Is Netopia Firewall enough?

Hi people. I have Eircom BB with a Netopia 3347nwg wireless modem. It has a firewall which is turned on.I also have Kaspersky7 security suite which also has a firewall thats turned on.Can I just use the Netopia firewall and use an AV program only i.e. no bells and whistles?

I would be inclined to keep a desktop firewall running regardless. Especially if it's a laptop that might be moved around and used on other network connections or if it is connecting wirelessly to the router (in which case it's technically possible for intruders to attempt to connect directly to your machine via its wireless network interface).

I have a desktop connected by cable and two laptops connecting wirelessly.The wireless is well secured(wpa) I never used either laptops on another network.Would the netopia firewall give the same degree of protection if used on its own. Does the netopia firewall get updated etc?

caff said:

I have a desktop connected by cable and two laptops connecting wirelessly.The wireless is well secured(wpa) I never used either laptops on another network.Would the netopia firewall give the same degree of protection if used on its own. Does the netopia firewall get updated etc?

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I reckon the Netopia firewall is good enough to block incoming threats. It's main role is to prevent file-sharing protocols being abused.

A software firewall is useful to control incoming and outgoing threats. Some software might be inclined to 'phone-home' with your personal details. A software firewall will block and tell you about this. The firewall in Windows XP is good enough for this, if you set it correctly.

AFAIK the Netopia is not automatically updated. This is not a cause for concern as it's rarely necessary. The problem is not the same as with anti-virus.

For Eircom customers, WiFi security should be a concern as the automatic setup was deriving the security key from the SSID (network identifier) which anyone could see when looking for networks in their vicinity.

If the Netopia allows it, consider locking your WifI network to the MAC addresses of your laptops etc.

check your firewall with shields up at www.grc.com

caff said:

The wireless is well secured(wpa) I never used either laptops on another network.

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Yes - but theoretically somebody could try to intrude into your laptops via the wireless network adaptor - e.g. by attempting to establish an ad-hoc connection etc. Maybe unlikely but for the sake of a presumably small drain on resources I would always run a desktop firewall (and preferably one that checks incoming and outgoing connections as mentioned above) anyway.

You should always run a software firewall on your pc...one that warns when a new application need a connection....

the main reason is that it will stop spyware making an outgoing connection without your permission , a router's firewall will let anything inside out ....it just stops nastys from outside getting in....

Thank for all the replies. I'll stick with the software firewall then guys.