Lets talk Smoothwall's: Feedback appreciated

I've been tinkering with the idea of possibly setting up a smooth wall on my network to get an extra layer of security.


How hard would it be to setup for a novice like myself?

 

Anyone here even use a smoothwall at all. If so are you happy with the level of security it provides?

 

The problem is that this kind of security is not designed for home users, I think that a home user dont need to spend money of the electricity that cost have a computer with this installed.
Anyway I allways wanted add one, maybe some day.
I just want to give you some info:

http://www.ebox-platform.com/ easy to use and with a development more active than smoothwall

http://www.clearfoundation.com/ Very good but I dont like it too much xD

http://www.untangle.com/ very easy to use but uses java you need a better computer.

http://www.astaro.com/ In my opinion the best one, free for home users and with Avira and clamAV, maybe could be complicated to configure
http://www.astaro.com/support/certified-trainings/astaro-fundamental-training

 

.
I've used smoothwall and found it pretty easy to setup. If you have an old computer laying around you can dedicate it to smoothwall. You just need two network cards in it - one to connect to the DSL/Cable modem and the other to feed your router. I eventually decided that Smoothwall was more firewall then I really needed, but it worked great.

 

smoothwall is really good for a start but if you want best comming out of it endian which is made on ipcop which itself made of smoothwall

i run it on on p3 833 with 256 ram over a year without problem its very easy to set up + you get best features which are in smooth wall + extra set according to your needs

you can also try if your hardware support pfsence its great firewall for old system

but if you willing to buy or have atleast good p4 or core duo with 1 gb or more ram i recommend you to try utm like astaro or untangle type

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=261437

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=260017

http://www.endian.com/en/community/feature-comparison/

so in simple words endian is made on smoothwall with all tweaks and extra features reinstalled

 

I've done a ton of the *nix routers, they're fun.
Question is...what do you expect from them?
You say setting one up to get an extra layer of security...what are you expecting? To start with the basic free version of Smoothwall, called Smoothwall Express..you get a great NAT router, decent QoS, high powered, stable...so you'll get something that will run circles around your 70 dollar Stinksys/DStink/Nutgear router...but that's not added security. You have add-ons 'n stuff,

So what specific features are you looking for?

I run PFSense at home, on a small form factor laptop.

Other popular distros, IPCop, Endian (some UTM features), m0n0wall, Untangle (big UTM appliance..I use a lot of these at my clients), ClearOS, eBox, ZeroShell, etc.

Lots of fun trying them, just download the ISO, burn to CD, take an old PC with 2x supported NICs..boot from CD..and away you go experimenting. The installation wizards are usually quite easy, hand holding. And to admin the units...via your web browser just like your typical home grade router. You really don't need to know *nix...just a bit of networking experience and you're good to go.

But first...most of the distros all have their strengths..some better at certain things than others...so..."What specific features are you looking for?"

 

I've had Smoothwall 2.0 installed on an old P5-133 Gateway for a couple of years. It's a very stable and reliable hardware firewall. Even on this old hardware, there's no speed loss with 864/160 DSL. The total cost was 3 network cards and one cable. Smoothwall is Linux based. Unlike Windows, it will run for months or even years without rebooting. It's very reliable.

You'll need a basic understanding of the IP system, how IP addresses work, what ports are, what the basic protocols are, how DNS works, etc.There's a bit of learning involved but it's not that difficult. Setting up Smoothwall will be a bit of an education in itself. IMO, the experience was worth it. You'll be setting up a mini network that can be expanded as needed. Mine started with Smoothwall sitting between the DSL modem and my PC. It now serves as a gateway for 2 PCs with separate isolated lines for PC servicing and a VOIP router. I'll be adding a server in the near future.

Other hardware firewalls may have more features and more frequent updates. If you need those features, another might be a better choice. If all you need is a strong and reliable hardware firewall that works well on older hardware, Smoothwall is good. Updates are not nearly as important on a hardware firewall as they are on security-ware installed in Windows. Vulnerabilities are few and far between. The basic structure of the internet changes very little. Harware firewalls don't lose effectiveness with age.