[Scottish] Re: Scottish Digest, Vol 1, Issue 268

[Harry Sigerson]

In article <E1A2o5s-0006mm-01 at lug.org.uk>,  wrote:
> People have advised to get a router, but I am not sure what the difference 
> between a router and an adsl modem are? Do I need both?
>
Phil, 
    for what it's worth, from this lurker on ScotLUG; who is still trying to 
get round to Linux.
    I have had NTL's broadband 512/128 cable modem connection for almost as 
long as it has been available in Glasgow. 
    The modem's output is fed into a LinkSys BEFSR41 (NAT) router which in turn 
feeds my son's iMac and my PC. It is a 4-porter. (The blurb that came with it 
says it can with switching boxes handle up to 25x machines; I wouldn't want to 
say how well)
    The BEFSR41 is not wifi. I have seen it priced as low as £49, which is a 
lot less than PC World was trying to sell it at once upon a time. They were 
asking #14x for it; at the time I got it for £106
    I have it, the NTL modem, set up using Ethernet (you have the choice of 
that or USB with it) with a NIC card in my PC, the iMac comes NICed. 
    The BEFSR41 router picks up a dynamic IP address. If NTL does some work on 
their gear at their end, then I get the router to re-establish the dynamic 
address. 
    The little group works well I have to say. 
    
    [In passing LinkSys has a wireless router out in the U.S. that from 'real' 
firewalling stance is SPI; which I'm told by someone who knows about these 
things says 'Stateful Packet Inspection' and is a prerequisite of 'real' 
firewalling. Blurb on this router is at...
    http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?prid=565&grid=
    ...it is being sold in the US by Amazon.com for $220; I don't know if it is 
available in the UK]
    
    
    Harry.