router vs. firewall

[epikal]

[kostyanj]

A router doesn't compare to a firewall.


A router simply sends traffic between networks while a firewall blocks or allows traffic.

[slacker]

[kostyanj]

[wacky-sung]

[kostyanj]

I have port scanned myself many many times, and also from other computers. The only bad thing about netgear routers is that they don't have a loopback feature. Other than that, there aren't really any loopholes in it. They do have a firewall built in and you can configure to only allow certain ports to come through, for instance on my setup, I have maybe 3 ports open, the rest are either stealth (not visible) or closed.

[TOP1yuiop]

[Konan]

[shifty]

Blah blah blah software firewalls mess things up. Certain routers/modems have built in firewalls that allow you to lock everything down, and alot of routers let you use static ip addresses. Having 2 firewalls can cause problems if you're running games, etc. If you have a good router or a good software firewall, that's all you need. Just use one or the other. If you prefer to use software firewalls that hog memory, just go buy an ethernet SWITCH for your computers to share an internet connection... it'll save you a few bucks (for example, buy.com has a Linksys 8 port gigabit ethernet switch for $30+ free shipping right now)