. That's a gross oversimplification but basically, the SPI Firewall keeps track off all the open ports and addresses and tries to make sure that incoming packets are going where they are supposed to be going. FTP is a file transfer protocol for example and if a packets comes in from the Internet that is requesting data be put onto computer inside your home lan on the data port that the FTP protocol uses, if the SPI firewall doesn't dectect any active FTP transfers going on, it drops the packets...hence you are protected.



Now, this does help protect your home LAN but you really should still keep a firewall running. What the SPI can't do is for example, block all traffic on all of the FTP ports. You know you won't be using FTP at all, and you want to keep all FTP traffic out, you need a firewall on your PC to do this. Your Linksys WRT54G won't do this. See what I mean..?



IMO, the issue is whether you need something like ZoneAlarm, or if the Windows firewall is enough. That unfortunately is personal preference to me. Keep this in mind though, initially ZoneAlarm will bother you with tons of pop ups asking to let this or that through, but once it's setup for your applications, it should be able to handle itself for a while. At least until something sneaks onto your PC and tries to connect to the Internet but those pop ups you WANT to see....



Hope this helps....Good Luck

Answer 2

I would leave ZoneAlarm in place. My wife's machine has ZA even though we have a '54G at the front door. My feeling is that if something DOES get past the router, ZA will help me spot it before it does any harm. Suspenders and a belt.



I've always relied on the ZA firewall to notify me if something new is trying to send anything out, at which point I decide whether or not to click the Remember This Decision box to give it permanent permission.



Hope that helps.

Answer 3

HI,



I think there seems to be some problem with the wireless zero configuration......try checking it.....



Check firewalls ......or antivirus,

If the problem still persists, then you need advanced networking support.

You can take help from one of the networking company i know.....they provides best support. I used their service once, when I had problem with my network PC, broadband and router. They are best for all types of network solutions.



You can go through their advanced support.

http://www.technosys.co.in/web/index.php?page=technical



I am sure, you problem will be solved.

Cheers!!!

Answer 4

If you turn of the beacon on the router I think it will be enough. I havnt had any trouble with people getting through. I have the exact same router. Zone alarm is pretty heavy handed anyway. If you dont have a bunch of financial records on your computer I wouldnt use it.

Answer 5

hi john, without the software what your friend gave you is junk. and i cannot brag on linksys anyway tried to install one and i could not get it installed so i called my isp tech support and they worked for two days to tried to get it to work and they gave up so. lets aproach this from another direction anything that you install has to have a driver and that driver works off of an adaptor so without the software you cannot get the drivers nor the adaptors so your at a dead end. sorry about that good luck hope this was helpful.