Netgate 1100 with pfSense Plus Software

Works well. The web interface is well thought out and also works well. Small form factor is helpful.

I bought this about 2 or more years ago. It works magnificently. You have to be careful where you place it or it doesn’t work. One of the best things I have bought for my computer.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: Tons of features to customize it. Was robust and very small. Only problem it just stopped working after two years. I rebooted and reset multiple times and plugged computer in directly. It would no longer display its menu page/GUI as it used to. Don't know what happened but unfortunately, I will just discard it in the rubbish now. Features: Customize tons of network settings, and wanted to self teach with those features.

Over a decade ago, I set up pfSense on a Soekris Net5501 by using an image on an SD card and connecting by a serial cable to configure everything. The hardware is getting old and I wanted a reliable replacement firewall. Buying this from Netgate was a serious mistake. I had configured my old firewall 100% on my own and it ran well for over a decade. When I made updates, there was no problem. When I got tied up with deaths in the family, moving, building a new house, and so on, for a number of years, that old pfSense firewall just kept chugging along, working perfectly. I felt, after that long, it was time to update, but I didn't want to mess with putting an image on an SD card and dealing with a serial cable. I don't have the time I did in the past, so I ordered a simple box, running the same software, that was backwards compatible. Supposedly I could load the configuration from my old firewall directly into the new one and that would be it. Well, no. I had issues with DNS from the start, but it didn't look like firewall issues. It looked more like flakey ISP issues. I had to go to the forums and, after FOUR days exchanging messages and spending hours each day, I finally got the new configuration tweaked so we didn't keep losing connectivity repeatedly. During this time, I wrote a letter to Netgate - to Sales, since they promise "zero to ping" tech support, but they don't have that contact email anywhere on the website. Hell, unless you pay for tech support, you have only the forum. A month later? Not one single reply on that email. (I was hoping Sales would at least say, "We gotta make sure this guy doesn't complain to others and badmouth us," and send me to tech support, but they ignored it.) So now, while the whole country is on lockdown, I'm finding it takes 1/3 of a second for a ping to this device on a network that was working perfectly until I replaced the old pfSense firewall with the Netgate one running a new version of pfSense. I don't know what's wrong with this system, but it keeps malfunctioning and creating issues that slow down connections when an old version of the same software, on old hardware, worked perfectly. And help? No. They don't give it. Not even zero to ping. They don't care. Time to go back to the old hardware. It worked. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and go through the old fashioned upgrade process because I sure as hell can't count on Netgate's equipment to work properly.

Let me say this upfront: If you're clueless about networking, DO NOT BUY THIS! This is not a beginner's router. It is a very powerful router and the configuration can be very complex. If you have half a clue about networking, read on- I've been running pfSense for years on old PCs and love it. But the old PCs get flaky when power gets removed (they don't always come back up). This little bugger does EVERYTHING the PC version does and it recovers from power losses correctly! If you have never used pfSense, it's a steep learning curve but it is POWERFUL! It does things that only high-end professional routers can do. I'm running multiple site-to-site VPNs, Road-warrior VPNs, port forwarding to dedicated servers, DMZs, and pretty complex firewalls to keep everyone out of where they're not supposed to be. You can't do this with a consumer grade SOHO router.

I recently got a business level fiber connection for my home so I could move my web hosting here and save the insane fees I was paying for hosting me out in a datacenter. I needed a rock solid firewall /router solution to allow me precise control over ingress ports and to set up a separate VLAN to keep home and business traffic completely isolated. This little NetGate fits the bill perfectly - My connection is only 100 Mib/sec so I did not need the higher end units - this one should serve well up to 500 Gib/sec I think... if you have faster connections get the next model up for throughput/processing etc..

It is a good product for the starter and does do what it is intended but keep in mind this does not supply WIFI you would need to pick up another device. If your using on a simple lab or home network will work fine but anything more it may bog down due to the CPU if doing to much traffic through it. Otherwise GREAT for what paid well worth it

Llego en tiempo, antes de lo esperado y se agradece. El precio es perfecto, no hay duda alguna. Me gustaría que ofrecieran más modelos pero este funciona bien para home lab.

Está bien. Un poco caro, por eso solo le doy 4 estrellas.

Excellent product. Money well spend.

Good firewall. Thanks.

Powerful small reliable internet security device Yes it doesn't handle more than 500 mbit, but most won't need faster than that Pros: VPN setup is easy, secure private DNS for all your connected devices, total control over your home network Cons: Limited Memory (1GB) My experience: 1st unit, kept randomly rebooting, had to send it to the manufacturer (RMA). They tested and found defective hardware. They did sent back a 'new' unit pretty quickly, however I did need to do a reimage of the new device once I got it as it was acting up right out of the box throwing all kinds of software errors. After flashing the new firmware (2.4.5) the netgate firewall is running like a dream and hasn't crashed yet, and I'm actually a happy customer and would recommend to those thinking of buying one, get the next model up if you can afford to.