Inbound protection comparision - help!

[Rivalen]

I have heard about SPI (stateful packet inspection??) and that a router has such an SPI firewall.

So whats the overall difference in inbound protection between - say

- Router SPI(?) firewall.

- Software fw like Outpost or ZoneAlarm - Comodo?

- Windows built in fw.

Which of them has the best SPI protection? What does better SPI control/protection really protect me from?

I am sure you can hear that I need some input here.

Some say I should have a router fw as a good combo with my Outpost Pro application fw even for my standalone pc. The local software store-guy says I am just as good with the Windows built in fw for inbound protection as I would be with the router fw.

???

Best Regards

[TOMxEU]

Router can not be bypassed or terminated that easily as a software firewall.
If a firewall would not have the SPI, I simply would not call it a firewall at all.
WFirewall provides as good protection as any other inbound firewall or a router.
The only real difference between firewalls are additional features, GUI, logs, etc.

Talking just about inbound protection, all do the same good job protecting a PC.
Talking about leak tests, termination resistance, that is an another story of them.
Some firewalls have HIPS, sandbox, advanced checks (not needed for most users).
Firewall is needed mostly for outbound protection (to prevent aplications call home).