Why wouldn’t most people if not all use a NAT router if they’re on broadband? You can buy them at a good price if you shop around and makes for a much safer internet experience.
If you do some searching in this forum, you’ll find hundreds of threads dealing with this topic. Many of us are already hooked up through routers/firewalls for a long time and I wrote so many times about them… especially about how inexpensive and also how efficient those things are…
Combining your hardware router/firewall and your software firewall makes you much more safer than just using hardware router/firewall. 
Of course, never forget your antivirus, antispyware/adware tools and you’re pretty much safe.
Cheers !
I’ll remember that. Thanks
Ignorance - not to mention some ISPs at worst actually only provide a modem or at best a simple router without a firewall as part of their broadband connection package.
Most Users haven’t got a clue what NAT is, nor Spatefull Packet Inspection, or anything about securing their system.
You’re welcome Tim !
Yes, routers are wonderful thing… for as less as $29 CAD you can get yourself a perfect D-Link DI-604 (the one I have). Linksys routers are little bit more expensive, but they provide wonderful protection as well… Netgear, Belkin and many many others are in the same category… so people have so many choices to chose from…
Cheers !
Speaking about those prices, I just wanna give you a proof… this is Staples publicity I just got in my mailbox (regular one). I scanned it for you people, so you can see how low those prices really are…
Regular price is $79.99 CAD. After $15 CAD instant rebate (they give you money back at the cashier for all those which have no clue what it is), and $35 CAD mail-in rebate (you get that aproximatelly after one or two weeks usually, by mail, cheque comes inside the envelope), your router costs $29.99 CAD. UNBEATABLE prices my friends ! And best of all, it’s a wirelles router/firewall.
the image isn’t working it says no preview available
Which image ? I see it without any problems. It’s attached here in forum, it is not hosted anywhere else…
This router looks strange…Is it an older model sasha?I have linksys too that’s why i’m asking 
No picture is not exactly as it really looks like, it’s just a printing error, nothing else… it has those antennas, and it’s in standard blue/black combination, but front panel is little bit different. It looks more like this one:
http://images.tigerdirect.ca/SKUimages/medium/l48-2024-main-6.jpg
I just checked, came back from Staples, but I didn’t buy anything since I am soooo happy with my D-Link DI-604 (also supports X-Box, hihi) with built in wonderful Firewall.
I would love one, only have to be able to get broadband first. Being a very long way from the exchange not only reduces dial-up connection speed but also the likelihood of being able to get broadband 
Hi DavidR,
Can’t you have another way of fast connection? Here if there isn’t adsl or dsl as you say, you can be on cable. If your out in the middle of nowhere, there is also a possibility to go digital (satelite disk) that is the fastest way of access and unfiltered. That is why all the digital cards in decoders are going to be crypto with a Swiss system, so the hackers cannot crack the software for the decoders (US law). Then you only need the phone to go out. I was on dial up for quite a long time, but then I switched to fast dsl modem, my two home computers hang behind a link sys, very comfortably, double e-mail addresses on the one account, no sweat. Only the cable to the comps was a bit expensive because I did not want too much loss. Got a bonus for hiring the account for another year. Heard that the big telecom companies have a hard time with their infrastructure (the situation in Europe is even worse as in the States - because of big fraudulent losses they only keep half year contracts now), but they are backing up their resources in the mean time.
greets,
polonus
Im sure you can get ADSL ???
@ polonus
The other options are just too costly and considering my usage, not worth it.
@ DukeNukem
I’m sure I can’t, having checked several times, the distance that adsl can guarantee reliable connections is slowly getting longer. I checked again after the last extension but no joy.
I have a friend in the Highlands of Scotland and he has broadband, I live in a village in the heart of England, Oxfordshire and I can’t get it, no logic in this. There are huge areas of the UK that can’t get broadband but all BT touts is what percentage of the population (95% I think they say) but this is very misleading.
Can’t wait for wi-max to come They’re already testing it here where i live ;D I think wireless is the way to go!
Hi DavidR,
So strange, really. If you are living smack in the middle of Oxfordshire, having a Univeristy nearby and you do not have an adequate DSL infrastructure, must be very frustrating, and is not very helpfull to Britain finding its place in this time and age of Global Information Dawning. The authorities that decide on these things must be rather old, and made out of “copper” or “brass” rather. I hope the tide will soon turn for ye.
greets,
polonus
It is a weird situation, BT own the lines and infrastructure and must by Government dictat must allow competitors access to the infrastructure at reasonable wholesale prices so they to can make a profit.
So it doesn’t seem like BT are too keen to spend lots of cash on improving the infrastructure when there are so few people in rural locations (villages, etc.). Especially when BT’s competitors could get some of the customers as a result of the improvements.
That is a shame that you have that situation going on in your area David. I guess big business everywhere has their way and the heck with the layman.
DavidR is there any news of wi-max in your area?
No still virtually unheard of round here, I have heard of it but the infrastructure has to be setup before anyone even with compatible wi-fi can even access it.
There was a rural wireless thing (Village Net or something) some time ago were someone had to have a local base station installed and everyone connected via that. It was quite expensive for the base station and the connection to it.