Net share
In recent years, broadband Internet connections have grown exponentially in popularity as major providers have raced to extend the coverage of cable and ADSL connections to suburbs across the country.
In recent years, broadband Internet connections have grown exponentially in popularity as major providers have raced to extend the coverage of cable and ADSL connections to suburbs across the country. As our previous Labs has shown (see Net directions, p42), there is now a wide range of broadband services that are ideally suited for just about any home or office. With a broadband connection hooked up you can easily service the bandwidth needs of several PCs with the one line. Even though some broadband ISPs charge for each additional PC connected to the line, you can still save a lot of money sharing it around.
Internet gateway and firewall devices are designed to provide access to a broadband Internet connection by sharing the connection over several computers. Essentially, they are similar to network hubs, except with an additional port and circuitry to connect to a broadband device, like a cable or ADSL modem.
In the case of a firewall, the features are essentially the same, but incoming data is monitored and filtered according to parameters that are defined by the firewall. A firewall can regulate the content from the Internet as well as protect your network from intruders. They enable you to block connections to sites with inappropriate content, or to prevent people from remotely accessing your system while you are online. As it becomes easier and easier to download tools that enable you to perform DOS (Denial Of Service) and other online attacks, the onus is on the individual user to try and protect data and system integrity, and a gateway is the perfect solution.
More and more of these devices are available on the Australian market right now, and we look at a range of devices from the all-Australian NetComm, to the giant, Intel, and specialists including D-Link, Compex, and Netgear. We have hooked them up to one of the broadband connections on test in our previous Labs, and given them a thorough looking over.
Editor Tim Dean
Contributor Matt Overington
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