Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router
Netgate | 24.11.0Linux/Unix, FreeBSD 14 - 64-bit Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
External reviews
External reviews are not included in the AWS star rating for the product.
Fantastic when deployed in a virtualized environment
What do you like best about the product?
pfSense is easy and fast to deploy on a variety of platforms, depending on the use case. As an enterprise service provider, we assist our customers with the deployment and hosting of systems in our cloud environment as well as on-prem datacenters. These are typically customers who for reasons of their own are not willing to trust a public cloud with their data. Having the ability to choose a hardware solution or virtualized installation of the pfSense software grants lots of freedom in design and deployment.
The web-based interface is intuitive and responsive. It's certainly competitive with other offerings.
We have engaged with support on a one-off as well as TAC subscription basis and find Netgate / pfSense support to be first rate. We appreciate having a trusted partner.
The web-based interface is intuitive and responsive. It's certainly competitive with other offerings.
We have engaged with support on a one-off as well as TAC subscription basis and find Netgate / pfSense support to be first rate. We appreciate having a trusted partner.
What do you dislike about the product?
pfSense update management can sometimes be a bit ungainly. We'd really appreciate the ability to enable automated updates, especially to patch security threats. Or perhaps even a notification that would be sent to the pfSense admin when a new update is available.
Oftentimes the only time a user realizes there is an update is when they log into the web interface, and many of our users can go weeks or months between log-ins. A push or email notification would be helpful in this regard.
Lower-end pfSense appliances from Netgate have shown themselves to be a bit flaky. They will lock up on updates, or sometimes lock up for no reason at all. When this happens, we've noted that even a reboot of the system doesn't bring it back online and it must be accessed via emulated serial console (over USB) in order to manually walk it through a startup sequence. This is extremely problematic at remote / unstaffed locations.
Oftentimes the only time a user realizes there is an update is when they log into the web interface, and many of our users can go weeks or months between log-ins. A push or email notification would be helpful in this regard.
Lower-end pfSense appliances from Netgate have shown themselves to be a bit flaky. They will lock up on updates, or sometimes lock up for no reason at all. When this happens, we've noted that even a reboot of the system doesn't bring it back online and it must be accessed via emulated serial console (over USB) in order to manually walk it through a startup sequence. This is extremely problematic at remote / unstaffed locations.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
pfSense is great at the customer edge. IPSEC tunnels are quick and easy and perform especially well in our virtualized environments. In addition, the built-in OpenVPN with the client config builder is a great timesaver.
We're also experimenting with multi-tenancy options that allow a single installation to reach across multiple VLAN'd networks, providing unique internal subnets and routing for each.
We're also experimenting with multi-tenancy options that allow a single installation to reach across multiple VLAN'd networks, providing unique internal subnets and routing for each.
- Leave a Comment |
- Mark review as helpful
Enterprise Firewall/router/VPN server, and so much more.
What do you like best about the product?
1) The software is open-source, so I could learn/play with how it works first. I could then decide if I wanted to move forward in using it.
2) It was easy to use.
3) There was tons of good documentation and even youtube videos on every feature I was interested in.
4) The support is awesome, I got a reply in 30 mins, on a Sunday on a long weekend to a ticket I submitted. The reply was from someone who actually read the ticket! (so rare on a ticket system's first response). The back and forth was precise and knowledgeable, I understood my problem and the solution straight away.
2) It was easy to use.
3) There was tons of good documentation and even youtube videos on every feature I was interested in.
4) The support is awesome, I got a reply in 30 mins, on a Sunday on a long weekend to a ticket I submitted. The reply was from someone who actually read the ticket! (so rare on a ticket system's first response). The back and forth was precise and knowledgeable, I understood my problem and the solution straight away.
What do you dislike about the product?
I've had a version upgrade that remotely fails, so kept working, just didn't upgrade, and needs an onsite visit to manually backup the configs, connected a USB stick with the latest firmware, and a console cable to wipe and install the new version. Not ideal as I have a fair number of remote customers. However, I'm hoping this is a one-off situation.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
A dedicated firewall at an affordable price for very small businesses.
pfsense with support
What do you like best about the product?
BSD network stack is solid. Both the console and GUI are well thought out.
What do you dislike about the product?
Nothing so far. Pretty new to it.
Not sure what else to say.
Not sure what else to say.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Gateway and firewall
Powerful, simple and good value
What do you like best about the product?
I like the ease through which I can set up network services. For instance it took minutes to create a self signed certificate for OpenVPN server and then setup clients on multiple operating systems including iOS. Now I can get to my gear behind the Netgate pfSense firewall using transport layer security from anywhere in the world without breaking the bank or fraying my nerves with complex setup.
What do you dislike about the product?
The process of an upgrade from a blank device to a fully functioning set of services lacked guidance on device but the online guides were adequate.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I am able to access my office equipment while out of the office without having to pay for always on cloud services
Amazing Firewall
What do you like best about the product?
likely gui, reliable, good support, easy implementation, really like it and use it and that's why i became a parter
What do you dislike about the product?
it is not like a dislike but i a better/easy gui on logs firewall etc for troubleshootung
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Firewall blocking business vpn security others
Fast and efficient
What do you like best about the product?
The rapid response and the helpfulness of the support staff
What do you dislike about the product?
Absolutely nothing at all, I find the system to be perfect for what I need
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I am using this for client connectivity and for protecting our network
A SOHO firewall with close-to-large-business capabilities
What do you like best about the product?
The functionalities with the additional packages, the forum and the community, the support - all superb for a very reasonable price.
What do you dislike about the product?
The FreeBSD based OS is not for everyone, if you are a beginner in *NIX systems - practice a bit before you dig in.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The built-in blacklists, the geo-filtering and the ad-free life made the work in the office easier, with less interruptions from non-reliable sources.
Long time user, steep learning curve but probably the best router/firewall distro out there.
What do you like best about the product?
Complex but caters faor a lot of use cases, definitely worth your time if you are concerned about the security of your network. I've been using it since it was monowall :)
What do you dislike about the product?
It really could be more user friendly, not everyone has the time (unless you're a professional) to learn it which is a pity since it really is heads and shoulders above what your typical home/SOHO router can do.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Site to site VPN is my main use, I wish the setup was more user friendly but as it is it works pretty well.
Got tech support like you were a fortune 500 !
What do you like best about the product?
Their products are affordable for remote workers/SME who want to cover their network security needs. If you have a problem with an update, you open a ticket and their support team will quickly contact you the same day to help you solve the problem. They are knowledgeable and friendly people you can trust.
What do you dislike about the product?
Technical support is in English only. For some people this can be overwhelming.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It is an easy-to-deploy firewall that reduces attacks on your network and the resulting loss of productivity.
Easy to use and works perfect!
What do you like best about the product?
Easy to use and has many excellent features and addons.
What do you dislike about the product?
VPN has stopped working for a short while but has been fixed in a recent update.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
VPN from site to site and having it be a secure connection, website blocking and also cache most used sites and downloads saving bandwidth and internet speed.
showing 81 - 90