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  • From: David Matusiak <dave AT matusiak.org>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] SOHO Firewall appliances
  • Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:27:25 -0400

I just searched for bookmarks, but couldn't find any. I know since my
previous WAP workhorse (8+ years going strong) was a LinkSys, that
that particular brand was at the top of my comparison list. Lots of
strong LinkSys products (such as WAP54G). And lots of options with
after-market firmware (DD-WRT, Tomato, etc). In fact, every (and I
mean EVERY) recommendation I got from asking around was to get a
LinkSys and put one of those firmwares on it. I simply wasn't
interested in adding more systems/network administration duties to my
home life.

I did consider the Apple Airport Extreme APs (lots of nice features,
802.11 n wireless) but decided I wanted to try something else. Having
a device running a secure VPN with a well-established VPN client was
important, which made the Check Point (ZoneAlarm Z100G) product more
attractive.

Then I briefly looked at the security heavyweights, such as a real
Cisco AP, an actual Check Point AP, and the very nice SonicWall stuff.
Ultimately, I could not convince myself that several hundreds (or
more) of dollars was worth protecting my bad-ass collection of MP3
files at home.

Honestly, I think you could pick up just about any $20-30 AP and have
it be relatively secure (as long as it is doing NAT and has some basic
firewalling/packet inspection features), but I was very interested in
testing out this product and assessing it's extra features. Some home
users don't need VPN access. Most probably don't care about weekly
security reports. I think everyone could benefit from more
antispam/antimalware protection, but I doubt most folks think about
that.

Anyway, it comes down to:
1. How much you want to spend
2. How much you want to play Network Security Admin with your
home/SOHO infrastructure
3. What features you really need
4. What you are familiar/comfortable with

My opinion is only mine. Ask a dozen other geeks and you'll probably
get at least 5 different answers. Good luck in your product search!

David M.


On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 6:16 PM, Lyman Green <lymang AT gmail.com> wrote:
> David, that was exactly the kind of advice/review I was looking for!
> Thank you! Would you care to share/do you remember what competitors
> you looked at?
>
> Lyman Green
>
> On Mar 24, 2010, at 4:31 PM, David Matusiak <dave AT matusiak.org> wrote:
>
>> I went through this selection process recently and decided on a
>> ZoneAlarm Z100G.  It has all the goodies of a Check Point firewall,
>> but for $149.  The catch is the annual services subscription.  (First
>> year of services is included in purchase price).  The device will not
>> stop working, and all core functions will continue to work after
>> subscription runs out.  But if you want it to keep filtering spam,
>> viruses, etc (and getting new updates for these features), then you'll
>> have to pony up ~$70/year after the first year.
>> http://www.zonealarm.com/z100g
>>
>> After running it for several months, I have to say "This device is
>> really cool."  If you are technical in nature, it is fairly easy to
>> understand.  Comes with good documentation and some support from the
>> vendor.  One of my favorite features is the weekly security report it
>> mails to me to inform me of all the bad stuff it kept out.  I have
>> been very happy with this device thus far.  YMMV.
>>
>> David M.
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 2:40 PM, Lyman Green <lymang AT gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I am looking into/researching small office/home office firewall
>>> appliances.
>>> I am having trouble finding a good reliable source of reviews that
>>> is more
>>> recent than say 2005.  If anyone knows a website that regularly
>>> reviews
>>> firewall appliances for more than just the corporate set, I would
>>> love to
>>> get a URL.
>>>
>>> Additionally, if you have experience with a firewall appliance for
>>> a home
>>> user, I would like to hear about it.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Lyman Green




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