Router/Firewall Recommendation

[Ward William E DLDN]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Otto Haliburton [mailto:ottohaliburton at comcast.net]
> Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 11:04 AM
> To: 'General Red Hat Linux discussion list'
> Subject: RE: Router/Firewall Recommendation

> .. but he didn't read the post carefully and opened his mouth and inserted
foot.  
> Wireless networks can be penetrated, but it is not trivial.  You need to
know 
> where it is and come into range of the transmission limitations to start
out 
> with, you have to be able to select that wireless network out of all of
the 
> ones that are up and running.

Since all I wanted to comment on was this statement, I've cut out all the
insults and venom.

You very much need to qualify this statement to make it anywhere NEAR
close to being true.

I've had Wireless (on and off) for about a year and a half; about 9 months
ago, the Wireless Nic went bad, and the RMA came back worse.  I ended up
going for a new .G router (DLink) to use (note, I only use it as a wireless
SWITCH; it's inside my network, but I've got it nailed down; I use IPCop
for my Firewall, and the both the new WAP and the old one were only used
for Wireless and as extra ports hanging off one of my three switches...
I have a LOT of computers at home).  When I set up the new NIC, it promptly
connected not with my new WAP, but to a Linksys one of my neighbors has (and
no, I don't know which neighbor).  Boom, I'm on the Internet before I even
had a chance to set up the connection to my OWN (more secure) WAP.  Oh,
yeah, Wireless >OUT OF THE BOX< is Secure </roll eyes>.  The trouble is,
even after being "configured", most WAPs are STILL unsecure; the average
user is clueless about how to secure these things.  You want the REALLY 
sad news?  The Linksys was doing that on my OLD WNIC, too.... over a year
ago.  If my old 11b WAP (which has now gone to my B-I-Law) had failed,
instead
of the original 11b WNIC, I'd never have lost Wireless Internet access on
the
laptop.

Bill Ward