Thread: How to protect network ?

I am puzzled about anti-virus programs with regard to my home network. I got the impression that if I protect the master computer through which my router is controlled then all the other attached computers will be protected too. As the master computer in my case already has a firewall and virus protection installed, is there any need to install additional protection on the other computers on the network?
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That may or may not be correct, depending on how your network is set up. If all of your internet traffic goes through a single computer (what you refer to as the' master') then any firewall software you install on that will automatically protect all the others, but you should still run separate anti-virus software on the other computers. (fthat's the case, you will have (probably) a USB ADSL modem plugged into the PC, and a network card inside the PC that is then Llsed to connect to all the other computers on your network. You can tell if it's set up this way because if you switch off the main PC, all the other computers will lose access to the internet.

That's an old-fashioned way of connecting a network, relatively speaking, not least because it puts extra strain on the main computer, and requires it to be on at all times. Most modern networks use a router or a combined modem and router, which connects directly to the internet and is switched on at all times. That way, you don't need a single PC to be on for the others to have access. If this is the case, you need separate protection on each of the PCs, because they're (effectively) each connected separately to the internet. Most routers have firewall software built in that will block external threats to the computers, but it's still worth running anti-virus software as well as a firewall on each computer just in case. Several anti-virus companies selling copies of their software that can be installed on several computers in the same home, for this very reason.