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Thread ID: 56552 2005-04-08 09:38:00 Are Faxes Free to send? supergran (108) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
342767 2006-03-08 15:53:00 When using a fax/modem AND your DSL in the same 'puter, just make sure that you watch for any goofy internet activity thru the dial-up (fax) card . It might be an overseas dialer running up some nasty phone bills for you .

I realize that we all watch the activity lights on our DSL modems at one time or another, but there aren't any little lights on the phone-side of the modem to watch . You could be running a DSL connection and the dial-up at the same time and never know about the other activity .

Just be careful!

At this point, I am not sure any anti-dialer security stuff will toggle to protection of the Fax/modem card when you are primarily active on the DSL side . I asked about this on a security site once and got about 40 different ideas as to what is or is not protected when both actions are running . :confused:

I bet this open a lot of comments when the rest of NZ F1'rs wake up later today . . it's almost 8AM here . . . . . where are youse guys? (Sleep is seriously over-rated)
SurferJoe46 (51)
342768 2006-03-08 19:49:00 I bet this open a lot of comments when the rest of NZ F1'rs wake up later today..it's almost 8AM here.....where are youse guys? (Sleep is seriously over-rated)Well it was almost 5AM here when you posted, so I'm guessing most people were still asleep - I know I certainly was :D

I would imagine most firewall software would watch both your ADSL and your dial-up modem at the same time. I say that because the firewall software I use never ask which adapter I use the most, it just watches all network activity and guards it all.

When I was on dial-up my firewall still watched my network port - made networking for LAN games annoying at first, until I figured out how to work it properly. Why would it only watch one adapter? What would be the point?

Mike.
Mike (15)
342769 2006-03-09 00:56:00 Well it was almost 5AM here when you posted, so I'm guessing most people were still asleep - I know I certainly was :D

I would imagine most firewall software would watch both your ADSL and your dial-up modem at the same time. I say that because the firewall software I use never ask which adapter I use the most, it just watches all network activity and guards it all.

When I was on dial-up my firewall still watched my network port - made networking for LAN games annoying at first, until I figured out how to work it properly. Why would it only watch one adapter? What would be the point?

Mike.

Like I said..this question opened a real can of worms on another site.....there are those who say it can watch all ports....not much that I can find wrong with that statement...but I really wonder if it can be doing the DSL monitoring at the same time as the dial up modem...especially since there are no dialer problems to watch on the DSL side....and the anti-stuff is primed for DSL...or so I seem to think..

.........just that I would not want to be caught with my head in an intestinal investigation at the same time a whopper of a big phone bill arrives for long distance to Neptune or Pluto via some malevolent dialer that my security stuff didn't watch for........wonderin'...that's all.
SurferJoe46 (51)
342770 2006-03-09 02:22:00 Like I said..this question opened a real can of worms on another site.....there are those who say it can watch all ports....not much that I can find wrong with that statement...but I really wonder if it can be doing the DSL monitoring at the same time as the dial up modem...especially since there are no dialer problems to watch on the DSL side....and the anti-stuff is primed for DSL...or so I seem to think..

.........just that I would not want to be caught with my head in an intestinal investigation at the same time a whopper of a big phone bill arrives for long distance to Neptune or Pluto via some malevolent dialer that my security stuff didn't watch for........wonderin'...that's all.I will say that I am very confident that my firewall will watch both. It is designed and marketed to watch both, and to be honest, it does not know whether I've got a DSL connection or not. My DSL connection is connected through my ethernet port. As far as my firewall software knows this could just be a LAN with no internet traffic at all. When I am using dial-up and LAN (not internet) at the same time, I have had it block traffic on both (for different reasons). Just because the LAN traffic happens to carry internet traffic doesn't mean that suddenly that same firewall software will decide (without checking first) not to watch the modem because it can't be being used anymore? Sounds a bit silly to me, and really quite unlikely. Especially since you can still use your modem for small local VPN connections while being connected to the internet through DSL, or similar setups. I doubt the firewall manufacturers will stake their company's reputation on silly assumptions that if it detects DSL then a modem will not need to be protected. Their reputation is based on the fact that their software provides the best protection you can get from a product like that. If their software doesn't work as it should, then their reputation (and therefore, eventually, their sales) will suffer.

Mike.
Mike (15)
342771 2006-03-09 03:58:00 Mike: I like the logic of your answer....ty for the input....

SJ
SurferJoe46 (51)
342772 2006-03-09 07:43:00 Not a prob I have to worry about for awhile, cos with living rural, I can't afford dsl only dial up here, but thanks for the warning for when I get richer LOL supergran (108)
342773 2006-03-09 09:27:00 I doubt the firewall manufacturers will stake their company's reputation on silly assumptions that if it detects DSL then a modem will not need to be protected. Mike.

Dialler hijacking alters the number that your modem dials, the program, website and ports could be legitimate and therefore your firewall would continue snoozing.
PaulD (232)
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