Question #17:  Why should I buy a DI-701 instead of a software firewall?

The DI-701 acts as a physical barrier between your computer and the Internet. The hacker can see the DI-701 but they cannot see past the DI-701 or get around it to attack your computer. Internet Security and Sharing software reside on one of your computers. That computer is still directly visible on the Internet and thus susceptible to attack.

The DI-701 is a hardware firewall, not a software firewall. It uses solid state memory and does not have a hard drive that can be crashed. Applications cannot be installed on it. Firmware can only be upgraded by using a serial connection through the RS-232 port (an RS-232 cable is provided with the DI-701).

The DI-701 has many advantages over software firewalls:

• As a separate piece of hardware it offers a layer of protection for a computer owner that software simply can't.
• Because it does not use Windows 95/98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Linux or any other form of Windows, many ready-made exploitation tools simply won't work on the DI-701.
• Because the DI-701 uses solid state memory and does not have a hard drive, it can only provide limited functionality and is not open to becoming a host to a number of Trojan and other hacker applications that are commonly used to crack systems.
• The DI-701 does not store files or other valuable information. Therefore there is much less to lose when the DI-701 is visible to hackers on the Internet, as opposed to your PC, which often has sensitive personal information on it.

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