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<blockquote data-quote="GlassJaw" data-source="post: 2615064" data-attributes="member: 22103">By its definition, this is true.&nbsp; However, the Linksys router that we all know and love (at least I do!) is a NAT device - Network Address Translation.&nbsp; NAT is a type of firewall, albeit a brute force one.Basically, the Linksys router will block anything that is attempting to &quot;enter&quot; your PC that didn't originate from you.&nbsp; So if you type in <a href="http://www.yahoo.com" target="_blank">www.yahoo.com</a>, your computer sends a request to Yahoo.&nbsp; Yahoo then sends an acknowledgement.&nbsp; When it gets to your router, the router checks that you requested it.&nbsp; It then routes the packet to your PC.Now if someone is trying to hack into your PC (usually by port scanning), the data they are sending won't be in the router&nbsp; address table, so it won't get it.&nbsp; That's why it's a brute force firewall - you can't really set permissions to allow certain types of data.&nbsp; You can open up certain ports but a true firewall allows for a lot more customization.Now if you get an email and click on something you shouldn't have, you're screwed.&nbsp; The router isn't going to help you at all because by clicking on that link, you initiated the contact.&nbsp; The hacker on the receiving end now has an open channel to your PC.If you are just trying to protect your home PC, a Linksys router (and a good virus scan program) is really all you need.&nbsp; Everything else is just redundant.&nbsp; Heck, I turn off my XP firewall as well.&nbsp; The Linksys router should provide everything you need right out of the box with little to no configuration at all.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="GlassJaw, post: 2615064, member: 22103"] By its definition, this is true. However, the Linksys router that we all know and love (at least I do!) is a NAT device - Network Address Translation. NAT is a [I]type[/I] of firewall, albeit a brute force one. Basically, the Linksys router will block anything that is attempting to "enter" your PC that didn't originate from you. So if you type in [url]www.yahoo.com[/url], your computer sends a request to Yahoo. Yahoo then sends an acknowledgement. When it gets to your router, the router checks that you requested it. It then routes the packet to your PC. Now if someone is trying to hack into your PC (usually by port scanning), the data they are sending won't be in the router address table, so it won't get it. That's why it's a brute force firewall - you can't really set permissions to allow certain types of data. You can open up certain ports but a true firewall allows for a lot more customization. Now if you get an email and click on something you shouldn't have, you're screwed. The router isn't going to help you at all because by clicking on that link, you initiated the contact. The hacker on the receiving end now has an open channel to your PC. If you are just trying to protect your home PC, a Linksys router (and a good virus scan program) is really all you need. Everything else is just redundant. Heck, I turn off my XP firewall as well. The Linksys router should provide everything you need right out of the box with little to no configuration at all. [/QUOTE]

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