If someone asked me, “What is the best way to secure my computer from the bad things roaming the Internet?” the answer is quite simple, disconnect it. The only 100% guaranteed way to protect your computer and data from Internet predators is to disconnect it from the network. Better yet, never connect it in the first place. Unfortunately most people in modern society need to connect to the Internet for some reason or another, and they probably do it via an always on broadband connection at home.

The dangerous part is “always on”. That means that the bad guys “always” have an opportunity to try and hack into your system. There are several ways to protect from these intrusions that range from software such as Windows Firewall to Zone Alarm or hardware, in the form of routers and firewalls. Anyone who knows a little about computer security knows that the software-only approach, while better than nothing, is not enough.

That leaves us with hardware-based solutions, which is what we will look at today. Specifically we will be reviewing the AlphaSheild Hardware Firewall.  Before we get into product specifics, let’s discuss security concepts in a little more detail.