What is a firewall and why do you need one on your home network?

What Is A Firewall And Why Do You Need One On Your Home Network?

Internet providers Ottawa

There are several low cost options out there that can offer reliable Internet protection for your PCs. For most of you, antivirus software are the ultimate solution to the persisting cyber-criminal menace. We recommend you continue using it but we also want you to take up firewall as a defensive measure as well.

What is Firewall?

Firewall is simply a barrier that filters outgoing and incoming data. What this barrier does is that it separates your network or PC from the net through various openings known as ports. Through ports, your computer is able to communicate with other devices as well as with the Internet. In short, firewall ensures that these ports open only when it is necessary plus it allows your computer to interact with the external gadgets it trusts.

Through this action, it helps your PC by preventing:

Hackers who want to hijack your PC
Malicious malware that may be spreading between PCs around the net
Losing personal data without you realizing it

The difference between firewall and antivirus software is that antivirus programs are able to handle such threats when they appear on the system, while firewall is capable of barring these threats so that they don’t even manage to land on your computer.

Types of firewall

You can choose between software or hardware firewall depending on your needs.

Hardware firewalls are mostly used by business owners, especially those who run big or medium sized companies. The reason why they fit in these companies is because they are more robust and are, therefore, able to handle/protect a company’s entire IT infrastructure.

Software firewall is the best suit for a home setting. What’s even more interesting about it is that it is already in place on every computer out there. So, your PC is already in a position to control and monitor traffic on the net but for it to work, you need to ensure your firewall is on. Other than these two options, you can also get reliable firewalls on the Internet. You simply need to download them. Another way of getting Internet protection is by purchasing an Internet security program pack from a reputable Internet provider Ottawa. To all those who possess a Microsoft operating system, you have little work to do in relation to protecting your PC as a free firewall has already been set up for you.

How do you ensure that firewall is on?

For the following users, this is how you ensure that the firewall is switched on:

For vista users: Open control panel then go to security to check if firewall is on.
Windows XP users: Click on control panel then visit security center. Ensure to upgrade to a modern operating system because the old security and support patch expired back in 2014, 8th April.
A windows 7 or 8 user will click on control panel, then select on system and security before clicking on windows firewall to ensure that firewall is on.