How Do I Choose the Best Home Network Firewall?

When connecting to the network for the first time, you must select a network location. This will automatically set the appropriate firewall settings for the type of network you are connected to. If you are connected to the network in a different location (for example, home, local coffee shop, or office), choosing a network location can help ensure that your computer is always set to the appropriate level of security. Network location can also be understood as your ip network location.

Network location

Connect to for the first time

Home network

for

Setup steps

If you know you don't need to share files or printers, the most secure option is the public network.

To change the network location:

1. Click to open "Network and Sharing Center";

2. Click "Work Network", "Home Network" or "Public Network"; 3. Click the desired network location

Warning

Selecting Home Network or Work Network changes the firewall configuration to allow communication. This poses a threat to security. For more information, see What are the risks of allowing programs through a firewall?

How can I ensure that the home or work network I am connecting to is secure?

To help ensure that the home or work network you connect to is secure, make sure that the network meets the following conditions:

For wireless networks, the wireless connection is encrypted using WiFi Protected Access (WPA or WPA2). (WPA2 is preferred because it is more secure than WPA.);

For all networks, connect a firewall or other device with Network Address Translation (NAT) between the computer or wireless access point and the cable or DSL modem;

Set up a firewall or a network of NAT-enabled devices in the recommended locations.

Firewall

When you connect to a network in a public place, the Public Places block prevents certain programs and services from running, which can help protect your computer from unauthorized access. If you are connected to a "public place" and the Windows firewall is turned on, some programs or services may ask you to unblock them (allow them to communicate through the firewall) so that these programs or services can work properly.

If you unblock a program, Windows Firewall will unblock the program for all networks that have the same location type as the network you are currently connected to. For example, if you connect to a network at a coffee shop and select "Public place" as the location type, and then unblock an instant messaging program, all networks in the "Public place" location will unblock the program.

If you unblocked multiple programs while connected to the public network, consider changing the network location to "Home" or "Office". This change may be more secure than affecting every public network to which you are connected. But be aware that if you make this change, your computer will be visible to others on the network.

In common network topologies, we often encounter whether to place the firewall in front of or behind the router to locate our network security. Generally, in order to prevent hackers from scanning the router address, we can choose to place the firewall in front of the router. , And set appropriate rules in the firewall to shield our routers from being scanned by some network tools to prevent routers from being attacked.

Today, with the continuous updating of technology, the C / S mode of virus attacks has been turned into active attacks. Our CLIENT directly sends sensitive information to the places designated by hackers, thereby stealing user information. Therefore, when setting up a firewall, we should also pay more attention to not only external rules requiring strict review, but also internal rules that cannot be ignored.