WatchGuard Firebox T20 Network Security/Firewall Appliance

I used to run CISCO ASA5505 at home, but it caps out at 100Mbps. So I switched to ASUS router which is fast, sure, but it was flakey, random reboots, didn't remember port forwarding settings between reboot, etc. SO — I decided I needed a proper firewall in front while ASUS can just be the wireless router without all fanfare. Since I have SONIC Gigabit Fiber I wanted a firewall that did eat my bandwidth because of a cheap CPU or sub-par processing power. So far I am very happy with it. I have setup all four LAN port as different groups with different firewall rules. One port, for instance, has a cable hooked up that runs all the way down the the garage and creates a WiFi network down there that's not as well protected as my main. It was so easy to setup firewal rules between the groups/LAN ports and outside. The only thing that was less than obvious is port forwarding. I have a plex server, and I needed to forward 32400 to the one particular IP on the inside. I was able to find how to do it eventually, but it's a two-step process: 1st you need to setup SNAP for what you are forwarding, and 2) you must add a Firewall Policy from Any-External to your hardcoded IP. Overall, the box is quiet, fast, and I love the orange LED lights :)

Easy to deploy

New to firewall appliance but know network security. configuration was straight forward. Just need to understand that only port 1 is enabled by default, you will need to configure the other ports via the admin tool. As others have mentioned setting up NAT is two steps, first define the SNAT and then setup firewall policies. All basic functions seems to work quite well. I really needed to do admin on the box via their WatchGuard Cloud, but this unit was not able to connect and been back and forth with support for almost a month with no resolution. They've come back a few times and said it should be working but nothing has changed. Last update was "The problem in this case is an issue on the backend on the cloud side. I'll get our development team to take another look at this". Was expecting superb support based on other reviews but not so. Response is usually a couple days each time.

1 year later: total buyers remorse. All features are essentially paid. If you don't buy a yearly subscription, no security updates. The agent software didn't work on Mac, Android or Linux. My opinion: Total waste. The Protecteli Vault with PFsense is so much better for me, it's insane. First, there is no wifi in this firewall despite the incorrect product descriptions. Second, you can't purchase services their the website (or see literally any pricing anywhere) unless you either take a sales call or locate a reseller. Unless you WANT to have to call a sales person like it's 1995, don't buy this. Just getting this thing connected to WAN was a headache. The instructions lead you to believe you can connect it to the cloud out of the box, this is not true. You have to set up in local configuration first, update the firmware, THEN you can go to the cloud, activate the device 3-5 times and mmmaybe you can connect. As far as firewalls go, i think there are better options on the price, price transparency, and self service subscription management.

i have been a WatchGuard user for two decades now. i was happy to see this new product line that supported more bandwidth now available in more areas. it can be used as a standalone or as part of a larger multi site configuration. either way its easy to setup and easy to maintain.

Purchased the Firebox T20 - I used this to update (swap out) on old Cisco ASA 5505 – it was very easy to set up and came with a whole host of free (30-day trial) Upgraded features. Management is very easy via either the Watchguard System Manager program or via web interface. It is good to have something more modern in place and I feel much more protected. I am considering subscribing the extended features as they look to provide an additional layer of security options. In addition, it was very to separate my home network from my home server network while providing internet access without the need for a separate router. Happy with my purchase.