free software firewalls

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jeff
  • Start date Start date
J

Jeff

I have a small 3 PC wireless home network that is WPA encrypted and router
based. As a software firewall I have used Zone Alarm free for years (with
XPs firewall turned off), but lately it has been playing havoc with my
internet access causing intermittent loss of internet access. So I have
decided to replace it with another free software firewall.

Because I have used ZA for so long I have not kept up with other available
software firewalls. The free versions of "Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall"
and "Outpost Free" have been suggested as replacements.

Any advice as to which would be a better choice and would be wireless and
ICS friendly? Any others?

Thank you for any advice.

Jeff
 
In Jeff had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:
I have a small 3 PC wireless home network that is WPA encrypted and router
based. As a software firewall I have used Zone Alarm free for years (with
XPs firewall turned off), but lately it has been playing havoc with my
internet access causing intermittent loss of internet access. So I have
decided to replace it with another free software firewall.

Because I have used ZA for so long I have not kept up with other available
software firewalls. The free versions of "Sunbelt Kerio Personal
Firewall"
and "Outpost Free" have been suggested as replacements.

Any advice as to which would be a better choice and would be wireless and
ICS friendly? Any others?

Thank you for any advice.

Jeff
Click to expand...

I am biased and have a personal interest in Outpost though not a financial
interest. I enjoy the product and am satisfied with the level of security
that it provides when properly configured.

Outpost Firewall Free:
http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/index.php


--
Galen - MS MVP - Windows (Shell/User & IE)
http://dts-l.org/ http://kgiii.info/

"Chance has put in our way a most singular and whimsical problem, and its
solution is its own
reward." - Sherlock Holmes
 
"PC Magazine" still rates Zone Alarm as an 'Editor's Choice'
Click to expand...

That does'nt mean anything.

Magazines seldom test the technical quality of such products. They
look at functions and usability.

/B. Nice
 
I have a small 3 PC wireless home network that is WPA encrypted and router
based. As a software firewall I have used Zone Alarm free for years (with
XPs firewall turned off), but lately it has been playing havoc with my
internet access causing intermittent loss of internet access. So I have
decided to replace it with another free software firewall.

Because I have used ZA for so long I have not kept up with other available
software firewalls. The free versions of "Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall"
and "Outpost Free" have been suggested as replacements.

Any advice as to which would be a better choice and would be wireless and
ICS friendly? Any others?
Click to expand...

Comodo is very much one worth looking at.
 
Jeff said:
I have a small 3 PC wireless home network that is WPA encrypted and router
based. As a software firewall I have used Zone Alarm free for years (with
XPs firewall turned off), but lately it has been playing havoc with my
internet access causing intermittent loss of internet access. So I have
decided to replace it with another free software firewall.

Because I have used ZA for so long I have not kept up with other available
software firewalls. The free versions of "Sunbelt Kerio Personal
Firewall" and "Outpost Free" have been suggested as replacements.

Any advice as to which would be a better choice and would be wireless and
ICS friendly? Any others?
Click to expand...

I've always liked Kerio. though I haven't used it recently and don't know
about your other specifications. What I liked about it was it seemed much
more flexible at being able to create rules (allowing port ranges and commas
to aggregate ports into a single rule) and also being able to export and
import rule sets for purposes of backups and of configuring multiple
machines.
 
Jeff said:
I have a small 3 PC wireless home network that is WPA encrypted and
router based. As a software firewall I have used Zone Alarm free for
years (with XPs firewall turned off), but lately it has been playing
havoc with my internet access causing intermittent loss of internet
access. So I have decided to replace it with another free software
firewall.
Because I have used ZA for so long I have not kept up with other
available software firewalls. The free versions of "Sunbelt Kerio
Personal Firewall" and "Outpost Free" have been suggested as
replacements.
Any advice as to which would be a better choice and would be wireless
and ICS friendly? Any others?

Thank you for any advice.

Jeff
Click to expand...

Those are also decent firewalls but IMO ZA is still the better of them all
for freebies to date. Firewalls are not all created equal and though each
may have differences it's still quite a crapshoot whether any of them would
be "bad" for your purposes. It's more a matter of personal experience and
which seems to be most comfortable to you at this stage, I think.

Pop`
 
I agree with Pop. It is a personal choice. However, you wrote that you are
now using WPA Encryption. Some software venders have yet to bring their
products up to snuff with the new encryption WPA. Even paid for versions,
mine is Panda, which I love, have not yet made their software WPA compatable,
which in fact causes the problem you described. I love my Security Suite by
Panda so much, I actually made the decision to remove it and then install
without the Firewall and use Windows Firewall instead as my Router has a
hardware firewall. Recently I installed the newest version of Panda and also
installed the software Firewall, which is now suppose to be compatable with
the WPA encryption in Routers. Well, that may not be the case as I began
having the same problem again. I am now about to remove the software program
and install without the firewall. I don't know much about the free Security
Sutes, but as Pop says it is a personal choice and I have heard good things
about Zone Alarm. I am not sure if Zone Alarm is only a Firewall or if it is
a full Security Suite. If it is a full Suite, and you really like it, are
familiar with how to use it properly, perhaps you will choose to do as I did
and remove it, then install without the Firewall. Good luck and have a great
day.
 
Zone Alarm had deteriorated terribly in recent years. One frequent cause of
"playing havoc" with Internet access is a bug that occurs after standby and
hibernate. If you're running into that one see http://tinyurl.com/uhe92 for
a solution. It takes Zone Labs ages to fix bugs and ZA also seems
excessively prone to damaged data files and losing it's settings. I have
stopped recommending it and am currently re-evaluating free personal
firewalls for client installations. I regret greatly the loss of Sygate
Free after it's purchase by Symantec. I have been seeing some glowing
reviews and comparative test reports of Comodo. It seems well worth a look.
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/whycomodofirewall.html
 
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