For complete P2P file sharing security and privacy, TrustyFiles recommends ...
"I’ve been reviewing a new Internet security device, the iPhantom. It a little box, about the size of a pack of cards and weighing four ounces, that you put between the Internet and your computer. I connected it to my cable modem, then connected my Wi-Fi access point to the iPhantom for protection for my entire home network. The makers promise:
* An Internet Firewall with advanced features
* Anti-virus protection
* Anti-spyware protection
* VPN like data protection
* Anonymous surfing
In my tests it appears the iPhantom delivers on these promises. All your traffic is encrypted from your home through their servers. Incoming traffic is inspected for viruses and spyware and the bad stuff is filtered out before it reaches you. You get total Internet security without installing any software on your computers at all. Nor do you have to download updates for your anti-spyware or anti-virus software. Since your traffic is filtered at iPhantom’s servers your protection is always up-to-date.
I tested the iPhantom on my home network using a variety of security checks, including ShieldsUP and I was invisible on the web. Proving the anti-spyware and anti-virus claims is a little more difficult, but so far I haven’t had any problems with either at all. A device like the iPhantom would definitely protect you against the latest Zotob virus, but then so would any firewall.
Unlike a firewall, however, the iPhantom didn’t interfere with Internet communications. BitTorrent, peer-to-peer, and chat clients worked fine without any additional configuration. Just as with a firewall, however, iPhantom supports port forwarding for up to five ports, for those protocols that don’t work out of the box. It also supports some advanced security features like cookie, user-agent, and referrer blocking that most firewalls do not.
Installation is very simple. You connect your DSL or Cable modem to the iPhantom via an ethernet cable. Then you connect the iPhantom to your computer (or router) with the included extra ethernet cable. Surf to myiphantom.com, register the service, and you’re done. My mom could do it.
There are two possible drawbacks to the service, however. First, on my system I found the iPhantom slowed me down by about 20%. My cable modem’s download speed went from 4 megabits to 3.3. My upload speed suffered even more, dropping from 351kbps to 210kbps. Considering what iPhantom is doing by inspecting every packet that comes into my network this minor slowdown is more than acceptable. On a slower connection you probably wouldn’t notice any difference at all.
The second drawback is the price. The iPhantom costs $89.95 and the ongoing service is $14.95 per month. Compared with software security products that’s quite a bit, but compatibility and updates are not an issue. Nor does iPhantom impact your computer’s performance in any way. As far as I’m concerned the price is well worth it for the peace of mind. I’m keeping the iPhantom connected on my home network. I highly recommend it to anyone who is concerned about privacy and security online."
