NewRouterForMe

[DefragMyHead]

I just picked up a Linksys Etherfast Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port Switch, model no.:BEFSR41
Well, my question: do I have a hardware firewall now? and if so do I have to do anything to set it up or does it just automatically start 'firewallin' as soon as it's hooke up? cleary, I am a true virgin techie thanks tho

 

[Blackmoore]

Im going to take a shot in the dark here, from what I know about routers from my own use. Someone can correct me if im wrong. Basically if your hooked up to the router, your being blocked from all incoming traffic. By that I mean you yourself can download stuff, but no one can send anything to you. I don't know if that makes sense at all. What a router does basically, is create an address for every computer on the network something like 10.0.0.1 and so on. But when a computer trys to access your network, or send files, they don't get 10.0.0.1, they get the address of the router itself, which is completely seperate from the individual computer address. Thus you wont get any of the incoming traffic, the router just blocks it. Whichs makes if fairly good at blocking the nasty stuff on the internet, like virusus and trojans. Its not a firewall necessarily I dont think, but it does a good job. In the future though you may want to allow incomining traffic, which can be done by port forwarding, but thats a whole different subject.

 

[aspire]

sometimes they have built in firewalls and other times they just block all incoming traffic
by all means your pretty much safe

 

[kboy]

Yeah it has a built in firewall that should come turned on by default. You can double check its settings to be sure.

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

Yep it has a fully configured hardware firewall in your case on that router.

And blackmoore what kinda router do you have that's 10.10.10.X adresses, those are usually very expensive routers like mine.

 

[DefragMyHead]

thanks. esp. you chris, i was waiting for you to chime in especially. i havent been here long but i already know that you have an....umm..."unnatural" expertise in the cases of routers :amazed:

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

I am more educated than most here, but I know almost nothing in the networking.

EDIT: I actually have a BEFRSR41 right here. It was a great router for about 4 years, but it got dropped too much and it decided to stop working. Everything is fairly simple and it's real good at handling multiple PC's. Almost thinking of buying the BEFRSR11 (It's your's with 1 port) as backup's for my network.

 

[DefragMyHead]

once I connect my sister's comp to this router, how easy will it be for her to send stuff to my comp via our network? cuz i just wanna get her comp on the net...she doesn't know squat about anything and I dont want her to be able to send me anything she downloads. no exceptions hehe

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

Well it's very easy

You go into control panel and turn off the windows firewall, and if you insist on using software firewalls you need to configure them.

We are going to assume you guys are in the same workgroup named MSHOME as that is the default.

You go into my computer and on the drive or folder you want to share, right click, sharing and security ect.

Now this is the part that makes it real easy, go into your sisters computer > my computer > tools > map network drive. Than you browse for the folder \ hard drive on the network that is shared.

Now, your folder \ hard drive will have a letter in "My Computer". You can now ascess it as easy as your C drive.

However remeber by default windows XP will lock "documents and settings" and you will not be able to see My Documents or Desktop. You can turn this off, but I forget how.

 

[xenosoul]

I have that same router and you have to manually block all the ports you dont want to be used.