Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router
Netgate | 24.03.0Linux/Unix, FreeBSD 14 - 64-bit Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
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outstanding solution for those interested in building their own router
What do you like best about the product?
I appreciate very much the availability of a community edition, which people are free to install on their own hardware.
Before building my own router, I used routers from various manufacturers, and there was always a compromise between features and price. I noticed over time the performance of router hardware would decrease. Perhaps this was due to middling quality components or inadequate cooling. With pfSense, I'm free to use good quality PC components, which greatly outlast the hardware of purpose-built routers.
Plus, pfSense delivers a good value for the user while providing an environmental benefit. The PCs on which I've run pfSense were older PCs that were no longer adequate to use as a workstation, but they were fine for running pfSense. Thus, I acquired the hardware for free, while keeping these old PCs out of the landfill for a while.
The pfSense software itself is outstanding. For example, the firewall rules are tunable in a much more detailed way than on consumer routers. I depend on pfSense's VPN server. The underlying BSD operating system is very stable and high-performing.
Before building my own router, I used routers from various manufacturers, and there was always a compromise between features and price. I noticed over time the performance of router hardware would decrease. Perhaps this was due to middling quality components or inadequate cooling. With pfSense, I'm free to use good quality PC components, which greatly outlast the hardware of purpose-built routers.
Plus, pfSense delivers a good value for the user while providing an environmental benefit. The PCs on which I've run pfSense were older PCs that were no longer adequate to use as a workstation, but they were fine for running pfSense. Thus, I acquired the hardware for free, while keeping these old PCs out of the landfill for a while.
The pfSense software itself is outstanding. For example, the firewall rules are tunable in a much more detailed way than on consumer routers. I depend on pfSense's VPN server. The underlying BSD operating system is very stable and high-performing.
What do you dislike about the product?
I have nothing negative to say about pfSense.
Perhaps I should mention that pfSense is a bit more complicated a solution than an off-the-shelf consumer router. This slight added complexity is appreciated by those who need a more advanced solution, bearing in mind that one has to have a moderate amount of networking knowledge in to configure and use pfSense.
Perhaps I should mention that pfSense is a bit more complicated a solution than an off-the-shelf consumer router. This slight added complexity is appreciated by those who need a more advanced solution, bearing in mind that one has to have a moderate amount of networking knowledge in to configure and use pfSense.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
When I was running a home-based business, pfSense helped me make use of VoIP technology to handle phone traffic. I depend on pfSense's VPN server to connect to my home servers while I'm offsite.
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Simplicity makes small office firewall setup easy
What do you like best about the product?
It's open source with the very best open-source ethos and practices. A high-quality exhaustive manual makes setup, implementation, modification, and troubleshooting easy. No vendor "we'll get back to you on that" horror story here.
What do you dislike about the product?
Some of the repository committers are a little superficial when problems are reported. There was a DNS issue with the latest release that the dev team seemed reluctant to admit exists! However, with the usual crowdsourcing efficiency of open source, the user community was able to rub the developers' noses in it, so to speak :)
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
pfSense on my Netgate device solved the One Big Eternal Problem of maintaining a small business firewall: HOW MUCH TIME IS THIS THING GONNA TAKE ME!?!?
Answer: very little. Easy setup. Easy maintenance. Easy dashboard reviews of critical factors via the very nice PHP web interace. Easy-to-use command line if I have to drop to command line,
Answer: very little. Easy setup. Easy maintenance. Easy dashboard reviews of critical factors via the very nice PHP web interace. Easy-to-use command line if I have to drop to command line,
pfSense a perfect firewall for business
What do you like best about the product?
It's a very robust and versatile firewall. It supports multi-wan, VPN, filtering and more. Fits about any business need at a fantastic price.
What do you dislike about the product?
The occasional issue has happened. However, between community and paid support they have been resolved.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Secure VPN access either for road warriors or multiple branch locations. Strong IPS and blocker packages to keep the network safe.
It was a smooth transition from Sonicwall to pfSense.
What do you like best about the product?
pfSense has a different way of doing things from Sonicwall, but it was a very smooth transition once I went through setting it up. I would recommend pfSense to anyone. The cost is the best benefit, but NetGate offers a superior product that rivals the best names out there.
What do you dislike about the product?
Being open source, many tutorials are available on Youtube, etc. Some are difficult to follow. Getting everything just right can be difficult. However, our support from NetGate has been a great asset.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Our school needed a solution that was both cost-effective and affordable. Being a former Sonicwall customer with older equipment, upgrading was not an option budget-wise. pfSense made the best sense.
Powerful, customizable gateway appliance software without the headaches
What do you like best about the product?
PfSense was exceptionally easy to get configured, though it also offered many customizable settings and could be tailored to my precise needs. It is much easier to understand than our previous gateway appliance running Watchguard Firebox software.
What do you dislike about the product?
The only disadvantage to running PfSense that I can see is that since it's designed to be open-source at it's core it lacks some visual polish. Not a bad trade-off in my book.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Our previous internet gateway had reached end of life and was in need of being replaced. We found PfSense could do so much more than we were currently asking of our gateway, and could do so cost effectively, so that as our business continues to grow we can expand into newer and more advanced ways of routing and firewalling our network.
Great Hardware, Great Software, Great Support.
What do you like best about the product?
"It just works" Regardless of the ISP, IP configuration, IPv6 or not, I'm always pleased with the easy setup and configuration of pfSense. In the past, I have dealt with other vendors and found it challenging to cover a diverse set of clients' needs.
What do you dislike about the product?
Cannot say enough good things about pfSense. I have been a user for 15 years and have never had any significant issues.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
From IPv6 integration to work-from-home solutions, whatever has come my way in the past 15 years networking-wise, I have solved every problem with pfSense for a fraction of the cost of cisco, f5, palo alto, etc.
I think it’s solid open source code
What do you like best about the product?
I trust PF sense open source security and appreciate how the software lets you customize your settings.
What do you dislike about the product?
It can be a hard learning curve, but I really don't dislike anything about this.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
PfSense is helping me manage my network and giving me peace of mind with network security
Great VPN router, dual WAN, and FireWall, all in one machine.
What do you like best about the product?
VPN router, dual WAN, and free FireWall.
What do you dislike about the product?
Price in USD. We are in Canada and would like to have a fixed price.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Nothing but benefits. Getting rid of the basic ISP router, using an open-source FireWall...
pfSense is the foundation
What do you like best about the product?
I find pfSense to be well-supported and easy to work with after a short and pleasant learning period. I like not having to keep track of feature licenses.
What do you dislike about the product?
I would like even more add-ins. I'd like a per-incident paid support option.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
pfSense provides a secure and extensible firewall for serious home and small business networks. pfSense delivers a foundation for building secure and manageable networks.
Very good product and support
What do you like best about the product?
Very simple firewall when you need something to do basic security between subnets, but can also offer more complex features when needed through addins. Open source means frequent updates and bug fixes and this is probably one of the best supported open source products available.
What do you dislike about the product?
Very little that I dislike. Some addins can be a bit complex with little documentation.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
pfSense allows me to separate my production and test network as much as possible while still allowing very particular traffic through between them.
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