Hi speed internet & firewalls

[BeBopBaby]

Folks - I'm finally getting rid of my dial-up connection. (It's about time, right? ) I think I'm going to go with Verizon high speed internet, because the price is fairly comparable to to my dial-up. Does anyone have any feed back or experience with Verizon High-speed? Have you had any problems with it?

Also, since it's a broadband connection, I'm thinking I'll have to add some sort of firewall to my PC security. Are there any free firewall downloads that anyone can recommend? While I'm at it, any good free antivirus prorgams as well? Is there anything else security-wise that I should consider?

Thanks!

 

[BellyTank]

Since you have a PC, Windows Firewall- it should be in your XP, or later.
Avast is a great, free, OSS anti-everything.

I have no experience of internet in the USA.


B
T

 

[scotrace]

You should have had a firewall and anti-vi with dialup also.

 

[BeBopBaby]

I have an anti-virus program on my PC, but I'm looking for other suggestions. As for the firewall, it's my understanding that they aren't really necessary for a dial-up connection but they are for broadband because the connection is always on, unlike your connection with dial up.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

If it's FiOS then that's pretty much the fastest access you can get in the US right now. Just get a Linksys or D-link router/switch. They have hardware firewalls built in.

 

[BellyTank]

I have an anti-virus program on my PC, but I'm looking for other suggestions. As for the firewall, it's my understanding that they aren't really necessary for a dial-up connection but they are for broadband because the connection is always on, unlike your connection with dial up.

You can always pull out the cable- best anti-everything there is.


B
T

 

[Pugs]

If it's FiOS then that's pretty much the fastest access you can get in the US right now. Just get a Linksys or D-link router/switch. They have hardware firewalls built in.

Between that and the built-in firewall in Xp/Vista (or Mac OSX like I use) and some reasonably safe browsing habits you will be fine.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I recommend Zone Alarm as the best overall firewall. Unlike the windows version, it will warn you of outgoing connection attempts by programs in your PC as well as incoming. Very important if you should get some malware like a trojan horse that attempts to phone home.
You have a bit more control over what the firewall lets in also, so if you play any online games for instance, it will allow you to connect without trying to figure out what went wrong should you suddenly find yourself unable to connect. There is a free version as well as several paid security suite options.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I have an anti-virus program on my PC, but I'm looking for other suggestions. As for the firewall, it's my understanding that they aren't really necessary for a dial-up connection but they are for broadband because the connection is always on, unlike your connection with dial up.

Not so. Any connection to the internet has the potential to pick up undesirable attention and connections from other computers any where in the world.

 

[Lily Powers]

We just ditched our "vintage" dial-up connection for ethernet via Comcast Cable and enjoy the computer so much more. I no longer feel the need to walk the dog around the block while the more photo-filled threads open. We have a Mac and built-in firewalls. And speaking of Macs (and no disrespect to BeBopBaby for starting this )... why was the Mac thread closed but this thread is ok?

 

[Nathan Flowers]

She started specific thread for advice that could be answered quickly, and not a "So how many of you are on broadband internet?" thread. Now that she's got answers, and people here that she can pm for further info, we'll close the thread.