Recommendations for wireless routers?

[Snowhog]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

I can only say that with my ISP's DSL modem and my LinkSys WRT54GL router, the connection is:

phone line to DSL modem input > DSL modem output > Router Internet connection (data in port) 10/100 RJ-45 Port > Router LAN port (1 through 4) > PC network jack.

You cannot just bypass the DSL modem provided by your ISP as the router has no modem port.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

I can only say that with my ISP's DSL modem and my LinkSys WRT54GL router, the connection is:

phone line to DSL modem input > DSL modem output > Router Internet connection (data in port) 10/100 RJ-45 Port > Router LAN port (1 through 4) > PC network jack.

Right, that's exactly how mine work.

You cannot just bypass the DSL modem provided by your ISP as the router has no modem port.

Ah, but that's where you--and I--were wrong! Apparently there *are* routers that you can plug the DSL phone line into. Look at the port on the far right in this image arochester linked to (click on it to see its full size version--the forum resizes the image):

[img width=400 height=230]http://www.smartassproducts.com/images/kubuntuforums/router.jpg[/img]

[Snowhog]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

Ah, but that's where you--and I--were wrong! Apparently there *are* routers that you can plug the DSL phone line into.

Not wrong given the router (I) identified. The key, as you point out, is having a router that "you can plug the DSL phone line into."

[DoYouKubuntu]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

Okay, after much thought I think I've narrowed it down to these two:

ASUS (RT-N16) Wireless-N 300 Maximum Performance single band Gaming Router: Fast Gigabit Ethernet, support USB-Hard Drive and Printer and Open source DDWRT

TP-LINK TL-WR1043ND Ultimate Wireless N Gigabit Router 802.11 n / g / b Built-in 4-port Gigabit Switch w 3 detachable antennas

I've considered all the great info offered in this thread, and I think I'm going to stick with two separate pieces of equipment, the modem (whether DSL or cable) and the wireless router.

Not wrong given the router (I) identified. The key, as you point out, is having a router that "you can plug the DSL phone line into." Wink

Perhaps I misunderstood you, Snowhog, but I took your post to mean that bypassing a provider's DSL modem was impossible.

[Detonate]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

I have to set up three networks next month to use wireless access securely for the upcoming tax preparation season. These networks will be located at points that have unsecured wireless access points. since the host site does not provide security on their access points each of my networks must have their own router that does provide security. These are the instructions I have to follow to set up the networks. I thought some of you might find this interesting. I will be using the second method at all three sites.

http://www.thegeezergeek.net/twowire...nnectinstr.pdf

[wizard10000]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

I have to set up three networks next month to use wireless access securely for the upcoming tax preparation season. These networks will be located at points that have unsecured wireless access points. since the host site does not provide security on their access points each of my networks must have their own router that does provide security. These are the instructions I have to follow to set up the networks. I thought some of you might find this interesting. I will be using the second method at all three sites.

http://www.thegeezergeek.net/twowire...nnectinstr.pdf

And these guys do tax preparation? Direct connection to an untrusted network through an untrusted PC?

Man, that's a scary document - I know who *not* to have do my taxes now.

[Detonate]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

Everything on the secondary network will be protected by WPA. All data that is transmitted is encrypted. The unsecured primary network is used for internet connection only. All of the computers on the secondary tax preparation network will have their wireless setup to only allow a connection to that network and no other. Believe me, these people these people are very security concerned, and this has been well thought out. We have never had a security breach. At the end of the season I have to do a complete secure delete of the entire hard disk on every computer. And those hard disks are encrypted to start with. The only real security concern I have is, that i have been told that the gateway computer, the one accessing the unsecured network for access to the internet, can be used for tax preparation. I don't see how that computer can be secure. I am still questioning that.

[SteveRiley]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

I'm going to stick with two separate pieces of equipment, the modem (whether DSL or cable) and the wireless router.

Good idea, because one of these will die before the other.

Everything on the secondary network will be protected by WPA. All data that is transmitted is encrypted. The unsecured primary network is used for internet connection only. All of the computers on the secondary tax preparation network will have their wireless setup to only allow a connection to that network and no other. Believe me, these people these people are very security concerned, and this has been well thought out.

Looks good to me. Assuming these computers run Windows Vista or 7, then be sure you:

• Leave the firewall enabled (default)
• Don't run as administrator (you might need to create new accounts, because the first account you create on a Windows install is an administrator)
• Download and install Microsoft Security Essentials for malware protection
• Ensure all updates are installed

At the end of the season I have to do a complete secure delete of the entire hard disk on every computer. And those hard disks are encrypted to start with.

It's unnecessary to run a wipe pass if the disks are encrypted. What encryption software are you using? It's sufficient to delete the keys, for without the keys, the data on the disks is useless. Use the Sysinternals SDelete utility to delete the key file. If you absolutely must wipe the whole drive, SDelete will work for that, too.

The only real security concern I have is, that i have been told that the gateway computer, the one accessing the unsecured network for access to the internet, can be used for tax preparation. I don't see how that computer can be secure. I am still questioning that.

I'm curious about that, too. So long as you follow the same policy as with the TAV machines, you'll probably be OK -- but without more information, I can't offer an opinion. Let us know what else you find out.

[Detonate]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

Yes, I know that securely deleting the disk is redundant, but that is the procedure I have to follow. The computers we use that belong to the IRS which I receive every year, are set up with the entire disk encrypted, and a program is included that deletes the disks, which I have to run before shipping them back to the IRS each year at the end of the tax season. The other computers we use, the disk is not encrypted, but no taxpayer date is saved on these computers. I delete them anyway just for safety. I use secure-delete. I remove the hard drives and mount them in my computer to do this. It is all stored on the server which we access through a secure connection, https and a authorized username and password. I don't even know where the server is, I think it is in Atlanta GA because that is where the company that provides the tax preparation software is located and I believe they have their own server. A total of 25 computers are used in my district for this program, 4 belong to the IRS and the rest belong to the non-profit agency that provides the service. All are running XP Pro.

[SteveRiley]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

All are running XP Pro.

I was OK with everything you wrote until I read the last sentence! Windows XP support ended for non-contract customers on 14 April 2009. While your tax software company seems to understand certain security principles, why on $DEITY's green Earth are they still using XP?

[Detonate]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

The tax preperation software company, TAXWISE has nothing to do with the reason we are still running XP. We are definitely contract customers, the Us Govt and AARP. AARP has contracted with Microsoft for over 9000 installations of W7 for use in this program, but they have not figured out yet how to insure that we only install it on computers used in the program. Negotiations are ongoing. At least that is what I have been told. I don't have any problems with XP. I know it better than any other windows program and I keep it updated and good security software installed. The IRS computers come with Norton, which I hate, I have Microsoft Security Essentials in stalled on all of the other computers. Until the last couple of years, I had to install the tax program on every computer, and we used Truecrypt to set up an encrypted drive for this. A real PITA, because as the technology coordinator I had to make frequent visits to the sites to upgrade the program every time a change came out, which was about twice a week. Now that we have gone to the online version of the program, I don't have to install or update anything, just make sure they are connected. I get them running about the middle of December, and unless there is a problem, I don't see them again until April 16. My life got a lot easier. Very easy job now.

[SteveRiley]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

You've developed some good practices. It's good that you're a contract customer so you can still get security updates. I agree with your assessment of Norton.

Moving away from locally-installed software and transitioning to an online (dare I say, in the cloud?) system is a really smart idea for situations like these. By keeping data off the local compuers, you're definitely reducing overall risk. One of your earlier messages indicated that all data in transit is encrypted, so interception risks are mitigated, too.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

And the winner is... ASUS (RT-N16) Wireless-N 300 Maximum Performance single band Gaming Router: Fast Gigabit Ethernet, support USB-Hard Drive and Printer and Open source DDWRT

I ordered it from Amazon and it should be here by Wednesday.

[ardvark71]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

• Download and install Microsoft Security Essentials for malware protection

Avira or Avast should work nicely as well, if you don't mind the ads.

Regards...

[SteveRiley]

Re: Recommendations for wireless routers?

And the winner is... single band

Perhaps you'll have better luck than I did trying to get N to work. There's so much wi-fi crowding around here that I could never keep a signal up for longer than a minute or two. Once I got a router with a 5 GHz radio, all my N gear suddenly became very happy.