Show us your Firewalla, and Win BIG!
Our contest "Show us your Firewalla" ending 11:58 PM December 2nd (US Pacific Time) is now closed.
We love this contest! We are going to make this a monthly event! We will pick (one) winner per month for a random gift (a firewalla product). The next one will be in January 2022! So update yours or add new ones!
Winners December 2nd 2021 (Pacific Time)
- https://help.firewalla.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/4410590732179/comments/4410664913555
- https://help.firewalla.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/4410590732179/comments/4410584107155
- https://help.firewalla.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/4410590732179-Show-us-your-Firewalla-and-Win-BIG-?page=2#community_comment_4410641483923
- https://help.firewalla.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/4410590732179/comments/4410593327379
- (tied as a fourth place) https://help.firewalla.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/4410590732179/comments/4410840331795
As we gear up for the release of Purple, we want to see Firewalla's in the wild. So we are running a photo contest, to demonstrate small network is fun, exciting, and NOT boring!
Here's how it works.
- Post photos here, in this thread, of your network set up including at least one Firewalla. No need to be pretty, sometimes functionality will win!
- Include what mode you are running (Router, DHCP, Simple, or Bridge).
- Optionally, add a network diagram showing your network topology.
- Optionally, if you are doing anything cool, let us know too.
If you are just browsing, please find the best (you define what's best, and can vote more than one) and then vote it up by clicking on the up arrow next to the image. (down arrow also work to downvote)
If you are voting make sure you scroll to the next page, there are lots more awesome designs.
Login is required for voting.
Based on the number of votes received from the community:
The first prize will win a Firewalla Gold.
The second prize will win a Firewalla Purple.
The third prize will win a Firewalla Blue Plus.
The fourth prize will win a Firewalla Red.
The contest will run from now until December 2, 2021 11:59PM Pacific Time.
Important: Please do not post any sensitive information. Any submissions require that you agree to allow us to use your photos in any future marketing materials.
Please only post your network here.
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In Singapore, most of our home has a utility cabinet which we use it to house all the electronic equipment. Comes with a fiber point - internet @ 1Gbps (yes, in SG, our ISPs provide up to 2Gbps!!). My main equipment are here, including the little Firewalla Blue! (oh, it runs Simple Mode) This is just the tip of the iceberg, there are 20+ other IoT devices around the house....
Am into automation too! I have Flics, climate sensors, whole bunch of iOS Shortcuts, Switchbots, Cameras, etc. These adds up to the number of devices i have :D... Also have Apilio, IFTTT, SmartThings, so you can imagine the amount of traffic going in/out of this networks.. i think i need to upgrade the box sooooon...
The 2nd distribution cabinet, houses the storage and "brain" of some services running the house + experimental stuff done on VMs. Say hi to BB8 too! I think i need more than the Blue to manage all these!! :D :D
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Firewalla Blue running in Simple Mode
The custom housing also will hosts 2 raspberry-pi servers and I windows board PC
I need constantly running unix/windows headless servers with low power consumption as possible.
Also there is a super capacitor installed that acts as UPS (10-13 mins power) for the boards and Firewalla.
My current core network setup:
I'm thinking of switching to DCHP (because there is no option for bridge mode unfortunately)
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Firewalla Gold in Router Mode
Spectrum -> Firewalla -> Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro -> 24 port switch for all hardwire devices -> Ubiquiti Long Range WiFi 6 AP, and 5 port PoE switch for camerasPrimary network, WiFi, VPN, and IoT devices are managed by Firewalla Gold using multiple VLANs and network segmentation. Love the capabilities of the FWG and being able to manage all devices, configure local network settings with ease, and feeling safe and secure while my wife and I are working from home daily. The insights and ability to control devices through the FWG cannot be compared to any other device that I've found.
Complete Apple HomeKit user. All items such as indoor cameras, door locks, thermostat, outlets, bulbs, light bars, light switches, other home hubs all work flawlessly. Took a little configuration on the FWG and network policies, but finally got to a robust, stable environment and can't complain at all with performance and throughput.
Local NAS storage for NVR, Movies, Local File Shares, Computer Backups, etc. Philips Hue and Ikea Tradfri hubs as well.
Mac Mini running Plex Server, PiHole Server, and Zabbix for monitoring all network devices
Intel NUC Hades Canyon i7HVK running Windows Server OS for a local domain controller, etc.
UPS backup for all devices and 5.1 surround sound in home office through optical audio
Loved adding the FWG to my home setup. I will never look back and foresee a Firewalla product being in my network stack for a long time coming.
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Hello from Sunny Scotland!!
Here is my small home server\network set up running Firewalla Gold.
It consists of 1 Cable modem\router set in modem only mode (ISP is virginmedia 360Mbps down 36Mbps up), connected to Firewalla in router mode, I then have a Netgear GS724TV4 switch which links to another switch (GS728TPv2) this has not long been added and it is mainly to add some POE devices like access points and camera's, currently only running the 1 access point.
I have various devices connected wired and wirelessly, the 2 HP Gen8 micro servers are running HyperV with some VM's, the VM's include 2 Windows server 2016 domain controllers, 1 Windows server 2016 server set up as a file server which is then replicated to the second micro server, this is mainly to deliver roaming profiles and folder redirection to any windows PC's in my home, a cyberpower UPS attached to all this and a small Minix NGC1 PC which is attached to the UPS and switches, this small PC also helps deliver some home automation capabilities as well as monitoring the UPS, on the Gen 8 Micro server there is also a linux server VM which delivers a docker environment for some containerization as well as running hassio (Home Assistant) I am also running smartthings & hubitat hubs for some more smart home automation along wifi multiple ZigBee and Wi-Fi devices, I also have a windows 10 VM on each Micro servers, there is also a QNAP NAS used for back up and file storage, there is also x2 raspbery pi zero's, one wired directly which I am using for Pi-Hole and a wake on lan server which helps wakes up certain devices when it powers up should there be a power outage, I then have a Unifi U6-LR which is currently delivering Wi-Fi around my end of terraced 3 bedroom house here in Scotland.
I have my network split up into different segments, currently I have a my core network which I class as VLAN1, I then have VLAN 50 for IOT devices and and VLAN100 for guest Wi-Fi, I am always looking to add and build to my set up, I plan to add CCTV under another VLAN as well as some ventilation and fans into that small cupboard as I have a temperature sensor inside my home made rack and behind my microserver which I plan to use too cool the cupboard when certain temperatures are met.
I have automated the full shutdown process in the event of a power outage, I have a device which connects to mains power that has a battery back up which links up to my smart home system and if it has to change to battery it will start various countdowns for shutting down the attached devices (Including Firewalla Gold), there is probably a lot more stuff that I have forgotten to add in here but hopefully you get the general idea of my set up, I am into automation as a hobbyist and always looking to improve my set up and build on it, hope you all like it :)
P.S. sorry for such the long post I got a little carried away and kept forgetting to add things in so the post just grew the more looked at the picture to help me detail the set up, as above there is probably items I have forgotten to mention too!
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Firewalla Gold... in Router Mode... direct connection are:
MBP M1 Max via OWC TB3 Dock
Amplifi Alien for wifi
10GbE Switch for all wired devices
All device with Ethernet are wired. Wireless only for IoT devices and handhelds.
Love the Firewalla Gold and I just want to have the time, and knowledge, to sit down and "utilize" it more.
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Here's my home network.... I built a custom shelving cabinet in our garage to house it and put plexiglass around it to protect it from dust and meddling from our kids...
The bottom shelf is a battery uninterrupted power supply and all of the network devices are running off of it. We have a lot of high wind storms here in Washington and the power blinks on/off for a fraction of a second several times whenever there is a storm....but our network just continues to run without a burp or reboot.
The network itself is pretty simple.... Netgear Nighthawk Modem connects directly to the Firewalla Gold running in full router mode and then everything else hangs off of and is managed by the Gold. Any stationary device has a wired connection via the dumb switches (top shelf)....desktop computers, TV boxes, printer, etc. Next to the Firewalla is a Hubitat home hub for Z-Wave home automation (light switches, etc.) and then next to the Hubitat is an Orbi Mesh Wifi. There is an Orbi mesh satellite on the opposite end of the house with a wired backhaul connection back to the main Orbi access point. The Orbi is running in AP mode, not router mode.
I haven't segmented out the network yet, but that is why I bought the Gold. Currently we don't have any bottlenecks or bandwidth issues that require prioritization rules or subnetting.... I am using Groups in order to use Rules such that I can limit the time the boys spend gaming and can shutdown all of their devices at bedtime. As we add more IoT devices, I'll probably create a separate "home automation" net.
We also make extensive use of the Gold as a firewall....it is amazing the volume of nonsense and/or dangerous traffic that the Gold stops dead before it comes close to our personal devices. This increases the speed of the devices tremendously....and we don't have to run separate firewall software on each compute device....we trust Firewalla Gold to be the firewall and run free and secure on our side of the wall.
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I'm running the Firewalla Blue+ at the moment in DHCP mode.
I have a standalone Motorola cable modem connected to an ASUS XT8 that goes into my Netgear switch. The Firewalla and 14 ethernet drops all go into the switch. The ethernet ports go to each room where I have Apple TVs, computers, a Synology backup drive, etc. The main XT8 has two additional nodes, with one running over the 5GHz-2 Wifi 6 backhaul, and the second node has an ethernet backhaul.
The Raspberry Pi in the picture runs HOOBS so I can use my smart devices within the HomeKit ecosystem. I'm considering setting that up with Docker on the Firewalla.
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Greetings from London
I am an amateur network enthusiast hell bent on creating a secure network for me and my family. :-)
I am running a small setup configured as follows
- Device: Firewalla Gold
- Mode: Router
- ISP: Virgin Media 200Mbps
Network Setup
Virgin Media is configured to be in modem mode and connected to a TPLink unmanaged 4 port switch that could have WAN devices connected. Firewalla is setup in router mode.
Deepstack AI server helps with person / object detection using Frigate NVR and Double take (Home Assistant (HA) add-ons). The IPCAM VLAN 70 has couple of WiFi cameras that stream video to the Frigate setup.
TPLink POE 8 port switch (Single Trunk managed via switch) powers the Ubiquity Access Point to create WLANs, each mapped to a VLAN
UAP creates 5 WLANs used by various home, office, IOT and guest devices.
TPLink POE switch also connects to Tado smart thermostat which HA controls
3D printer along with an Unraid server for Plex, private cloud and windows VM all managed via FWG. The setup is still evolving and have plans to add more smart devices.
Firewalla Gold (in the wild hanging off IKEA pegboard :-))
Hope you like the setup and thanks for reading my submission.
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Current Home Setup:
Navepoint Rack (Amazon)
Firewalla Purple, transitioned from USG3 + Firewalla Blue
- Router Mode
- Three VLAN's (Non-IoT, IoT, and Work Projects)
- Configured with iPhone Tethering for Spectrum outages
- 200/20 Internet connection
- Multiple Rules for Teenager Internet limitations
Ubiquiti UniFi:
- CloudKey 1
- Five Port Flex Switch in Office for desk and Work Projects
- Two AC-IW Access Points
- One AC Pro
- PoE injectors
Buffalo Networks Gigabit Switch, passes VLAN info
Synology DS412, attached via USB to UPS, additional USB backup drives
18 Meross SmartHome Electrical Devices
APC 1500W UPS, all devices in rack are backed up
Whole-House Generator
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This is a network rebuild for a cabin resort spanning 10 acres. The previous IT company basically gave up, the WiFi was almost non-existent, they had to revert back to land line as VoIP was inoperable most of the time. They had an ISP for Office & Cabins, with a separate ISP into the house all on the same property... it was a mess! They have a young teenager trying to enjoy gaming with endless problems, low bandwidth, malware, unstable connections etc., Firewalla Gold solved all these problems. The area doesn't support more than 50/10 MB, by adding a dual ISP input at the Office (removing the overpriced house ISP), Firewalla combined the bandwidth to 100/10 MB with load balancing providing throughput to support all their needs. They now have 10 acres of stable WiFi coverage, owners, kids & guests all able to enjoy the internet anytime. I've been back a couple times to check in, but mostly just to relax as Firewalla is taking care of business. Other nearby resorts have reached out for network rebuilds/upgrades after hearing so much positive feedback.
Thanks Firewalla Gold for making IT life more enjoyable, there's no doubt what I will be using on future network builds.
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Firewalla Gold (Router Mode)
Comcast to Firewalla Gold (for data access) and Comcast to MoCA Bridge to Gold (for cable boxes data access).
CAT6 hardwired home
10GB switch (for data access and computers)
1GB switch (for Home Automation devices, Echo's, etc)
(2) Aruba AP515's (for IOT and mobile devices)
HomeAssistant for automation (Ring, GoVee, Hue & Smart Appliances)
QNap h1688x (for data storage)
Full UHD capable audio video setup (7.4.2 in-wall/floor speakers) -
Firewalla Blue Plus simple mode. Luck and Fortune was needed after a NAS ransomware attack two years ago. That's when I got my Firewalla. My network has been worry-free ever since. Simple network with 27 typical clients. I'm upgrading to 1gig service after my cats bring home the Gold!
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So I have a geographically spread out configuration, not a nice rack with everything in it. So this is just, "part of the picture".
Network:
- Multi-WAN configured in Load-Balancing mode (Two different ISPs)
- LAG LAN connection to Unifi managed switches (USW-Lite-16-PoE) creating a 2GB connection!
- Connected to switch are: NAS, 3 Unifi APs, another identical managed switch in a different room
- Average of about 80 devices on network.
- 4 WVLANs and 8 VLANs in total.
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Firewalla Gold in Router Mode. Also have a Fingbox, an Eero wireless mesh in bridge mode, network server, an IOT hub, network switch, Ring camera, Amazon Echo, and it's all surge protected and battery backed up. Going to be adding a Tesla Powerwall soon next to the rig and have the Ring Alarm Pro so the whole network will have battery backup and cellular backup :)
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Wow, there are some pretty impressive setups posted in this group. My modest home network is contained in a small 6U rack that sits quite nicely on a set of shelves in the basement with a few Mac devices, some Raspberry PIs, and some home automation gear. The firewalla gold is in the bottom right corner.
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Set up in Router mode. Rather than using VLANs I subnetted and used seperate physical wireless routers to ease wireless congestion on one device and my powerful wireless router for my personal devices that roam more. It also means I have more processing power than a single wireless router. It meant I could test Firewall LAN blocking between the physical devices. I have set up scheduled Internet blocking for my media LAN that is not used during the silent hours to reduce exposure. All IoT is on a seperate subnet and blocked from my personal subnet to keep those little nasties away from the good stuff. I have enabled extensive geo blocking from any country that I feel I don't need a service from. All media devices such as TVs, NAS and media server are own their own subnet and blocked from my personal devices.
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Had fun putting this together! Firewalla in Router Mode. Blog post here: https://lightw8.blog/firewalla-purple-25-gbe-and-wi-fi-6-aps-a-late-2021-home-work-networking-setup-that-wont-break-the-bank-or-your-spirit -
Aloha to all.
I used my Firewalla Gold in router mode as a centerpiece of my Capstone project to reconfigure, and segment my home network/lab. The focus of my research was to identify and mitigate the known security risk of consumer-grade IoT devices to a Home Area Network (HAN) using standard network management methodologies. To find these risks I used Greenbone® Vulnerability Management software version 20.08 (GVM) running under a guest ParrotOS v4.10 virtual machine (VM) configured in the software’s security model with host services provided by VMware Workstation 16 Pro, version 16.1.0, build-17198959 running on a Microsoft Windows 10 Pro workstation.
Attached are two photos of the Firewalla Gold installed in my in-wall media cabinet. The first was taken under flash, and the second without to show operation as indicated by lights. The third picture shows the final network configuration that isolated all known security risks from the primary data layer of the HAN designated as LAN 1. LAN 2, and LAN 3 are segmented and isolated from internet access by the Firewalla Gold with LAN 1 access via WiFi being isolated through the strict use of non-privileged Guest accounts with resource sharing disabled.
In the end, this was an extremely fun project, and one I hope is worthy of this contest's first prize - a Magnificent Firewalla Gold! Of course, I will settle for a Purple too, but do know that the Gold is the standard to beat - bar none!
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My setup is in the entertainment center:
Firewalla Purple (in router mode) in-line between the 1Gbps Fiber modem and eero pro 6 tri-band mesh network (in bridge mode). Eero uses a wired backhaul to the other eero on the opposite side of the house to provide full WiFi 6 coverage. Multiple unmanaged switches are used to bypass the eero for wired connections. Apple TV 4K next to a Smarthings hub. Farside has an Nvidia Shield and DirecTV Stream set-top box. TV is a 77" OLED LG C1 (2021). Powered by Klipsch speakers in a 7.1.2 Atmos configuration. I love all of it!
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Firewalla Gold, in router mode, running 3 distinct networks on the LAN ports - 1 for IoT devices, 1 for gaming, and 1 for everything else. In the pic, a Raspberry "Pi hole" to keep the ads out, two NAS units for media and files, and a small monitor for local admin on all the devices as needed. Not shown - a Firewalla Purple for use during worldwide travels and secure VPN back home to the Firewalla Gold.
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My firewalla in its natural habitat. UPS on one side, cable modem on the other, on top of a big network switch. Does its job without drawing attention to itself. As happy doing its network duties in router mode as it is running my home automation (NodeRED, Phoscon and Mosquito in docker containers).
Would love a slightly more capable one for more docker duties, but on the whole very happy with it.
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Just got my Purple unit a couple days ago, and finally had a moment to install it. Here's some basic info:
- Running in Router mode
- The fan above it is in place b/c this Lego-shelf used to hold my older units (Ubiliquiti Router + switch), and the combo got quite hot. I have to adjust the Legos now for the smaller unit, but I'll probably keep the fan, since I like to provide extra cooling for my h/w, and it doesn't take much juice. Why Legos? I believe their heat resistance is pretty decent, I can reconfigure them when I change hardware, and most of all, I still find them fun/relaxing to play with ;) . Ok, yeah, I also have a lot left over that my kids don't use anymore...
- I don't have anywhere near the complex topology of other folks in this thread, but I do have a variety of devices, mainly linux (System76 w/ POP OS, Ubuntu, etc.), Apple, Windows, etc.
- You can't see it from the pic here, but down below are a couple tower pc's,
- one running Opnsense fw (now replaced by the new Firewalla Purple), and
- one running Docker containers (for Ubiquiti AP controller, Graylog, etc.); I haven't tried installing containers on the Firewalla device yet b/c I just got it, but if all goes well for a few weeks I'll probably try it out at that point. I'm looking forward to reclaiming some space (and electricity) w/ the small Purple unit; I might get the Gold and use the Purple for travel, but I didn't want to get ahead of myself since I'm new to Firewalla.
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