Meaning of the 2 PING parameters from TPLINK A20 firewall

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Meaning of the 2 PING parameters from TPLINK A20 firewall

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Meaning of the 2 PING parameters from TPLINK A20 firewall
Meaning of the 2 PING parameters from TPLINK A20 firewall
2020-12-18 18:23:06 - last edited 2020-12-19 19:58:01
Model: Archer A20  
Hardware Version: V3
Firmware Version: 1.0.3 Build 20191026

Sir/Madam,

 

I enabled the firewall on my TPLINK C4000 A20 WiFi router.  So far so far so good, i.e., everything that used to work before is still working fine.

However, I do not understand the 3 parameters of this feature/option.  They (all check boxes) are as follows:

 

(1)  Enable SPI firewall

(2)  Allow pings from the WAN port

(3)  Allow pings from the LAN port

 

I checked all 3 boxes.  The first is clear and obvious, but I do not have any idea what the 2nd and 3rd (pins from WAN/LAN) are meant to accomplish.

 

At this moment I am guessing that the WAN port is the connection to the modem of my ISP, so to allow pings from WAN port could mean I am permitting pings to "come in" from any host on the Internet.  As to the LAN port, I am guessing this means any device on my local network:  any device connected (wired or wireless) to the WiFi router.

 

Would be grateful for any guidance or references that would enlighten me on the proper use of these firewall parameters.

 

Thanking you in advance.

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#1
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Re:Meaning of the 2 PING parameters from TPLINK A20 firewall-Solution
2020-12-18 19:41:06 - last edited 2020-12-19 19:59:22
Your guess is exactly right.
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#2
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Re:Meaning of the 2 PING parameters from TPLINK A20 firewall-Solution
2020-12-19 08:27:31 - last edited 2021-01-10 18:49:44

if you prohibit pings from the "outside world", nothing of that you mentioned will happen - you'll still have all the web access as before.

It's just a precaution for your public IP address, thus not being easily detectable if it's on/off line, from the "outside world".

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Re:Meaning of the 2 PING parameters from TPLINK A20 firewall-Solution
2020-12-18 19:41:06 - last edited 2020-12-19 19:59:22
Your guess is exactly right.
If this was helpful click on the arrow pointing upward to make it blue. If this solves your issue, click the star to make it blue and mark the post as a "Recommended Solution".
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#2
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Re:Meaning of the 2 PING parameters from TPLINK A20 firewall
2020-12-19 07:11:32
Thank you Ivaylo! much appreciated. But with that answered, may I ask the follow-up questions: (1) On the LAN side, which I believe I can "control" to the extent that this is just a "family LAN" in 3 separate houses, and all users and devices are well-known and "close" to me ... I am not overly concerned about hacking from within the LAN. (2) On the WAN side, I am still in the dark: if I prohibit pings from the "outside world", would there be consequences such as being unable to access certain websites (for example)? Or run certain apps that are launched from the web hosting side? Would be grateful for any quick tips or guidance. Many thanks again for your help.
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Re:Meaning of the 2 PING parameters from TPLINK A20 firewall-Solution
2020-12-19 08:27:31 - last edited 2021-01-10 18:49:44

if you prohibit pings from the "outside world", nothing of that you mentioned will happen - you'll still have all the web access as before.

It's just a precaution for your public IP address, thus not being easily detectable if it's on/off line, from the "outside world".

If this was helpful click on the arrow pointing upward to make it blue. If this solves your issue, click the star to make it blue and mark the post as a "Recommended Solution".
Recommended Solution
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#4
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Re:Meaning of the 2 PING parameters from TPLINK A20 firewall
2020-12-19 13:04:59 - last edited 2020-12-19 19:59:08
OK, thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge and expertise. More power to you and your team!
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#5
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