Hi I am planning to upgrade my internet from 256kbps to 1mbps. my worry is that It is must to have firewall or router to protect from virus,spyware & malware bye Siva

Firewalls and routers provide no protection from virus,spyware & malware. They do provide protection from hackers and theives. Is it a must; no. But should you walk in the middle of the road with traffic or should you walk on the sidewalk? You probably won't get hit by a car walking in either place but... Routers are excellent pieces of hardware and provide a hardware firewall (amoung other uses). Bryan

Without an understanding of how virus, spyware & malware works, you're very vulnerable. Nothing will save you. i_XpUser

"Firewalls and routers provide no protection from virus,spyware & malware. They do provide protection from hackers and theives." If you're discussing firewalls that are within SOHO routers, they most certainly do help protect against viruses. If the virus spreads through unsolicited connection attempts, as long as that port is not being forwarded, the router's firewall blocks it. For example, an unpatched Windows machine cannot get Code Red from a computer attempting to connect to it from the internet if a SOHO router is being used unless someone forwarded the port. Use a router with an SPI firewall! Please help survivors of Hurricane Katrina. www.redcross.org