Firewalla Orange review: This router gave my home network a meaningful security upgrade

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• A compact, easy-to-use firewall/router
• Can beryllium powered done USB-C, truthful it's highly portable
• The hardware isn't cheap, but it's worthy it.

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I've been moving with machine networks for implicit 30 years (yep, 3 full decades; sheesh, wherever did the clip go?), and I cognize my TCP/IP from my UDP, and my NAT from my VLAN. But the happening is, erstwhile it comes to my home network, I bash the implicit bare minimum. 

Seriously, the past router I installed was plugged in, had its Wi-Fi password set, and that was it. Ever since that day-one setup, the router has been sitting determination connected the sidelines, softly doing its thing. 

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I cognize I should spell done the settings to marque definite everything is OK, but I don't. It's excessively overmuch of a hassle, and astir home networking hardware is truthful fragile and flaky that it's casual to interruption things. And who's got clip for that stuff? Not this guy, that's for sure. 

However, this spread is wherever Firewalla comes into play. This institution makes firewall hardware that's truthful casual to usage that everyone, from grizzled professionals to full networking newbies, tin instrumentality power of their network. 

I spot a batch of radical referring to Firewalla hardware arsenic a firewall oregon information tool, and portion that's correct, it besides offers truthful overmuch more. Think of the tech arsenic having your precise ain idiosyncratic web administrator, making adjacent analyzable networking tasks arsenic elemental arsenic flicking a virtual switch.

For the past fewer weeks, I've been investigating a caller Firewalla merchandise called the Orange, a tiny, palm-sized machine that's built to beryllium an all-in-one, astute router/firewall. The instrumentality is built to support you from cyberattacks, supply an overview of what's happening connected your network, filter contented and ads, and it adjacent has a built-in VPN server. The instrumentality is cleanable for the home, the office, oregon distant workers connected the move. 

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At its core, the Orange features 2 2.5G Ethernet ports, a quad-core Arm processor, 2GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi 7 support. The instrumentality owes its existence, successful part, to tariffs. 

Firewalla had a enactment of products that went from entry-level to pro for immoderate years, and astatine the cheaper extremity of that enactment was the Purple box. However, violently unpredictable tariffs, on with spot and RAM shortages, made the Purple's aboriginal uncertain. 

Therefore, Firewalla has created the Orange, a redesigned mentation that changes immoderate hardware components, keeps each the features, runs the aforesaid software, and, successful the company's words, "a strategical hedge to guarantee continuity if Purple accumulation becomes unfeasible." 

The large differences betwixt the Orange and Purple are that the Orange is somewhat larger, consumes a spot much power, and has faster/scalable Wi-Fi. As such, these 2 products are pretty overmuch interchangeable. 

The Firewalla is cleanable for creating off-grid networks astir a Starlink dish. 

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

One beardown constituent of Firewalla is that the hardware is casual to acceptable up. It's each app-based, and users are walked done the antithetic networking scenarios. 

I've integrated Firewalla hardware into each sorts of networks, from elemental home environments wherever it's conscionable a substance of connecting the instrumentality to the router, to much analyzable bureau networks that request a spot much work. I've adjacent utilized the hardware with Starlink dishes to make managed networks erstwhile off-grid. 

I inactive urge you enactment a fewer hours speech for the job, and if it takes less, past you've clip to enactment your feet up with your beverage of choice. 

Also: This 3-in-1 adapter for the Starlink Mini made each the quality for its powerfulness delivery

Another neat diagnostic of the Firewalla is that you tin instrumentality it with you and usage the instrumentality arsenic a hotspot to unafraid web connections astatine hotels, airports, and cafes. The hardware tin gully powerfulness from immoderate 15W oregon higher USB-C charger oregon powerfulness bank, which gives you options erstwhile you're retired and about. 

The Firewalla instrumentality tin adjacent grip captive portal pages that galore places usage to harvest your information successful speech for immoderate net access. Again, this capableness is casual to acceptable up. 

There's conscionable truthful overmuch built into this 1 device, with nary monthly subscription cost.

Screenshot by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

One of my favourite features of the hardware is that everything is app-controlled. If you've ever had to log successful to a router oregon modem and navigate done immoderate clunky, outdated web-based interface, you'll cognize conscionable however achy that acquisition tin be. Firewalla changes the crippled entirely, offering a smooth, intuitive app that empowers anyone to go a networking pro.

Firewalla besides comes with a built-in VPN server to unafraid your transportation and data. Again, this diagnostic is casual to acceptable up and offers the added vantage of not requiring an ongoing subscription. 

The magnitude of tech that's built into this small, palm-sized container is rather incredible. 

Also: The close mode to tally an net velocity tests (and however to usage the results for faster Wi-Fi)

One question that I often get asked is, 'Do you truly request a Firewalla?' The honorable reply is no. Most radical get distant with small information oregon safeguards connected their devices beyond bundle updates. Many modern routers travel with basal firewalls, parental controls, and postulation monitoring. However, these features are often little broad than Firewalla. If you truly privation to cognize what's happening connected your network, get bully astatine utilizing a instrumentality similar Wireshark. 

Or, if you fancy a play project, you could commencement a Raspberry Pi task that volition bash astatine slightest immoderate of this enactment for you. 

But the biggest spot of Firewalla hardware is that it makes everything ace easy, and there's small accidental you'll interruption something. If you request to work the idiosyncratic manuals, everything you request is online in detail.

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As for which Firewalla to get, astir people, and for that matter, tiny businesses, are going to find that the Orange oregon Purple is much than enough. It's lone erstwhile you get to medium-sized networks that grip a batch much devices and information that you're going to get the payment retired of spending currency connected a Gold SE, Gold Plus, oregon Gold Pro, products that scope successful terms from $489 to $899 (yes, present we're getting into hardcore networking prices). 

ZDNET's buying advice

My interior geek perfectly loves the Firewalla. It's an unthinkable mode to instrumentality power of your web without requiring a monolithic currency outlay (networking cogwheel prices tin get stratospheric existent fast), a steep learning curve, oregon ripping retired your existing hardware to instal thing similar an Ubiquiti system. 

Whether you privation to dive heavy into what's happening connected your network, support against cyberattacks, oregon power what contented your kids oregon employees tin access, a Firewalla instrumentality makes everything casual and accessible.

The hardware is excellent, too. And the quality to powerfulness the instrumentality via USB-C means it tin beryllium utilized anywhere, astatine home, successful the office, oregon adjacent connected the road. 

As of the clip of writing, the adjacent driblet of Firewalla Orange units volition beryllium happening aboriginal this month, and they outgo $379.20. If you don't privation to hold for banal to land, you tin drawback the Purple for $409 oregon the lower-spec Purple SE, which is the cheapest device, for $269.