Advice for Decision on a Hardware Firewall

i have a small network at home and would like to increase my security i would like to know:

is it worth getting a hardware firewall?

which one should i get if im going to buy one?

pros/cons of using one?

better alternatives?

 

routers are a good alternative for a hardware firewall, since most of them have NAT and a built-in firewall, which, when used effectively will keep you relatively safe.

another option is to put together the obsolete parts of older computers and build a firewall box out of it.
running it on linux and setting it up to restrict ports etc. should do the trick as well for a home network.

another advice (even though I think you're already aware of this): don't share important information such as cc numbers, bank account numbers etc. over your network.

 

thnx for the reply, i currently use a router for ISDN which provides NAT

if i were to set up a firewall box on linux which i admit does sound tempting, is it pretty simple to do? i know my way around windows pretty well and i can always get myself and others out of trouble but ive never really dabbled in linux at all

 

I second the linux box. At first you may have a few bugs to get ironed out, but its infinitaly more secure and customizeable and most hardware firewalls are just mini linux boxs anyway.

 

If you want to try a linux firewall .. look at SmoothWall Very low hardware requirements and very simple to admin.