Home firewall solution - poll

What Firewall solution do you use?

  • Software installed on daily OS

    Votes: 5 6.1%
  • IPCop

    Votes: 5 6.1%
  • PFSense

    Votes: 15 18.3%
  • Smoothwall

    Votes: 7 8.5%
  • Windows

    Votes: 12 14.6%
  • Other - identifyplease

    Votes: 35 42.7%
  • None

    Votes: 3 3.7%

  • Total voters
    82
To counter the claim that this isnt a firewall...

It is not a full Firewall but is an additional Firewall method you can use in conjunction with your own firewall.
Any IP on the blocklist cannot get access to your PC, period.
Pretty effective Firewalling for known bad IPs :)

So, let me get this straight...
Either black known bad IPs from accessing your ports... or block ALL IPs from accessing your ports.
It's a no brainer which option is more secure.
 
Just a slight correction, a bit knit picky but just to inform, Endian was originally built upon IPCop (which was built upon Smoothwall), but Endian has now been redone and rebuilt for scratch.

Ahh didn't know they broke off on their own and ground up'd it..just poked around...see it's "Linux from Scratch" now.
 
My vote goes to other... that being Untangle. Very good piece of software!
pFsense would be my other choice although Untangle was easier to setup
 
Right now I am running Astaro Home 7.305. I keep flip flopping between Astaro and Untangle and I keep going back to Astaro, really love all the features and QoS is better I think. It also runs on lesser hardware.

I've also used Endian, ClarkConnect, PFsense, IPCop, SmoothWall and a few others. I always end up putting Astaro back on my firewall box . . . . .

Astaro is cool, but the 10 IP limit sucks.
 
Having started this poll, I've not realized so many options existed. Per these results, I'm likely to try out Untangle.

Now to find time to get after this build..
 
Having started this poll, I've not realized so many options existed. Per these results, I'm likely to try out Untangle.

Now to find time to get after this build..
I'd recommend trying out most possibilities and stick with the one you feel comfortable with and will do what you want it to do.
 
So, let me get this straight...
Either black known bad IPs from accessing your ports... or block ALL IPs from accessing your ports.
It's a no brainer which option is more secure.

No, it doesnt work at all like that.
 
I use pfsense at home on a old duron 800mhz with 512mb ram, it runs great and way faster then my WRT54G. I have sent over 360GB of data between Wan and Lan and it hasn't complained.
 
SmoothWall has been excellent for me at home. It has been running on an old 200MHz Pentium Pro for nearly a year now and not a single problem with it.
 
No, it doesnt work at all like that.

Sure it does.

Block port 21 completely from all hosts... Or just block known bad hosts?? Blocking it completely with a real firewall is the best choice I think.
 
Sure it does.

Block port 21 completely from all hosts... Or just block known bad hosts?? Blocking it completely with a real firewall is the best choice I think.

Consider an IP blocker is an addition to a Firewall.
You can block whichever IPs you choose from ever contacting your PC and from your PC contacting them.
An IP blocker has no effect on the function of your firewall except to prevent bad traffic from known bad IPs reaching it.
The only time an IP blocker can have an adverse effect is if you dont choose wisely what to block.

Try one, Peerguardian 2 is the best host based IP Blocker for Windows PCs.
I used Protowall for years and only just installed Peerguardian2 and its function is exactly the same just easier to use/manage.
 
Precisely. That's my point. It shouldn't be used as your only method.

I dont understand why you are making the point again.
In my first post (#32) about it I said this
It is not a full Firewall but is an additional Firewall method you can use in conjunction with your own firewall
I thought that was clear enough to avoid confusion.
 
dd-wrt, moved over from smoothwall about 3 years ago and haven't looked back since.
 
Still using FreeBSD 4.10 (yeah, I know. OOOOLLLLDDDD distro) and ipf/ipnat. Works like a champ. I've swapped that drive and NICs on at least three machines that I can think of and each time it keeps on chugging right along.
 
Pfsense here. Though I also enable Windows firewall on some of my computers since it's fairly transparent anyway.
 
endian firewall 2.2 i think, on a 1u 1.8 celeron, 512 ram, 20gb hdd, two gig nics. Works great for me.
 
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