Dual wan Firewall to work with Peplink Balance 20 that will still offload the balancing to the 20x?

Product Discussion Peplink Balance
1

I’m looking for a home office firewall device for ~ $200 to $400 USD that can accommodate my two IPs, which currently are setup like this:
image.png

I’m using outbound policies of Fastest Response, Enforced, Priority and Persistence. I would like to continue using/keeping this setup but just have a firewall to filter traffic of both ISP 1 and ISP 2. Possible? Suggestions?

So far I’ve been looking at:
removed

Update: I’m looking at pfsense. Can keep Balance 20x for load balancing and “outbound policy” to my devices. But somehow have pfsense in between the Balance 20x and the EdgeSwitch?

2

You can, in a few ways. For example you could have a default route from the pfsense to the peplink, and routes on the peplink back to the pfsense for the subnets behind it.

or you could configure the pfsense to have one wan, and then put the peplink in between in drop-in mode with the second wan configured on it as well.

What do you want the firewall to do- Peplink’s firewall is a little more basic than a full NGFW but its quite capable of filtering traffic.

2 Likes
3

Hi. I’m curious, if you don’t mind … What features of a pfSense device are attractive to you that a router such as the Balance 20X or B-One do not provide?

2 Likes
4

pfense, being an open-source firewall and router platform, offers a level of versatility and customization that specialized hardware routers like the Peplink Balance 20X can’t match:

  1. Extensive Customization and Expandability: pfSense can be customized extensively through additional packages and configurations to add new features or enhance existing ones. This includes everything from advanced VPN options (like OpenVPN, IPSec, WireGuard) to sophisticated intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS with Snort or Suricata).

  2. Advanced Network Security Features: pfSense includes a comprehensive set of security features out of the box, such as stateful packet inspection, deep packet inspection, and anti-spoofing technologies. It can also act as a fully-featured firewall, offering fine-grained control over network traffic rules, something thats more limited on the peplink.

  3. VPN Server and Client Capabilities: pfSense offers robust VPN support, allowing for the setup of multiple VPN servers and clients simultaneously, using different protocols for diverse needs and scenarios.

  4. Open Source and Community Support: Being open source, there is a wide array of YouTube tutorials, published guides/blog posts, and third-party add-ons that can extend the platform’s functionality beyond its core features.

  5. Detailed Network Monitoring and Reporting: pfSense provides detailed network monitoring tools and reports, which can be crucial for diagnosing network issues, analyzing traffic patterns, and planning.

1 Like