I use SOHO's Watchguard, a true hardware firewall and I also use Zone Alarm for privacy and security. The SOHO cost around $350 and I also pay and annual fee of $95.00 for upgrades and support and believe me, the the support people at SOHO are very very expert people and super helpful, making the cost worth every cent. Recently I had a problem, my modem would not connect to the net or email.

I called and was told that I would have to disconnect my SOHO for them to troubleshoot my system. I refused, saying simply that the problem was their's not mine. It is evidently standard practice at Time-Warner/Road Runner to do this and it is also always taken for granted by them that the problen is with the subscriber not the provider. In every case of problems I've had in the past year and a half it has always been the provder's problem, not mine. Anyway within 30 minutes of my refusal to disconnect my firewall, the "problem" was fixed. I am more concerned about my privacy and security visa vie Time/Warner/Road Runner than any outside source. I think they have many unqualified people doing customer service along with some "loose cannons" in their tech departments. Trust me, this is also a problem that needs addressing.

[ reply ]

Link to this comment: http://www.securityfocus.com/comments/articles/287/8992#8992