"opening a port" on a wireless router

Have a Linksys wireless rouuter. Son keeps telling me to "open a port" to
improve download speed.
Is this safe? Any links to how I can do it? Thanks.

(E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to hear...
> Have a Linksys wireless rouuter. Son keeps telling me to "open a port" to
> improve download speed.
> Is this safe?

Not really, its' like sitting on top of a stepladder in no-mans land,
smoking endless cigars through an luminous balaclava.

> Any links to how I can do it? Thanks.

Your routers configuration pages.
--
Regards
Jon

"Jon" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) t...
> (E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to hear...
> > Have a Linksys wireless rouuter. Son keeps telling me to "open a port"
to
> > improve download speed.
> > Is this safe?
>
> Not really, its' like sitting on top of a stepladder in no-mans land,
> smoking endless cigars through an luminous balaclava.
>
> > Any links to how I can do it? Thanks.
>
> Your routers configuration pages.
> --
> Regards
> Jon

ah, right. sounds like not a good idea. presumably it means that with a
'port open' the pc/network is open to unwelcome visitors?

"Grinderswitch" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:P8cSh.971$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Have a Linksys wireless rouuter. Son keeps telling me to "open a port"
> to improve download speed.
> Is this safe?

If the application the port is opened for is not vulnerable, yes.

> Any links to how I can do it? Thanks.

The details depend on the application and the router. See:
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...pecialapps.htm

Alex

In article <rIcSh.974$(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed) says...
>
> "Jon" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed) t...
> > (E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to hear...
> > > Have a Linksys wireless rouuter. Son keeps telling me to "open a port"
> to
> > > improve download speed.
> > > Is this safe?
> >
> > Not really, its' like sitting on top of a stepladder in no-mans land,
> > smoking endless cigars through an luminous balaclava.
> >
> > > Any links to how I can do it? Thanks.
> >
> > Your routers configuration pages.
> > --
> > Regards
> > Jon
>
> ah, right. sounds like not a good idea. presumably it means that with a
> 'port open' the pc/network is open to unwelcome visitors?

Not really. You specify which port to open, and to which PC it is to be
directed to. If you also have a software firewall in place (like Comodo)
then you can specify a rule in that which will only allow the program
you specify through to that port.

In a nutshell.

"Grinderswitch" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:P8cSh.971$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Have a Linksys wireless rouuter. Son keeps telling me to "open a port" to
> improve download speed.

if something works already, then opening a port is unlikely to improve the
speed.

Once a connection is made it will ramp up to run at whatever speed at the
lower of:
the offered data rate.
the speed it can get thru the set of bottlenecks between your PC and the
other end of the connection, given the loss rate over that path.

none of those things are likely to change whether a port is open or not.

> Is this safe? Any links to how I can do it? Thanks.
>
--
Regards

(E-Mail Removed) - replace xyz with ntl

"stephen" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:k_oSh.4693$(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Grinderswitch" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:P8cSh.971$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Have a Linksys wireless rouuter. Son keeps telling me to "open a port"
>> to improve download speed.
>
> if something works already, then opening a port is unlikely to improve
> the speed.

Probably (potentially) untrue with P2P applications, because allowing
incoming connections (by opening a port) increases the potential number of
clients with which a connection could be established to include those behind
a NAT router and/or firewall that cannot accept incoming connections.

Alex

On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:21:03 +0000, Grinderswitch wrote:

> Have a Linksys wireless rouuter. Son keeps telling me to "open a port" to
> improve download speed.
> Is this safe? Any links to how I can do it? Thanks.

It's only safe if whatever is listening on the port in question is secure.

Did he specify which port and why it would improve download speed? Is he
running some P2P application?

Regards, Ian

"Ian Northeast" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:21:03 +0000, Grinderswitch wrote:
>
> > Have a Linksys wireless rouuter. Son keeps telling me to "open a port"
to
> > improve download speed.
> > Is this safe? Any links to how I can do it? Thanks.
>
> It's only safe if whatever is listening on the port in question is secure.
>
> Did he specify which port and why it would improve download speed? Is he
> running some P2P application?
>
> Regards, Ian
>
haven't a clue which port (or whatthat means!); he's running u-torrent (or
mu-torrent, to give it its correct translation from the Greek)

(E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to hear...
> haven't a clue which port (or whatthat means!); he's running u-torrent (or
> mu-torrent, to give it its correct translation from the Greek)

I use that program, and you can specify any port you like to open. I've
found it makes little difference (if any) to download speeds.
--
Regards
Jon