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Firewall/Router- USB connector

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by owlnut

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I have a DSL line with a USB modem on my Windows98 computer. I would like to add a hardware firewall for added security.

Is it possible to add a firewall for incoming and outgoing data? Someone mentioned that USB is non-routable. Is this true?

What, if any, are my options?

4 replies

by oldefar

The USB port is routable (external USB hubs are available at office supply stores), but not in the same sense as IP packets are routable. The USB port makes your external DSL modem act like an internal card to your PC. Most of the software involved with IP resides within your PC while the DSL modem handles the conversion to DSL signal formats.

A couple of options are available to you. You can upgrade to a xDSL unit that incorporates routing along with NAT, firewall, and other features. http://tinyurl.com/6y54 will bring you to Efficient Networks SOHO product page. For Linksys products, use http://tinyurl.com/6y5a

You can simply add a firewall application to your PC. ZoneAlarm has gotten some good reviews as a low cost personal firewall - http://tinyurl.com/37yz

You can add an external firewall - essentially another PC. Connect it to the DSL modem using the USB port, and connect your PC to it using ethernet. It will need to do NAT as well.

by oldefar

The PC for the firewall does not need all the bells and whistles or applications. Linux will make an excellent low cost OS, and your current keyboard and monitor will work since you only need these to set it up initially. :)

by owlnut

Thank you for clarifying the issue for me. I will check out the links in your answer.

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