If I Have a Router Can I Turn Windows Firewall Off For Faster Speed & Still Be Safe?

Until the other day I've been using both Windows Firewall and my Wireless Router but my internet speed started to get slower which might be partially due to some work my Broadband Cable Company has been doing in the neighborhood.
The woman I spoke to in the wireless department their said if I already have a router for my wireless connection as part of their Netgear Modem/Router then that Router is good enough for a Firewall and by using Windows Firewall too everything is going through 2 firewalls and slowing down the speed. Sure enough, when I turned off Windows Firewall, my download speed via measurement from TestMy.net was incredibly faster. The bottom line is, am I sufficiently Firewalled with just the Router instead of the Router and Windows Firewall which slows down my speed considerably? Thanks for your help.

Peachesbackwards said:

Until the other day I've been using both Windows Firewall and my Wireless Router but my internet speed started to get slower which might be partially due to some work my Broadband Cable Company has been doing in the neighborhood.
The woman I spoke to in the wireless department their said if I already have a router for my wireless connection as part of their Netgear Modem/Router then that Router is good enough for a Firewall and by using Windows Firewall too everything is going through 2 firewalls and slowing down the speed. Sure enough, when I turned off Windows Firewall, my download speed via measurement from TestMy.net was incredibly faster. The bottom line is, am I sufficiently Firewalled with just the Router instead of the Router and Windows Firewall which slows down my speed considerably? Thanks for your help.

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I personally would turn off the firewall in the router and use the os one. Thats what i have done anyway and works pretty good for me. You will definitely be fine using the os one rather than using a built in router one which i wouldn't rely on personally.

I don't know about vista but the windows firewall in XP is garbage. It may block some things from coming in but not going out.

One of the first things I disable when I install an OS is Windows firewall. The one built into my router works fine for me and doesn't nag me about changing settings, etc.

Router firewall is a hardware firewall and is very reliable. If you turn off a firewall make it the Windows firewall which is garbage at best.

Yes just turn off your windows firewall. If you want some good security check out PFSense. I run it at home and its great. Their website is www.PFSense.org.

~Tim

Router

Routers to a greater degree act as a hardware firewall, this is due to NAT (network address translation) and SPI (stateful packet inspection(in some routers)), however all routers allow traffic pass through for many protocols as these are required for basic internet usage and VPNs (Virtual Private Network) etc. A Router will help to protect against many direct attempts to access your network/computer(s). However this will not stop spyware,adware,viruses,trojans etc that you can pickup from downloading, visiting many sites, email, AIM and other applications.

I personally recommend having a hardware and software firewalls, also programs like spybot, ad-aware, anti-virus,hijackthis etc are a must these days for Windows users.

If you would like further help in securing your home wired/wiring network, I can give you a basic and/or advanced run down on how to achieve this.

Encryptor
Linux Rocks the Planet.....

I would agree with the above post. A hardware firewall is a must and a software firewall is a must as well. If you want to be secure, put up with the minute slowdown it may create.
As mentioned above, viruses, spyware, trojans etc are not controlled by any firewall. Other software is required to handle these pests. A bidirectional firewall is a secondary defence against incoming traffic but also provides security against any unauthorized outgoing attempts. Security is not a casual thing. You either have it or you dont. If you are paranoid about slowdowns then you have to sacrifice security to achieve this end. Your choice.

I would put it, if you're paranoid about security, you may have to put up with more importantly the nag of use, and the tediousness of setting up controls and rules for benign traffic flow. To each his own. If the User needs absolute security, because of sensitive materials on his computer, the more competant software/hardware firewall stack is great. If the User is like me, and only uses his PC (windows) for gaming and such and doesn't keep anything important on it, the proposed extra security measures may be redundant IMO.

Linux for everything else.