This powerful firewall delivers enterprise-level security at a home office price

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Firewalla Gold Pro is accessible now for $889.
• It gives enterprise-level safety with excessive efficiency, superior options like deep packet inspection and multi-WAN assist, and user-friendly configuration.

• It is bigger and costlier than fundamental shopper firewalls, requires an exterior entry level for Wi-Fi monitoring, and will require superior configuration data for some options.

In 2022, I upgraded to the fastest residential broadband available — 2 Gbps fiber. As we method the top of 2024, web service suppliers (ISPs) are pushing the boundaries, providing speeds as much as a staggering 10,000 Mbps (10 Gbps).

Fiber web stays the gold commonplace for pace and reliability within the US, with prime suppliers providing ultra-fast plans:

• AT&T: As much as 5,000 Mbps
• Google Fiber: As much as 8,000 Mbps
• Xfinity: As much as 10,000 Mbps

Such excessive speeds are essential should you work with giant information volumes, like video editors, 3D modelers, and organizations utilizing Generative AI that want quick information switch on the fringe of their networks. Many of those customers additionally require quick, dependable VPN connections. Whereas a pc can provoke a VPN, it consumes important processing energy, affecting efficiency. A devoted system for steady site-to-site VPN connections ensures encrypted information is processed effectively, sustaining near-wired speeds.  

Customary broadband gateway units from ISPs often embrace easy NAT routers with fundamental guidelines however lack superior packet processing, VPN administration, and risk detection. For customers with high-speed broadband, a devoted {hardware} firewall is important. Conventional high-speed firewalls from SMB and enterprise distributors are sometimes prohibitively costly, designed for giant websites, requiring in depth networking data, and expensive ongoing updates and administration subscriptions.

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Enter Firewalla, an organization based by former Cisco engineers. Firewalla goals to make unified risk administration accessible for small and residential places of work and distant professionals. Its merchandise supply high-speed firewall options which can be each user-friendly and cost-effective.

Having extensively used and beneficial Firewalla merchandise, I used to be wanting to assessment the corporate’s newest providing — the Firewalla Gold Pro. I had excessive expectations, however this new system nonetheless managed to impress. This is an outline of the present Firewalla product line that can assist you select the perfect mannequin to your wants.  

The Firewalla Gold Professional is the corporate’s largest and heaviest product, constructed with stable steel for sturdiness and enterprise-grade high quality. Weighing 38.5 oz (1,090 g) and measuring 8.54 x 6.5 x 1.69 inches (21.7 x 16.5 x 4.3 cm), it meets the strong requirements of SMB-level community gear. Regardless of its measurement, the Gold Professional operates effectively and silently with a 110V AC energy brick, drawing as much as 33W.

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Whereas it capabilities nicely in typical residential and small workplace setups, it is best to attach the Firewalla Gold Professional to a pure sine wave UPS to guard in opposition to energy fluctuations. The unit is fan-cooled however needs to be positioned in a well-ventilated space, because the aluminum case can attain as much as 140°F when absolutely loaded, particularly in hotter environments. An elective rackmount enclosure is accessible to combine the Gold Professional into a typical datacenter-style rack.

The Firewalla Gold Professional consists of two 10 Gbps ports (one usually used for WAN however configurable) and two 2.5 Gbps ports. I like to recommend supplementing it with an extra 10 Gbps or 5 Gbps change for optimum efficiency.

In my setup:

• One other 10Gbps port connects to a 16-port 10 Gbps change, linking servers, Wi-Fi 6E entry factors, a 5 Gbps high-speed desktop change in my workplace, and storage.

This configuration maximizes the Firewalla Gold Professional’s efficiency and ensures optimum connectivity throughout my community.

Set up

Due to the iOS and Android smartphone apps, establishing the Firewalla Gold Professional is easy. The setup and configuration process makes use of Bluetooth, which is offered if Ethernet connectivity is disrupted or the system must be managed or reconfigured out of band.

When the app prompts you throughout preliminary setup, scan the QR code on the underside of the system to pair it with the app. If you happen to’re an present Firewalla consumer, you may “clone” your present configuration, preserving all settings, together with guidelines, system groupings, segmentation, and ISP configurations. In my case, deciding on “Substitute Gadget” made the method seamless.

New customers should select between “Router Mode” and “Clear Bridge Mode”:

• Router Mode: Firewalla capabilities as the first router, managing all community site visitors with full performance.

• Clear Bridge Mode: Firewalla is positioned inside your present community with out altering the IP tackle scheme. 

I like to recommend Router Mode as a result of Clear Bridge Mode disables key Layer 3 (IP layer) companies like VPN Shopper, Coverage-Based mostly Routing, Sensible Queue, Web site-to-Web site VPN, and Gadget Monitoring. If you happen to go for Router Mode, the setup might fluctuate barely relying in your ISP. Firewalla offers detailed documentation for varied ISPs.

For instance, as an AT&T Fiber consumer, I wanted to configure my gateway for IP Passthrough, permitting Firewalla to handle the community. This concerned logging into the gateway, navigating to the Firewall menu, deciding on “IP Passthrough,” selecting “DHCPS-fixed,” and deciding on the Firewalla system from a dropdown checklist. As soon as configured, all site visitors is routed via Firewalla, bypassing the gateway’s router capabilities.

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One limitation is that Firewalla can’t monitor the built-in Wi-Fi of a residential gateway. Even in IP Passthrough mode, units related on to the gateway’s Wi-Fi bypass Firewalla’s safety. To keep away from this, dedicate a Wi-Fi entry level behind Firewalla for all wi-fi connections. For smaller households or places of work, a consumer-grade Wi-Fi router or mesh node in “bridge” mode (not NAT) additionally works nicely — I beforehand used a three-node Eero Professional 6 mesh setup with Firewalla Gold, which labored flawlessly.

The secret is to keep away from a double-NAT state of affairs. Firewalla ought to deal with main NAT, create your IP scope and segments, and act as your DHCP server.

Firewalla Gold’s Professional’s efficiency

As soon as configured in Router Mode or Clear Bridge Mode, the Firewalla Gold Professional intercepts all site visitors on the deep packet inspection degree. Due to its highly effective Intel Twelfth-generation processor and 8GB of RAM, this course of happens with none efficiency loss. 

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In our exams on a 2 Gbps AT&T Fiber service, the quickest accessible to us, we efficiently pushed the broadband connection to its 2 Gbps restrict. Inner exams achieved Ethernet hyperlink speeds of 10 Gbps, with information transferring at that fee.

Considerably, we pushed WireGuard connections past 1 Gbps to a metropolitan-connected Linux host in a take a look at cloud area, restricted solely by the goal system’s broadband capability.

The smartphone app offers an in depth view of historic WAN and WiFi efficiency and stay throughput for each system on the community. The system additionally runs periodic exams to confirm whether or not your supplier delivers the marketed speeds.

Community safety overview

I’ve discovered that Firewalla’s safety intelligence system, each on the system and within the cloud, is extremely strong. The corporate tracks over 129 million safety objects, together with IP/area histories and different important information, and permits the system to successfully safeguard your community, always adapting to new threats as they emerge.

Relating to safety, Firewalla’s method is complete. All information packets are meticulously filtered via a number of layers, together with Block Lists, Advert Block Lists, and Static and Dynamic Block Lists, alongside IDS/IPS (Intrusion Detection/Prevention) and the Conduct Module. This multi-layered technique offers you a steady sense of safety, figuring out that identified and rising threats are being addressed.

One function I significantly admire is the pre-configured Goal Lists that include every Firewalla system, like OISD and Log4j attackers, which routinely block malicious web sites and IPs. Moreover, the power to create customized goal lists means I can tailor the safety to suit my particular wants, making the expertise much more customized.

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Firewalla additionally makes it straightforward to handle units on the community. It routinely detects all units and teams them by operate (e.g., “Computer systems,” “IoT”), which simplifies making use of guidelines throughout a number of units. That is particularly helpful for units with MAC randomization, like iPhones utilizing non-public Wi-Fi addresses. Disabling this function has improved visibility and made it simpler to use guidelines.

The IDS/IPS system is one other important layer of protection in my community. It detects and blocks unauthorized entry makes an attempt, like SSH intrusions or identified exploits resembling Heartbleed, which ought to give any community safety skilled at an SMB peace of thoughts.

Lastly, the Conduct Module stands out as a vigilant guardian. It screens community site visitors for uncommon patterns, resembling a usually low-traffic system all of the sudden sending giant quantities of information. When this occurs, the module sends an alert, permitting you to deal with potential threats earlier than they escalate. 

It is this sort of proactive monitoring that has actually bolstered my belief in Firewalla.

Configuration and administration

One of many issues I admire about Firewalla merchandise is how user-friendly they’re, particularly for a small workplace and residential workplace setup like mine. The preliminary configuration via the Firewalla smartphone app is easy, and for many duties, it is all I would like. For extra detailed administration, the my.firewalla.com web site offers a helpful dashboard for viewing flows, configuring guidelines, and monitoring community exercise.

In April 2023, Firewalla launched the Managed Security Portal (MSP) subscription service, which gives even better performance. Whereas the MSP service has varied plans, the Free plan with 24-hour move storage for a house workplace might be ample. It covers fundamental community administration nicely and gives sufficient visibility into community exercise for my wants. Extra superior house customers and small companies who require extra prolonged visibility into their move information may wish to go together with the 30-day move plan, which is just $39 per yr.

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For organizations with a number of Firewalla units and branches, Firewalla’s MSP additionally gives totally different seat choices relying on how a lot element you want to monitor your units. The No Flows Seat works nice for fundamental monitoring, however there are alternatives for extra in-depth evaluation should you want it. MSP additionally offers VPN Mesh capabilities to hyperlink your department networks over the web utilizing encrypted tunnels with WireGuard.

Though MSP provides many new options, I nonetheless discover that sure configurations, like VPN settings and stay community monitoring, are finest dealt with via the smartphone app. It is a good steadiness between ease of use and superior options.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Firewalla Gold Pro is an distinctive selection should you want highly effective, high-performance community safety with out the complexity and price usually related to enterprise-grade firewalls. With its strong construct high quality, superior options like deep packet inspection, and seamless configuration via an intuitive app, the Gold Professional delivers enterprise-level safety and efficiency in a package deal accessible to small places of work, house places of work, and energy customers.

Whether or not you are pushing the boundaries of your fiber connection, managing in depth VPNs, or securing a posh house community, the Firewalla Gold Professional excels in each class. The latest introduction of the MSP service provides much more flexibility and management, making it simpler than ever to handle your community.

For anybody trying to future-proof their community with a flexible and user-friendly firewall resolution, the Firewalla Gold Professional is a prime contender, providing unparalleled worth and efficiency.