Best Firewall

[Jimi5]

I'd like to get some feedback from you all on which which firewall program is the best along with some reasons. Freebie or paid. It doesn't matter. Thanks.

[philquad36]

mickysoft sp2 has built in firewall
theres nortons,mcafee,both work ok, but probly best with their own antivirus
standalone, there sygate,zonealarm,zone is good can can block things you dont want it too also, eg msn messanger.

[brocko]

"No other single product class seems to cause as much angst to average users in their installation and day-to-day use as Firewalls. That's why my choice for "best" goes to Kerio Personal Firewall [1], the product that seems to cause the fewest problems for users yet manages first rate protection as well. However it looks like Kerio will be discontinuing this product by the end of 2005 so hop in and get a copy while it is still available. The latest free version (V6) of the ZoneAlarm firewall [2] comes in a a good second choice though there have been considerable teething problems with the new version. Also the current free ZoneAlarm has become a true bare bones version of that company's class-leading commercial firewall. Such is life. More adventurous users and the technically inclined may however wish to consider Sygate [3]. It offers more control and more information but is not the easiest to setup and use. Sygate has recently been purchased by Symantec and that doesn't bode well for the future. Even more difficult to install is the NetVeda Safety.Net firewall [4]. However its performance is quite outstanding and it offers application control and content filtering as well. This highly capable product deserves to be better known and experienced users should definitely put it on their short list. Note: The free and paid versions of Kerio and Sygate are the same. If you don't buy the product some advanced features are automatically turned off after 30 days."

From

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm

It's a good site well worth checking out. Someone here put me onto it, can't remember who though.

[PN]

If you have DSL or a cable connection to the Internet you should be using a hardware firewall/router such as a Linksys, D-Link etc. The Windows XP Firewall may not be the world's greatest but it is good and not very taxing on your system resources (not bloated). However, the Windows XP built-in firewall is not bi-directional, which means it does not check data from your computer that is going out to the Internet. Some of the firewalls mentioned here such as Zone Alarm are bi-directional and it will check outgoing data from your computer.

Steve Gibson, has good information about firewall security and your computer. http://www.grc.com/

[teyrn]

Definitely PN on the hardware firewall. Routers today are getting more and more advanced and offer firewall protection above its already very safe NAT function for assigning IP addresses to client computers. I personal for work and home use an SMC router as well as Sygate Pro. Sygate can be a pain at times when trying to write your own custom rules and get them to work the way you wish but by far is the best firewall in existence (mho). Another firewall is zone alarm that performs above and beyond in regard to protection and the prevention of trojans and virii from propagating off your system. Firewalls bundled together with virus protection like McAffee and Norton aren't as advanced as a stand alone software firewall but in the end it is better then what comes packaged with sp2 for windows XP home/pro.
Sygate personal firewall free edition (http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm)
Zone Alram Free edition (http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en)

[Justin S]

hardware router with NAT is the best "firewall" solution

[Jadis]

I agree with Nat and that's what I run.

Stay far far away from Zone Alarm. I used to do internet tech support and the majority of connectivity problems that were determined to be inside the home was traced to Zone Alarm. A lot downloaded it for free and it was something we couldn't remove since it wasn't our software. Resulted in a lot of supervisor calls for those of us in escalations.

[Scorpion]

Stay far far away from Zone Alarm. I used to do internet tech support and the majority of connectivity problems that were determined to be inside the home was traced to Zone Alarm. A lot downloaded it for free and it was something we couldn't remove since it wasn't our software. Resulted in a lot of supervisor calls for those of us in escalations.
I had no trouble with ZoneAlarm when I had a PC running WindowsXP Pro. But you have to know how to use it.

[PN]

Gibson Research Corp's CEO, Steve Gibson (http://grc.com/lt/leaktest.htm), a well known security expert, said about Kerio: "In an earlier podcast, I referred to two firewalls I liked a lot, and that's Tiny and Kerio. I did some research with my Leaktest freeware, and from looking at all the firewalls out there, my two favorites were Tiny and Kerio"

"Looking for the FREE Kerio Firewall? You have found the right page. Just like the original, the Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall will keep on working after the first 30 days, only in a more limited mode, but free! Download now, keep the bad guys out."

SunBelt Software (http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm)