Best Firewall for Home in 2021 [Buying Guide]

Our world is completely changed from what our ancestors might remember from a few years ago. And most, if not all, innovations that have taken place all over the world come from technology. From ordering food with the help of one tap to taking classes, there isn’t a thing you cannot do online. While no doubt, technology has made lives easier for a lot of people, it has its fair share of drawbacks too. One of the significant disadvantages of technology is the theft of personal information.

Every day you hear about unknown people hacking into innocent people’s accounts and either leaking their personal information or blackmailing them over it. In these times, it seems quite challenging to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. Fortunately, there is a way you can protect yourself from such attacks. With the help of a firewall device for home network and a few other necessary steps, you can stop worrying about getting your personal information stolen. 

If you are worried about where to find the best firewall for home, then you have come to the right place. Here, we will discuss the best firewall for home.

First Glance: Our Top Picks For Best Firewall for Home

Depending on different characteristics, here are top 3 firewalls for home that might interest you:

Top Firewall Product Reviews

#1 – Fortinet FortiGate 30E Network Security/Firewall (Top Choice)

The first firewall on our list is by the brand Fortinet. The reason why we have chosen this firewall as the top choice is because it offers improved home network security, performance as well as connectivity. This is precisely why it is perfect not only to be used in the home but for small businesses as well. With the help of this firewall, you would be able to manage the threat that is looming over your network. It has multiple features, including application control, advanced threat protection, firewall, web filtering, and IPS.

Other than protecting your house from known threats, this firewall’s threat management system is so secure that it recognizes additional risks as well. Other additional features include a 950 Mbps firewall, 200 Mbps NGFW, 150 Mbps threat protection, and 300 Mbps IPS. As it is evident from these features, this firewall offers protection like no other product.

While this firewall is capable of functioning as a wireless access point controller to extend wireless capability further, it doesn’t have its own wireless interface. With that being said, the firewall does have 4 LAN points, including 1 Gbps data transfers, four GERJ45 Switch Ports, and GERJ45WAN port. 

Overall, some users might not be too happy that this firewall does not come with a wireless interface; what they should be pleased about is that the firewall offers splendid security for home as well as small business sectors. With such amazing features, the price tag doesn’t seem too expensive.

Pros

• It offers excellent security
• It is perfect for home as well as small businesses networks
• It has amazing features

Cons

• It does not have a wireless interface of its own

#2 – Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway (Best for low noise functioning)

If you are an individual who often transfers heavy loads of data on the internet, then this firewall would be perfect for you. With the help of this firewall, you can move a staggering 1 million packets per second pf 64 bytes. If you know even a little about firewalls, then you would agree that this is quite an impressive achievement. Regardless of the size of the file you are sending to someone, you would be able to do so without losing or damaging the quality.

Apart from its excellent capability to transfer huge files, what drew us towards it was the design. With such a sleek and stylish design, you would not need to hide it when guests come over to your house. Additionally, the firewall has unique mechanisms that ensure that you get maximum security. This means you can enjoy the freedom of the internet without having to worry about endangering your private information.

Another thing that you are going to find in this firewall and not a lot other is the UniFi Controller v4x. If the noise of the fan bothers you, then you would be glad to know that it doesn’t make a lot of noise either. With almost silent-like functioning, you would be able to go on about your work without any disturbance. Overall, this is an excellent firewall that users immediately fell in love with. With 3 GB Ethernet ports, it will make your life much easier.

Pros

• It is very lightweight
• You can transfer huge files of data with it
• It works almost silent-like

Cons

• The customer service of the brand is not very helpful

#3 – GRYPHON Guardian Advanced Parental Control System & WiFi Security Router (Best for Parents)

Calling this product only a firewall would be an insult to it. With so many exciting features, what it should be called is a unit that is an all-rounder and covers all the requirements you might be expecting from the product. Though this firewall is for a lot of people, the ones who would benefit the most from it are parents who aren’t that tech-savvy. With advanced parental controls, you would have power over your children’s security.

Even without trying, this router is excellent for protecting yourself against hacking. One thing that we should mention here is that it cannot be accessed like standard routers. You can only access it with the help of the Gryphon app. This is both a downside and an upside. While not a lot of people might be fans of installing an app and then accessing the router, what this means is there is no way of hacking into the router simply because all the ports are blocked.

Overall, this is an excellent firewall for those who want controls over what the users in the house are watching. With the help of the app, you can easily see which devices are on the network and what they have accessed. Additionally, if your kids think of outsmarting you by using VPNs, the firewall would make them cease to work my blocking VPN ports. And if you think your family is spending too much time on the internet, simply click a button to suspend it.

Pros

• It allows content filtering
• It will enable you to see browsing history
• It blocks VPN ports

Cons

• The router loses DNS every day

#4 – Bitdefender BOX 2 (Best for effective functioning)

If you want to make sure that all of your devices, even the home computers are safely connected to a network, then you would be interested in hearing more about this firewall. People who used it had nothing but positive things to say about the firewall. One feature they were especially impressed with is a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. As a result, the firewall works efficiently. When it comes to online banking, this firewall ticks all the right boxes. Even doing online banking is safe with this firewall installed in your home.

Other features that make this an excellent choice has to the microphone monitor alert. With the help of this feature, users can keep a live check. Other than that, it is pretty easy to access parental controls. The feature also allows you to restrict the time your children surf the internet. With so many ways of trapping children online, this feature is nothing short of a helping hand. As the firewall has significant requirements, there are a lot of people who will benefit from it.

For instance, Broadband users will benefit the most from it as it allows them to tweak the firewall’s functioning.  Parents who want to keep an eye on their children’s activities can also benefit from it. Overall, this is one of the safest firewalls in the market out there. With such a secure configuration, you would not have a hard time figuring it out.

Pros

• It has a dual-core processor
• It offers a safe online banking experience
• You can optimize devices connected with it in the first 48 hours

Cons

• A broadband connection is a must for optimal processing

#5 – CUJO AI Smart Internet Security Firewall (Best for appearance)

There might be a lot of reasons why you might fall in love with the firewall, but the most significant would be because of its presence. Thanks to the AI model it comes with, it is delightful to just even look at the firewall. If you think that the only feature this firewall has is that it looks cute, you are wrong. It has some fantastic features credited to it as well. For example, the UI/UX installation is straightforward. You would not need to confer with a professional to do it.

Apart from that, the firewall is also great when it comes to connectivity. The 1 GB Ethernet port helps you get connected to it quickly. As this device uses an AI algorithm, which happens to be very advanced, the firewall works well when it comes to keeping malware away from it. Just like a few other devices on this list, the parental controls are straightforward to manage. It allows the users to control the traffic coming over through the network. The installation is another feature that should be mentioned on the list. It can be done quickly.

Overall, if you are looking for a different kind of firewall that not only has all the requirements required in a good firewall but also has a modern design, then you are going to love this product. With advanced technology, it offers you a better chance of protecting yourself against unknown and known threats. Regardless of the type of OS and device you are using, you will not be disappointed with the results of this device.

Pros

• It has a cute design
• It offers fast connectivity
• Installing it is very easy

Cons

• It only works with lithium-ion batteries

#6 – WatchGuard Firebox T15 (Best for excellent monitoring facilities)

WatchGuard is a brand that has been manufacturing attractive security appliances for families. It might not be a household name right now, but with its unique products, it is definitely going to be. While this device might not be as expensive as the rest of the WatchGuard devices, but it has all the necessary features that you would want in a firewall for your home. Some strong capabilities of this firewall include ransomware protection and data loss prevention. These features also make this device ideal to be used in offices.

You might not be aware of this, but when attacking, hackers are looking for the weakest link in a network. As compared to office networks, home, and small business networks are more susceptible to this kind of damage. However, with this device, you can control UTM solution- regardless of where they might be- with just a single WatchGuard console. Deploying the firewall is another feature that deserves mention here. The cloud-based capabilities of this firewall configure themselves.

Overall, this is an excellent, small yet highly functional device that should cover all of your security needs. At such an affordable price, you would have no reason not to buy it. For even tighter security, you can use the built-in wireless guest services.

Pros

• It comes with 1-year standard support
• You can quickly deploy the firewall process
• It also comes in a wireless model

Cons

• As compared to other devices, it has slow SPI throughput

#7 – Cisco RV110W-A-NA-K9 Small Business RV110W Wireless N VPN Firewall Router (Best for the money)

Though this firewall is not meant for every PC user, those who use it love it for its simplicity. This router features a built-in VPN that can serve up to five clients at a time. Apart from this feature, this simple, single-band Wireless-N router supports dual and wireless and Gigabit Ethernet.

It is square and compact in appearance with 4 little rubber feet on the bottom of the unit to keep it well-grounded. This firewall is also wall-mountable. It has two antennas coming out from the back, where you will find one WAN port (to attach to the internet connection) and four other WAN ports for wired clients.

The most important feature of Cisco RV110W-A-NA-K9 is its integrated support for hosting a VPN network. This feature helps remote workers to gain access to local resources like databases, printers, and remote PCs. As a VPN server, it supports QuickVPN and PPTP. For wireless connectivity, it broadcasts on the 2.4GHz band and supports IPv6 out of the box. So, if you are thinking about updating your network to the new internet address IPv6-standard products, this product is the ultimate choice to consider.

The router gives most 100Mbps on a wired network, and while gigabit Ethernet is not important to have on most home routers, the growing number of applications makes this unit a must-have this year.

Pros

• Easy to set up
• Supports VLANs
• A well-organized and responsive web interface

Cons

• Can only support up to five people at a time

#8 – ZyXEL Next Generation VPN Firewall with 1 WAN, 1 SFP, 4 LAN/DMZ Gigabit Ports [USG20-VPN] (Best for high-speed connectivity)

With ZyXEL, Next Generation VPN Firewall USG20-VPN, your home, and home office will relish strong and secure VPN  features. The best thing about using this firewall is that it is upgradable with licensing and promotes the power of high-class security technology such as TrendMicro ransomware, anti-virus, and application patrol.

Its integrated wireless controller promotes the deployment of extra wireless extensions for the guest access when needed. As far as network security is concerned, the firewall is as smart as you want it to be! The NGFW also supports 40 IPsec/L2TP VPNs and 5 SSL VPNs upgradable to 20 SSL VPNs.

The smart technologies integrated within the unit are powered by some of the most high-end names in the industry. With the built-in WLAN controller, you can centrally manage up to two access points by default. You can also support the BYOD environment a little more efficiently, which is perfect for SMBs with restricted IT resources.

This firewall has a fanless design to make sure you get noiseless functioning and more reliability over time with fewer parts to fail. It delivers effective, expert protection as well as control of web applications such as Google apps and Facebook. This feature helps block spam, ransomware, viruses, and malware.  You also get to enjoy intrusion detection features, content filtering, application intelligence, and P2P blocking to keep your network protected.

Pros

• Innovative and fanless design
• High-performing gigabit ports
• Browser-based configuration

Cons

• Limited lifetime hardware warranty

#9 – RATtrap – Smart Internet Security Firewall (The easiest to install)

Setting up this unit is very easy. Simply connect it to your broadband modem and your Wi-Fi router. Then apply power and protect your home network instantly. The biggest advantage of using RATtrap – Smart Internet Security Firewall is that you don’t need any configuration changes on any device or any extra software to install. You can even use the mobile apps or the web dashboard to get particulars about the threats blocked via this unit while still learning everything about your home network’s health.

Unlike other anti-virus software available in the market, this unit sources all the devices on your home network be it wired or wireless. The protection presented by RATtrap – Smart Internet Security Firewall never slows down your home network or overflow it with unsolicited traffic. The protection of this product only continues to improve via automatic updates, so you are always safe from the upcoming surfacing threats.

The web browsing protection feature ensures your privacy by hiding your most visited sites on any device in your house. It uses state-of-the-art encryption technology to keep you safe from the websites that oblige malevolent content.

Through mobile application and web dashboard, you get real-time alerts regarding blocked threats. Moreover, you can learn about the usage figures and your home network condition without being stunned with extra technical details.

Pros

• Protects all devices on your network
• Plug and play working
• Automatic updating

Cons

• No parental controls

#10 – Protectli Vault 4 Port, Firewall Micro Appliance/Mini PC – Intel Quad-Core, 8GB RAM, 128GB mSATA SSD (Best for transparency and audibility)

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This reliable and fully customizable hardware firewall (the one you can use as a router as well) works great with multiple open software firewall projects. It features four Ethernet ports and has no fan in its construction to make noise while working. This feature renders the unit completely silent, which makes it an ideal choice for people looking for an eco-friendly unit. Many professionals highly recommend this product for small businesses and homes.

The device is compatible with open-source firewalls such as OPNsense, untangle and pfSense, etc. The Protectli Vault 4 Port, Firewall delivers reliable and high-quality performance. It comes with an Intel Quad-Core Celeron J3160 CPU (64 bit) that can go up to 2.2 GHz. Another great feature of this firewall is its AES-NI hardware support.

Out of four Ethernet ports, one is a LAN port, and the other one is a WAN port. With this feature, you can connect the firewall to your house; it has two USB 3.0 ports, two HDMI ports, and one RJ-45 COM port. 4GB DDR3L RAM and 32GB mSATA SSD storage are some other advanced Protectli Vault 4 Port, Firewall features. Various additional perks include compact size, 100% silent functioning, and low power usage.

Pros

• Fanless working
• Four gigabit Ethernet ports
• Average 10W power usage

Cons

• May boot faster after a power outage

Buying Guide

We understand if you feel a little overwhelmed right now. With this many options, it seems like all of them are the best for the job. So which one should you go for? Well, to answer that question, you need to consider some factors before buying the best firewall for home. Hopefully, the rest of the article would help you out in that.

How many types of firewalls are there?

There are two kinds of firewall. The first one is known as a software firewall. Such type of firewall fights malicious threats with the help of some sort of antivirus software installed in them. The second kind is known as a hardware firewall. As the name suggests, such a firewall come as separate pieces of hardware. You connect the hardware firewall for home with your router. Sometimes, these pieces are already equipped on the router that you buy. Hardware firewalls are good at stopping malicious software from attacking your networks way before they enter your system.

Why should I buy a firewall?

Before buying a firewall, you must have asked this yourself: why would you need to buy a firewall? You might not have a lot of information regarding firewalls. Using a firewall can reduce the chance of being attacked by hackers. Additionally, hardware firewalls are excellent when it comes to offering protection to devices that don’t even have firewalls. A lot of computers these days are protected. However, there are still several computers that are still susceptible to these attacks. Smartphones can also be protected from such firewalls as they are also likely to get hacked.

Buying a firewall for your security needs

Following are a few factors you should consider before purchasing the best firewall for home:

Control

One of the reasons why you are purchasing a firewall is because you want to have complete control over your network. You want to see who is connected to your system at all times. That is why you need to consider how much control your router would give to you. Apart from standard controls, some routers also give you parental control. It comes in handy when you want to make sure that your kids aren’t surfing websites they shouldn’t.

Cost

Regardless of the product you buy, the price will always be a factor for you to consider. Similarly, for a firewall, you need to set aside a budget. It would save not only your time, but also your energy. For instance, if you want a router just for your home, you don’t need to look for routers that are best suitable for large organizations. With a set budget, you should only look at firewalls you want to buy with only the essential features required.

Web filtering

The final important factor for you to consider is web filtering. With the help of this feature, you can choose which websites you want to be blocked on your network. Firewalls with the best web filtering enable you to block specific keywords and even certain IP addresses.

Traffic

Another excellent benefit of a firewall is that you can monitor the traffic that comes to your house. By inspecting the information coming in, a firewall can manage the flow of traffic. Hardware firewalls are particularly good at this.

Wrapping it up

Before we say goodbye, we hope this article would help you in making a decision. The security of every device that is used in your house should be your top priority. For that reason alone, never let a few bucks get in the way of buying home network security devices. They offer multiple benefits, the first one being safety. When it comes to our recommendation, we pick the one by Fortinet. With several connectivity options, you will find it enough for all your firewall needs.   

Sources:

• 10 Best Hardware Firewalls for Home and Small Business Networks
• Sophos XG Firewall Home Edition
• The best firewalls for small businesses