Hi All,
I've just got a macbook pro, i was wondering what people think about having the firewall on or off?
Am i correct in thinking if i have it turned on then my internet will slow down?
Thanks for any help and advice. 🙂
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7), 4Gb Ram, 750Gb HD....
Hi. I don't think it slows anything down. I always have mine on, set to block all incoming connections and in stealth mode. All the usual internet stuff works great. Won't hurt to try it out.
charlie
most modern routers (including Apple's airport base stations and time capsules) have a hardware firewall.
as long as you compute behind one of those and have your network protected (WPA2 + long, non-dictionary password), there is no need to run the Macs software firewall.
obviously, if you're out and about, it would be prudent to have the software firewall turned on.
Thanks for the info, that's been really helpful. Yes at home i am going into a wireless router in another room of the house for my internet, but as you say, i guess it makes good sense that once i leave the house and i'm on a train or in a hotel, then i should turn the firewall on as you never really know what wifi network you're connecting to.
Hello:
Having both a software and hardware firewall in place will not significantly slow anything down (I have both on).
If you turn the OS X built-in firewall on, I suggest you use the "block all incoming connections" setting (the most robust, I understand).
Barry
firewall on or off?
