alpha shield firewall

Discussion in 'other firewalls' started by fosl, Dec 29, 2007.

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  1. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    According to this review it can be placed between the modem and the WAN port of a router because, in the reviewers opinion, it filters better than a router:

    For $19.95 it seems like an excellent deal, even if their little promo blurb is a bit cheezy.
     
  2. clocks

    clocks Registered Member

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    That review was from 2002. I did not realize this has been around so long.

    I am torn. The price is inexpensive, but I wish I could find a review from Cnet, PC Magazine, etc... Someplace well known.
     
  3. Delgado

    Delgado Registered Member

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  4. lucas1985

    lucas1985 Retired Moderator

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    A router is nothing more than embedded hardware running custom software or modified Linux. The Alpha Shield does the same: embedded hardware + custom software. Probably, the AS has a second "read-only" firmware which is used to rollback in case the primary firmware is corrupted (most UTM appliances use this technique)
    IIRC, Stem said that the "better security" of the Alpha Shield can be explained by the fact that the user can't alter the settings via UPnP or tinkering with the options.
     
  5. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

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    Question: if the Alpha Shield (Home Edition) cannot be configured, does that mean it wont work with games and p2p that need an incoming port?
     
  6. lucas1985

    lucas1985 Retired Moderator

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    I would guess so, but I don't own one.
     
  7. Victek

    Victek Registered Member

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    The firmware in the Alpha Shield may be more immune to corruption then a software firewall installed on the host computer, but that doesn't mean it can't be breached. The Alpha Shield is programmed like any other hardware firewall and is only as good as it's software/firmware code. The fact that the interface to the Alpha Shield is hidden by default from the ordinary user is a different matter. That said the company offers a configuration utility on it's web site for those who need to configure ports and IP addresses, so in fact the Alpha Shield does use software and can be configured. IMHO the Alpha Shield has only one advantage over the average router - by default it's in a locked down configuration. In my experience default router configurations are more open and you have to go in and lock them down. That is not hard to do, but it does require a little knowledge and effort. For users who can't deal with it using the Alpha Shield is definitely better then connecting directly to the modem, but that is the only circumstance where I think it's advisable. If the user can configure a router's firewall features then I believe a router is the better choice even if the user has only one computer. Last, it's worth repeating that home network routers can be had for as little as $30, so unless you can get the Alpha Shield for less I think you're wasting your money.
     
  8. bigc73542

    bigc73542 Retired Moderator

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    You can download the AphaShield configuration utility from their site and you can do some minor settings with ports and such.
     
  9. bigc73542

    bigc73542 Retired Moderator

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    If you do a little research on the web you will find that there is a $100.000 reward to anyone that can hack the AlphaShield. And at least for the last three years it hasn't been collected. And at $19.97 at Radio Shack, it is a steal.
     
  10. lucas1985

    lucas1985 Retired Moderator

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    A similar challenge was made at DSLR with "el cheapo" routers and IIRC none were hacked from remote. NAT really works.
     
  11. LoneWolf

    LoneWolf Registered Member

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    20 Bucks for AlphaShield is a realy good deal.
    It is a nice little HW FW. :D
     
  12. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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    Yep, a cheap NAT router has served me well for several years now... no complaints, no problems... :)
     
  13. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    I would agree. However, for the "suggested" price of ~$100.00, or thereabouts, I would much rather spend that kind of coin on a wireless router with SPI and other features. There is a Netgear router, I forget the model, that has SPI (yes, "home quality" SPI, I realize) and also protects against DOS attacks, for $70.00 CDN. That would be far more appealing to me than the Alpha Shield @ same price or higher.

    One common denominator I noticed in a few of the AS reviews I skimmed over is that all the testers were flabbergasted that the unit responded as stealth on port scans run against it. This really should not have come as some revelation to them, for any cheapo home router or pc firewall, including Windoze, will respond as stealth as well. It seems to me these people are paid for their writing skills more so than for their technical skills :rolleyes: It would be far more beneficial, as Stem has alluded to before, if someone could substantiate the inbound filtering effectiveness (SPI, DOS, whatever else matters) of these routers and units similar to the Alpha Shield.
     
  14. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

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    Does it work with the home version though? The download page only mentions the professional version.
     
  15. bigc73542

    bigc73542 Retired Moderator

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    Yep, it does work with the home version. it is not as extensive as some routers settings but I guess it doesn't need to be. Here is a screen shot of it. there are more settings, this is just to give you an idea.
     

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    Last edited: Jan 3, 2008
  16. Stem

    Stem Firewall Expert

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    No, it does not work with the home version.

    I had forgotten about the pro version of this, which did add the ability to open ports.
    The home version is closed off to any access.
     
  17. bigc73542

    bigc73542 Retired Moderator

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    Well I have the home version and the config utility does work. Unless they possibly messed up and put a pro version in my box by mistake. :cool:
     
  18. Stem

    Stem Firewall Expert

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    The only actual difference between the home and pro versions is the fact the pro version has the ability to open ports via the config util.

    You must have the pro version.
     
  19. bigc73542

    bigc73542 Retired Moderator

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    It doesn't say so on the box but it seems as if it must be the Pro version since it is cofiguarable. :thumb: either way I like it.;)
     
  20. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

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    Thanks for clearing that up Stem. It wouldve been nice to have that Alpha Shield :'(
     
  21. Stem

    Stem Firewall Expert

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    I think that in a situation such as the thread starter (it was purchased as a present), or as where bigc got a very good deal, then yes, I think it is a good product. But, to pay the full price, I would say no. There are other cheaper alternatives such as a good router (with settings to lock down), or even a good software firewall with restrictive rules for inbound.
    It is mainly a case to block unsolicited inbound.

    There are good and bad points to such a restrictive setup, it does depend on the view of the user, and the software they run.
     
  22. simmikie

    simmikie Registered Member

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    for a single pc set-up, as i believe it's designed for, it works as advertised. i bought mine from RS for $17 + tax ( i think i posted that a few months ago). i only intially bought the AS because my upgraded cable box did not have an off button as the previous box. i set AS to auto-disconnect from the internet after 15 minutes of network inactivity, and of course have the option to manually disconnect at anytime. using jfirewall test, all 65,535 ports show blocked to the internet and stealthed, which of course Windows firewall will do, but i achieve that without any compromised internet speeds, and no concerns about conflicts with my software firewall.

    for P2P to receive full search and download capacity, i do have to switch the cable to the aux. port, thereby bypassing AS, but my system is still covered by OA's FW. all in all in my estimation, with respect to price/flexibility/security, it's a good value.


    Mike
     
  23. Stem

    Stem Firewall Expert

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    Again you had a very good deal.

    Check the usual (current) price:-

    alpha.gif
     
  24. Kapiti

    Kapiti Registered Member

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    The configuration Utility will work on the home version if the unit is version 2, it won't work on units that are version 1. How to tell what version your unit is; look underneath the unit and if there is a printed white label it's version 1, if the notice is pressed into the actual plastic of the unit, it's version 2. So in your case it's safe to assume that's its an home unit version 2.

    This information can be found in the FAQ on the help file of the configuration utility.
     
  25. bigc73542

    bigc73542 Retired Moderator

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    Thanks Kapiti. Thanks for the info. Much appreciated. I knew I had a home version I just figured it wasn't worth a possible arguement. :thumb:

    bigc
     
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