Linksys

[Spearball]

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satel...=1130276636538

Is there any open source or other firmwares i can install on this router? Something liek the one you can install on the wireless g linksys routers.

http://lifehacker.com/software/route...ter-178132.php

[glc]

Nothing that will leave it functional as a router. Nobody has been able to port any functional code over to its particular processor yet.

[Spearball]

Thanks GLC. Just to ask what FIREWALL would you recommend i buy for a network with 50 computers? Remember this doesn't really have to route traffic or anything it just has to be a dedicated firewall that provides really good protection for all internal computers? Are any netgear products good? I was looking at some fireguard and watchguard protects and i was freaking out.... 6000$ for a firewall.....thats like WOW!

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Sort=4&Nav=|c:1409|&Recs=30

I was looking at some of those security firewalls but im not experienced in that field so looking at all of them i don't know the difference and security features behind them. I'd love one with anti virus and all that stuff but them again im guessing the prices will go up......

[glc]

The last customer like that we set up with a firewall, we used a Sonicwall.

[mojo]

Look into an Astaro Security Gateway. They work very well and are pretty reasonably priced as far as i know. There's also an option to use your own hardware and install their software and just pay the licensing costs.

http://www.astaro.com/

Or, you could always roll your own solution using some older hardware and any number of linux/unix firewall distros. I run IPCop, many people run smoothwall, and there are many other possiblities, such as endian, monowall, and pfsense just to name a few. Aside from the hardware and a little learning and configuring on your part, these solutions are completely free!

[Spearball]

So logically would the astaro products and software be safer than the free linux distros? This is what i don't understand about networking. Does a price meen better security for products?

If not i'll look into a hardware one that has everything built in like a sonicwall or other that glc mentioned. Thing is that maybe i'd be better off getting a hardware like firewall only so i don't have to get another pc running.

[mojo]

Astaro has hardware products, and in fact that's their primary business. The software option is just a way to do it cheaper. I don't have any personal experience with them, I just hear about them all the time on a podcast I listen to and it seems worth looking into.

As far as free vs. paid, the free products can be just as good, you just have to configure and support it yourself. If you're comfortable doing that, and maybe spending some time on forums if you have questions/problems, you should be fine. If you feel a compulsive need to call someone on the phone with every question or have all configuration done for you, you'll be spending money on one of the commercial products.