Home Firewalls & Network Security

Why a hardware firewall?

Your router’s built-in firewall blocks unsolicited traffic from outside, but it can’t see what your own devices are doing — which smart plug is calling home to a server in a country you’ve never heard of, or which laptop just started uploading gigabytes at 3am. A dedicated firewall box gives you that visibility plus per-device controls, ad blocking and VPN access to your home network. We favor devices with no monthly subscription — you should own your security.

Start with our ranked best hardware firewall for home guide, or the head-to-heads: Firewalla vs pfSense, Gold SE vs Gold Pro and is Firewalla worth it. Looking for a CUJO, Akita, RATtrap, Dojo or Bitdefender BOX? Those boxes are gone — here is what happened to them and what to buy instead.

Which home firewall fits your situation

• You want monitoring and parental controls, and you’re keeping your WiFi: a Firewalla. The Purple SE is rated for plans up to about 500 Mbps, the Gold SE for about 2 Gbps, and the Gold Pro for multi-gig fiber. All three use the same phone app and charge no subscription.
• You’re replacing your router anyway: a Ubiquiti UniFi gateway. The Dream Router 7 is firewall, WiFi 7 router and network controller in one box; the Cloud Gateway Ultra is the wired-only version for homes that already have good access points.
• Your main goal is a whole-home VPN: the GL.iNet Flint 2. It is a router first, with fast WireGuard and built-in ad blocking, rather than a monitoring tool.
• You like to tinker: a Protectli Vault running pfSense or OPNsense. The most flexible option, and the most work to run.
• You run a business from home or need enterprise gear for insurance or a client: FortiGate, ideally with an IT provider managing it. Its security services need an annual license. Our small-business security guide covers that case.

What to check before you buy

1. Speed with security on. Makers love to quote plain routing speed. What you get with intrusion detection and filtering switched on can be a fraction of that, so compare that number with your internet plan and leave headroom.
2. Subscription. Firewalla, Ubiquiti, GL.iNet and Protectli (with pfSense or OPNsense) cost nothing after purchase. FortiGate’s threat protection is a yearly fee, which makes it the most expensive option over five years.
3. Who will manage it. Firewalla is built around a phone app a parent can use. UniFi is an app plus a deep web console. pfSense, OPNsense and FortiGate assume networking knowledge.
4. Ports. If your plan is faster than 1 Gbps, or you expect it to be, you need 2.5 GbE ports or better.
5. Where it goes. A firewall appliance can sit behind your current router (bridge mode) or take over as the main router. A firewall router replaces your router. The setup options are explained in our buying guide.

Do you need a home firewall at all?

Maybe not. Every home router already has a basic firewall that blocks incoming attacks; here’s how to check yours in two minutes. A dedicated box earns its price when you have lots of smart-home devices, kids whose devices need rules, or work-from-home equipment you want kept apart from everything else. If you haven’t set up a password manager and two-factor authentication yet, do that first: those stop more real-world break-ins than any firewall.

How we score firewalls

We don’t run a lab and we don’t claim hands-on testing. Each score weighs the maker’s published throughput with security features on, the true cost over several years, how easy everyday tasks are for a non-technical adult, the company’s update and security track record, and long-term owner reports. The full method is on how we pick and score products.