I'm using a home built pfSense router/firewall/gateway. The PC is a generic mini-PC with 4×2.5Gbe NIC ports that I bought from Aliexpress several years ago. It runs well and does everything I need. The configuration is not totally "basic" but probably not as complex as some people. Beside the WAN and LAN port, I have a single "DMZ" port connected where I have a RPi setup that I can test some apps I have written. Beyond that the pfSense box handles DHCP and DNS forwarding (I have two PiHole's setup as DNS for all client devices).
I'm concerned that if/when something happens to the pfSense hardware, I'd struggle to get things back in an operational state, even at a bare minimum.
I'm wondering what everyone else is doing to minimize the risk of extended down time to rebuild their router/firewall.
FWIW – the rest of my hardware is Ubiquiti – so I'm not against moving to a Cloud Gateway or similar, though I'm not sure how much that really reduces my risk in the case of a hardware failure.
Source: r/homelab · by /u/CockroachVarious2761