dacs.doc electric

The main reason behind the growth of home networking is the need to share a high-speed Internet connection such as a cable modem (Charter Pipeline and Comcast@Home) or a DSL connection (SNET and many Internet service providers). Both of these technologies provide a fast connection to the Internet that is always on. That last part is a very important point--these connections do not disconnect when you close your browser. And since they are always available as soon as you turn on your computer, they make it much easier for the nefarious and nasty people of the Internet fringe (I hate to call them hackers) to do bad things to your computer. This is not really an issue about home networking as such, as it is about these faster Internet connections. If you have networked several computers to a cable or DSL modem, you simply have more to lose.

Protecting your computer is the job of your firewall. As Bruce said at the end of his presentation, selecting a firewall and making sure it is working is more than enough for another presentation. In fact, there is a growing section in the bookstores devoted to this very subject, along with many, many products intended to protect your computer while connected to the Internet.
A firewall is a device or software or both that controls access to and from your computer and the outside world. Rather than try to review products here I will simply list some of the products available.

Some of these are hardware solutions. What are the advantages? I prefer a dedicated router--the hardware solution--primarily because it’s not a computer. Hackers attack computers, a dedicated router is simpler and--less intelligent--than a computer. It has a few simple tasks to perform and that’s all it knows how to do. There simply is less for a hacker to attack. The disadvantage to the hardware router is cost, although the ones with a built-in switch (a switch is basically a faster hub) are great deals. Personally I chose the SMC Barricade 8-port Cable/DSL Router because I needed more than four ports and it has several other features that fit my needs. So far it’s working quite well with a cable modem connection.