I had a Linksys BEFSX41 for my home internet connection, but it finally died. Are there better options these days in the way of low cost hardware firewalls? Thanks.
Low cost hardware firewalls?
Jan 11, 2010
4 Replies
I am not sure if this could be considered a hardware firewall, but using a dedicated second hand low spec PC with a celeron CPU and 128MB RAM and a free open source firewall such as Monowall, works great.
Monowall:
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The recommended amount of RAM for m0n0wall is 64 MB. It might work with less, especially if you don't use a lot of features/services.
The problem I have with that idea is that it seems like it would only be practical for a desktop pc loaded with NIC cards. That is a fairly large and bulky item.
I am curious about buying a used firewall router of higher quality.
If you can get the license key and the firmware, a used WatchGuard X500/X550, X700 or even an older Firebox III would be a great start - as long as they include FULL software for them.
A Linksys WRT54GL (the L is important) with openwrt or dd-wrt might be worth a look depending on what our definition of hardware firewall is. With the memory available on that device, you can run the full version which includes OpenVPN, and you're out of pocket less than $80.
For more of a "real" firwall, and if your definition of low cost allows the $350-$500 price range, the Cisco 5505 series is also worth a look:
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but...if you want VPN the price jumps to around $1200, I believe.
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