Microsoft® Windows® XP Networking and Security Inside Out: Also Covers Windows 2000

Sharing an Internet Connection Through Hardware

The single most effective way to protect your local network from outside intruders is to place a barrier between the Internet and your LAN. Although businesses can justify sinking thousands of dollars into sophisticated hardware firewalls, you can protect your home or small business network for a fraction of that amount by installing a simple hardware router (sometimes referred to as a residential gateway). This piece of hardware sits between your network and your Internet connection (usually an external DSL or cable modem, although you can also use a conventional modem in this configuration). To the outside world, this gateway device looks like just another computer, although it's considerably more ...