I'm just informed enough about IT security to know that I really know very very little about it. That said, I probably know ten times as much as do 99% of people. I'm an expert in my field, and while I've been a jack of all trades on many fronts, today's threats to privacy and IT security require expert knowledge to combat.
I do not have time.
The long winded point I have is that it is now just too damn much work to do it all right. I'm tired after a 10 hour workday. I've obviously taken more steps than most, but it is still leaky as hell...
I need a company/organization that I can reasonably trust to manage my information security/property, to manage my computers, manage my vpns, e.g., to isolate my web browser windows over multiple vpns, ... all of it, and it can't be GOOGLE. My data is my property, as long as I can hold it, so it needs to be a company/organization that built in privacy obligations (like lawyers and doctors supposedly do).
-Signed: A Frustrated Tired Old Nerd (with children)
[Ed's Comment: Does such a company exist? Is it even possible to provide such a service? Or have we just identified a niche in the market for some enterprising person to fill?]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday October 05 2015, @03:30PM
A good router costs between $100 and $200, from the distributor. As you suggest, installing a proper OS, and making that OS perform as you want, is priceless.
http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/start [openwrt.org]
http://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/WNDR4500.aspx [netgear.com]
http://tomatousb.org/ [tomatousb.org]
https://downloads.openwrt.org/ [openwrt.org]
Hardware and software are subject to individual preference, of course.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Monday October 05 2015, @03:43PM
I've noticed an interesting growth over time in router costs. Back when it looked like routers were eternally going to drop to $25 I wondered how Soekris etc could stay in business, but now that you're looking at $125+ including sales tax and shipping, its not too out of line.