The Lurker Lounge Forums
Suggest a good free firewall - Printable Version

+- The Lurker Lounge Forums (https://www.lurkerlounge.com/forums)
+-- Forum: The Lurker Lounge (https://www.lurkerlounge.com/forums/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The Lounge (https://www.lurkerlounge.com/forums/forum-12.html)
+--- Thread: Suggest a good free firewall (/thread-5192.html)

Suggest a good free firewall - NiteFox - 12-09-2005

[Image: 731691m.jpg]

Nice, innit? Since I purchased my DS back at the launch in March, it's been a faithful gaming friend, and the upcoming slew of online games makes me very excited The thought of dispensing red shells to schmucks across the seas in Mario Kart DS makes me giddy like a little schoolgirl.

Being a perennial cheapskate, and also lacking a good other reason for buying a wireless router, I purchase the WiFi dongle for a shade less than thirty quid. It works perfectly, but with one slight snafu.

ZoneAlarm Free. It doesn't like the dongle, and the dongle doesn't like it. To even get connected I have to turn off ZoneAlarm even after giving a zillion and one permissions to various IP addresses and programs connected to the WiFi service. The problem is that all potential fixes involve allowing access to certain ports, which ZoneAlarm Free doesn't allow. I don't like running around without a firewall, and I did try disabling ZA and replacing it with Windows Firewall, which worked for my DS, but I'm not sure worked at all for anything else since it happily allowed Firefox to access the Internet even though I hadn't granted permission to said program in WF :ph34r:

Being a cheapskate, I don't want to drop hard cash on a firewall, so I'm looking for a better free alternative to ZA that will allow eldritch port magickry.

I'm also familiar with the software-finding skills that the Lounge has. DeeBye, I'm looking at you.

Suggest a good free firewall - DeeBye - 12-10-2005

NiteFox,Dec 9 2005, 03:34 PM Wrote:I'm also familiar with the software-finding skills that the Lounge has.  DeeBye, I'm looking at you.
[right][snapback]96623[/snapback][/right]

If you're using a router, you shouldn't really need a software firewall. A properly configured router will be more protection than what even the best software firewall can offer.

That being said, I prefer Kerio 2.1.5. Youu can get it from Kerio's website here. There are newer versions of Kerio PF, but they don't offer any security upgrades over 2.1.5 and they are a lot more obtrusive. Kerio 2.1.5 is about the leanest running and least annoying software firewall on the market.

edit:
NiteFox,Dec 9 2005, 03:34 PM Wrote:I don't like running around without a firewall, and I did try disabling ZA and replacing it with Windows Firewall, which worked for my DS, but I'm not sure worked at all for anything else since it happily allowed Firefox to access the Internet even though I hadn't granted permission to said program in WF :ph34r:
[right][snapback]96623[/snapback][/right]

Windows firewall offers protection from inbound stuff, but not outbound stuff. If it's on your computer, it has free access. This is the one reason why I don't use Windows firewall.

Suggest a good free firewall - Wyrm - 12-10-2005

After a bit of a quick search I found these programs, which might be along the lines of what you're looking for.

http://www.r-firewall.com/
http://www.iopus.com/ipig/download/
http://www.jetico.com/ (you'll have to go to the download page and scroll down close to the bottom, but the firewall is free)

Suggest a good free firewall - Shade - 12-10-2005

Wyrm,Dec 10 2005, 12:43 AM Wrote:After a bit of a quick search I found these programs, which might be along the lines of what you're looking for.

http://www.r-firewall.com/
http://www.iopus.com/ipig/download/
http://www.jetico.com/ (you'll have to go to the download page and scroll down close to the bottom, but the firewall is free)
[right][snapback]96644[/snapback][/right]

I'll second recomendation for Jetico. Nice thingie.

Suggest a good free firewall - NiteFox - 12-10-2005

Tried some of those firewalls, and they all managed to successfully block the WiFi connection.

However, after browsing through the ZoneLabs forums, I found that it works if you put the Internet zone security setting to medium. Which I swear I tried yesterday.