Choosing the right solution for building a firewall becomes key for businesses and individuals who want to protect their networks from security threats, configure more complex network settings and effectively manage traffic. In this post, we will compare pfSense with OPNsense, including their functions and differences, to help you make an informed choice to protect your network.

Zyxel reasoned this way: if the L3 functionality is already determined only by the firmware, 99% choose an access switch for the sake of port density, PoE, VLAN, Multicast, and less often for static routing, then here's the base model XMG1930, which is generally L2, but slightly L3. And if your network requires advanced L3 functions, then all this is also there, just buy the appropriate license and get the core-level functionality. You can do this at any time, even when buying a device, even after a year, if necessary.

From the point of view of the network, a modern facility can be just one access point connected directly to the WAN from the provider, and there are enough resources on this access point to raise the VPN tunnel to the headquarters, and for NAT, and to configure restrictions for customers and for basic protection of customers and employees.

This L3 layer switch has 4 x 10-Gigabit SFP+ slots, 1-Gigabit PoE+ ports for the main fleet of devices, NVR/VoIP optimized interface, support for Nebula cloud service and multi-Gigabit PoE+ ports for Wi-Fi 6 access points. That is, Zyxel has added a maximum of functions to make it the most versatile.

What will happen to your network if the Iron Curtain suddenly falls, and the Global Internet turns into something sovereign and all cross-border channels are blocked? Let's simulate this situation and tell you how to unsign the device from Nebula without Internet access.

Does beamforming technology replace expensive Smart antennas with switchable diagram or adaptive array? Let's answer this question by testing various Zyxel Wi-Fi 6 access points.

If you choose an access point for rooms with high traffic, for example, for restaurants, halls of business centers or for conference halls, then you most likely need a model with Wi-Fi 6 support and a total bandwidth above 2Gbps. As a rule, such devices have a price of about $1000, and their characteristics exceed the requirements of a typical customer.

The Keenetic Linear VoIP gateway is positioned as a Plug'n'play solution for your Keenetic router, which already contains data from almost all VoIP providers, which just needs to be connected to the router, enter the login and password of the SIP service there and connect the phone. The company's press brief says that the Linear model will work with any analog phone: even a DECT, even an old disk, and we decided to test the last statement on our own experience by connecting a 30-year-old telephone via VoIP.

Modern Zyxel access points allow you to work in NAT and bridge mode simultaneously for different SSIDs, connect users using 2FA, shape traffic depending on the application and flexibly use VLANs. Let's look at how you can configure a wireless network to protect horizontal traffic.

Let's consider a typical case: a large retail chain opens hundreds of new stores, each of which plans to use IoT infrastructure using Wi-Fi 6. In order to facilitate the setup and commissioning of equipment, in other words, so that the sysadmin does not hang around all 100 stores, you can turn the deployment process upside down: first set up the network, and then lay the cables and mount the devices. Today ZyXEL provides you with such an opportunity when using the Nebula service.

Wi-Fi 7 increases the maximum channel size from 160 MHz to 320 MHz, which immediately doubles the bandwidth to a fantastic 46 Gbps. The Wi-Fi 7 standard can also work either on two sets of channels with a width of 160 MHz, or on one channel with a width of 320 MHz, it is also possible to work with several access points at the same time.

In the IP-COM company's model range, a separate direction has been allocated for equipment controlled by centralized ProFi software. Today, even in small projects, it is important to be able to make friends with the switch with access points not only at the network level, but also in a visual editor, placing the devices on the floor map in order to track statistics from one window, update firmware, decommission and change devices without disrupting the network. Currently, these capabilities make it possible to simplify and, consequently, reduce the cost of both the initial commissioning of devices and further maintenance of the network.