Firewall for broadband?

mymac8mypc

In a few weeks we'll be getting broadband and we were wondering what we need to know about setting up our firewall for the best security. Right now in Leopard we have the firewall set to stealth mode. Is that the best way to use it? Should we be using any other software or a third party firewall for better protection?



Thanks.

reg

It all depends on how the broadband comes into your house and how many computers and other items are connected. Ours comes in from a cable modem to a router. That router handles 3 wired computers (mac and pc's), 2 wireless units (Airport and a Linksys) and 2 network printers. The router has its own firewall that we setup in "stealth mode". We live far enough away that no one can connect to our wireless networks. If you are going to use wireless make sure you change the passwords from the defaults if not using an Airport. Basically you need to make sure that the first item connected to the modem has a firewall and it is enabled and setup.



My sister only has her iMac connected to her modem. In her case using the Mac firewall is all she needs. She does enable internet sharing when people visit.

mymac8mypc

Quote:

Originally Posted by reg


It all depends on how the broadband comes into your house and how many computers and other items are connected.

Below is a diagram of how they set it up. We are just concerned about the security of the computer since the broadband service is on 24/7. Do we use the OS X firewall, or the one that comes with the gateway (or both)? If you need more information then just ask, as we're not sure what kind of details to post here, other than what's in the picture. Thanks

reg

You are only using one line for data and the rest for TV's. You are okay if you just use the Mac firewall. I also believe you should use the gateway firewall if it is already there. They are usually easy to set up and add an extra layer of protection.