Services such as Comcast, Cox, and others provide a modem with their service.
Sometimes the modem they provide is simply a gateway, and not a firewall/router.
This means that your computer just became a member of the World Wide Web, with its front door unlocked.
To find out if your modem is a router, you can press The {WindowsKey and R} (At the same time) This will pull up a run prompt.
Type cmd and press okay. at the black Command Prompt window type ipconfig press enter.
This will give you a list of writing the one you are concerned with says Gateway it will look something like 192.168.0.1
If it starts with 10, 172, or 192 it is pretty sure you have a firewall/router, this at least provides a single layer of protection, because the private IP address spaces are not routable.
You still need to get an Antivirus, Anti-Malware, Anti-Spyware Software like Vipre Premium from GFI Software (includes all three plus a firewall.
If it starts with something else you have two options, the most cost effective is to get a Router ($29-$99)
These often include wireless, and the ability to share your connection with more than one Computer.
They work out of the box, but make sure you enable wireless security.........
- WEP - (least Secure)
- WPA/WPA2 - (Best option for home networks)
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