Secure Your Network
Hackers may be inside your house or office
Last Updated: June 1st, 2023
Firewalls provide protection against outside cyber attackers by shielding your computer or network from malicious or unnecessary network traffic. Firewalls can also prevent malicious software from accessing a computer or network via the internet.
When it comes to our data, we all want to be protected, don’t we? The last thing we want is our passwords leaked, a potential hack, or viruses infiltrating our computers taking our information with them. Despite taking all the precautions, never opening unfamiliar emails, and creating complex passwords, hacks and viruses can happen to the most technically savvy people. That’s where the best firewall for your home can come in!
It can be scary thinking of potential data breaches and how they can affect you and your livelihood but thankfully firewalls for home are no longer a virtual layer – you can buy hardwire firewalls that will protect your home or small business. But choosing the right one can be tricky. We know all too well how hard it can be, so our best firewall for home round-up is here to help you get the right device for you.
Here at PC Guide, we take firewalls seriously. After all, we know how devastating hacks and viruses can be. It’s why we made sure that the products we are recommending today meet or exceed our ridiculously high standards; how else will you trust us if we recommend poorly performing firewalls?
To select our firewalls today, we looked at their protection levels, remote coverage, security infrastructure, control, and device monitoring to ensure that you were using the internet safely. We also considered the price, control you had, and customer reviews to ensure that the firewalls were loved and the best on the market.
You can rest easy knowing that you are in safe hands today and can purchase any of these firewalls with ease. After all, these days, it’s not just burglar alarms that keep your home safe; it’s firewalls too!
Kicking off our list today is the Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway firewall. The affordable hardware firewall and router supports Gigabit Ethernet speeds are perfect for home or business use.
The gateway device sits between the internet and local WiFi router, and its job is to route all traffic before it reaches the router. Here it can eliminate any prohibited or potentially threatening users, sites, or viruses, to ensure you remain safe. All devices connected to the device are protected and monitored thanks to advanced management and security features.
Like all firewalls, remote management and monitoring features are available through the Unifi Controller, also known as the Graphical User Interface (GUI). Alongside this, there are heaps of other features that allow you to create a safe space for your computer at home.
You can adjust the firewall settings, enable deep packet inspection, enable QoS features, Intrusion Detection, create VLANs, and so much more! There are even features that allow you to manage other Unifi products that you have at home, such as WiFi access points and switches.
If you already own UniFi devices or are planning to add them to your collection, then this USG firewall is an excellent choice for you. It won’t cost you too much, customers love it, and the range of features can keep you busy for days.
We would say that there are probably a few too many features that you wouldn’t necessarily use for a standard home user, but for the low price point, it can’t hurt to have them there, can it?
At an affordable price, the Mikrotik hEX RB750Gr3 is packed with powerful features usually reserved for high-end devices only. It’s the perfect addition to business environments, as well as your home network. If you run a small business from home, you are sure to find plenty of uses for it.
The router features RouterOS that supports advanced routing configurations such as NAT, VPN, bridging, and port forwarding. It also supports Layer-7 application detection and protecting, firewall filtering rules, and other useful configurations, making it a diverse addition to any home. These powerful firewall systems will keep you and other devices on the network safe and protected at all times.
Its compact design makes it perfect for homes of any size and can be tucked away with ease, exactly what you need if you don’t like clutter. Despite the small size, it is still a powerful firewall. The firewall comes with 4 Gigabit LAN ports and a Gigabit WAN port, making it the ideal choice for home or business.
While the ports support Gigabit speeds, the device itself can reach speeds of 470Mbps, perfect for those with internet speeds up to 500 Mbps! Customers enjoyed the router and found it allowed them to reach the desired speeds without buffering or slow loading times. They also enjoyed the fantastic visibility and customization of this, allowing you to tailor the system to your needs.
While the range of features and customization is fantastic, first-time users might struggle and find it takes a while to set up. Thankfully there is a wealth of tutorials online that you can follow; just be mindful beforehand that these can take a while.
If you want an affordable router that offers you an insane level of customization, then look no further than the Mikrotik hEX RB750Gr3 router today
For those with more money to spend, the Protectli Vault is an excellent option to consider. The appliance features an Intel Quad-Core processor with 4GB RAM and an impressive 32GB of SSD storage that will ensure open-source firewall software runs with ease.
You get 4 gigabit Ethernet ports, a LAN, and a WAN port for connecting the device to a network, perfect for all your needs. There is a range of features that makes this the ideal device for experienced users and hobbyists. The open-source software firewall distributions can require some knowledge to install. It can be a bit tricky for beginners, so we recommend avoiding this unless you are an experienced user.
There’s a range of open-source software that you can install on this device, such as dd-wrt, FreeBSD, ClearOS, CentOS, OpenVPN, pfsense, and more, offering you fantastic customizing opportunities. You can tailor the device to your needs and create a security system that caters to your needs.
The device is incredibly reliable, too; the slow performance won’t ever let you down. It’s referred to by the company as The Vault, as it’s a small form factor PC built for hardware firewall and router use. You get 32GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, although most customers upgrade the RAM to 8GB for faster speeds. You don’t need to do this, though; you will still get a fast and reliable firewall.
What customers loved about this device was how quiet it ran. A fan-less construction features no moving or mechanical parts that allow it to run virtually silently, even under pressure. It’s perfect for those that enjoy a quiet workspace.
While it’s an expensive choice for experienced users after a customizable and reliable router, the Protectli is the one for you.