Router and Firewall Tech

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:44 pm

The parts:

1) Cable Modem (Motorolla, TWC supplied)

Ethernet from modem to

2) Vonage Adapter (Linksys), has a hardware Firewall

Ethernet to Wireless router/hub

3) Wireless router/hub (Linksys 802.11g)

Wireless to Mac

4) Mac with OS 10.4.4 (latest) with software firewall

Is this a good order of hardware, or would I be better off switching the wireless and phone adapters around? It seems like if I switched them around I could turn off the Firewall for the phone (it would then be protected by the wireless hub/router).

If I want to open Firewall ports (maybe ports 6881-6999 for Bittorrent), do I need to open them on both routers (seems I do as it's configured now) - in addition to on the Mac.

Any good books out there? "Networks for Dummies"??

Scott

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:58 pm

Hmm, for starters, it looks like I'm mixing up "Port Forwarding" and the concept of opening ports via the Firewall.

I've got the ports open on the Mack firewall, and can forward certain ports from router A to router B, then router B to the Mac. Seems pretty easy (and probably not necessary).

Scott

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Fri Jan 13, 2006 10:07 pm

Scott,

For what it may be worth, I had a Vonage (Linksys) router for awhile and my own Belkin wireless router. Vonage recommended their router be "first" after the cable modem. I tried it the other way and basically proved that Vonage's recommended order was best . . . at least in my situation.

Carl Fisher · **Posted:** Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:04 pm

We initially put our Vonage box ahead of our router per Vonage's instructions and had exactly the opposite experience. Adapter reboots, poor call quality, etc. Put the V box behind the router and had no more problems. Didn't even open or forward any ports (not sure why that worked?).

David Teague · **Posted:** Sun Jan 15, 2006 11:36 pm

Carl Fisher wrote:

We initially put our Vonage box ahead of our router per Vonage's instructions and had exactly the opposite experience. Adapter reboots, poor call quality, etc. Put the V box behind the router and had no more problems. Didn't even open or forward any ports (not sure why that worked?).

This is my setup also behind me belkin router, it works because of universal plug and play that is built into the router, to accept valid requests from inside the network to intiate connections.

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