Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 79561 2007-05-24 06:17:00 Built-in firewall on 3Com OfficeConnect Modem/Router chiefnz (545) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
552630 2007-05-24 06:17:00 Hi guys,

I have a 3com Office Connect 3CRWDR101A-75 wireless ADSL modem/router.

It's a great piece of equipment and serves me well. It has a built-in firewall feature (I assume that this would be classed as a hardware firewall).

I would like to use the firewall function as currently I have a software firewall installed on my machine. I've been searching the Internet to see if I can get some sort of firewall configuration setting but have met with no success, at lease nothing relevant should I say.

What I want to know is:

1) would the router's firewall offer me any benefit?
2) where can I get firewall rules to set the router up as a firewall?
3) would using the router with the firewall feature negate the need for a software firewall or would it be better to use one or the other or both?

Thanks in advance.

cheers
chiefnz (545)
552631 2007-05-24 06:25:00 Have a look at this Google (www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en&q=3com+3crwdr101a+download&meta=) page. The second of the 3Com links looks as if it might have something. ;) Graham L (2)
552632 2007-05-24 11:22:00 You're always better to use both hardware & software firewalls.

Most router/firewalls block incoming traffic by default. Usually they dynamically adjust to the traffic coming from your PC so that traffic related to the outgoing data can get back in. This is basically what Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) is. Combined with standard NAT routing, this is very good at preventing DoS attacks & probes initiated from outside.

BUT

Because they are quite happy to let any traffic in that is related to a connection initiated by software in your PC, they can't protect you from malware that might get installed on your PC.

This is where software firewalls come in - they (ideally) will flag any program that tries to initiate a connection in the first place, so you get to decide whether to allow that activity or not.
MushHead (10626)
1