Hey,

Been thinkin'. My current computer i've got as my gateway is needed as a desktop PC. So now i'm brought to the decision of buying another 486 and loading Linux, or getting one of these little home router gadgets. Such as:-

http://www.compex.com.sg/cgi-bin/e-product/cgi-bin/compex_prod_view.pl?938936918@974783595@939725727
http://www.dlink.com.au/products/routers/di804/

What should I do? I'm not a fan of having a big noisy box on my desktop, but I don't want to have a low-security router running a weird OS that takes 5 weeks for a patch to come out.

Sigh :confused:

I won't comment on the hardware side but as far as a software solution goes I would suggest having a quick look at the Mandarke Single Network Firewall and Smoothwall.

Mandrake Single Network Firewall 7.2
http://www.mandrakesoft.com/products/snf

Smoothwall
http://smoothwall.org

Windows with a 3rd part firewall will be more secure for you.
Linux is as secure as the person running it, and if you have no idea about costumizing firewalls and running scripts, you better use windows. A regular, ready-to-use linux-made-for firewall is no more secure than windows, only less comfortable to use. I would recommend Tiny Personal Firewall and their routing software, using on a win2k system, but thats just me.

On the other hand... win2k on 486 is not such a good idea :/

I used to run Debian, but then it decided that it didn't like my ethernet card. So I just installed Smoothwall. But i'm told Smoothwall is pretty poor when it comes to security and to go back to Debian. Basically it's just a tossup between the two. I'm just wondering if the OS on the router would be reliable enough?

You can get a decent DSL router for around $80, and maybe a little bit more for a good LinkSys, and they are worth it... If you want ease of use, and good software updates then you are better to go with LinkSys...

Another 'decent' alternative is something like Freesco, but unless you know real routers, it won't help much :D

Really building your own router isn't recommended, it can be a major headache.... Its really worth just buying one :)

Hmm.

I keep getting told that every single one of those products suck. That their OS's are full of holes and stuff. I don't know who to believe. Surely a company like Netgear would keep their product up to standard?

Netgear is a good choice, I personally have a Linksys Router and have had no problems with it at all. Its more money than the Netgear, but they keep their products updated regularly and its easy to configure. I run the linksys in conjunction with Zonealarm Pro and it works extremely well.

Get an older Linux computer..and if you're worried about noise - just take the fan out..the processors don't get too hot at all and you won't need to worry since it won't be in use much - that is what I do..

Get a low end box, and load mandrake single network firewall or smoothwall. No Windows box should be directly connected to the Internet without any protection :).

Originally posted by The Prohacker
...
Really building your own router isn't recommended, it can be a major headache.... Its really worth just buying one :)


My OpenBSD firewall has been humming away for a year without a single problem. No major headaches, not even a minor headache. :D

In addition to being an excellent firewall, it also provides DNS and ntp services for my internal network. It offers far more configurability than any of the appliance firewalls.

On the other hand, it is not a plug it in and it's working type of thing either.

When considering the appliance router/switch combos, keep in mind throughput of the switch. I saw one review that did port-to-port throughput testing, and most of the appliance routers could not hit their rated speed. SMC (and I believe, Netgear) did OK.

I tried making my own linux router.
Gave me serious problems with gamespy, unfortunately. I'm sure its fixable, I just didnt have the powers to fix it, and because it didnt have a steady monitor on it (shared LCD monitor, and LCD cant use sqitch boxes unless they are really expensive) I thought it didnt worth the headache and I just used win2k with tiny personal firewall.
Now my dad converted the computer (that I use as a gateway) to xp and he uses the xp firewall, which kinda sucks.. but I dont really care because im on an internal network and I have a firewall of my own installed just to make sure.

If I was living on my own house, with my own computers, I would give a linux gateway server another chance, definately. its fun to learn and to play with, when you have the time.

Get a linksys. it's worth it.

I think i'll just try get Debian running again. I trust an os/distribution that heaps of people constantly work on rather than an os specifically designed for these little routers. And I need to brush up on my linux knowledge too :) Thanks a lot for the help!