The best hardware firewalls for home NAS networks
Best hardware firewalls
It is becoming more and more important to protect a home network that has a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. Synology systems and other NAS devices store files, media, backups, and sometimes even business data. Built-in NAS firewalls offer some protection, but a dedicated hardware firewall at the network perimeter offers stronger protection, more control, and better visibility into traffic flows before they even reach the NAS.
Why a Hardware Firewall is Important for a Home NAS
A NAS is usually on the same network as laptops, desktops, phones, smart devices, and IoT devices. If your perimeter protection isn’t good enough, weaknesses in one device can let people get into your NAS, install malware, or try to break in with brute force.
A hardware firewall gives you:
- Filtering traffic from a central location
- Finding and stopping intrusions
- VPN support for safe access from afar
- Control of applications and content
- Dividing devices into those that are trusted and those that are not
When choosing a firewall for your home, it’s important to find one that strikes a good balance between performance and ease of use.
Important Things to Look for in a Hardware Firewall
When choosing a firewall for your home NAS network, keep these things in mind:
- Performance and throughput: Enough capacity to handle your ISP speed without any lag.
- VPN support means you can make safe connections from far away to access your NAS or manage it from far away.
- An intrusion prevention system (IPS) finds and stops bad traffic before it gets to the NAS.
- Application control lets you decide which apps and services can talk to each other on your network.
- Segmentation/VLAN support: For extra security, keep NAS traffic separate from guest or IoT devices.
For home users, management interfaces that are easy to use are also very important.
Best hardware firewalls are the Ubiquiti UniFi Security Gateway (USG) and UniFi Dream Router
People like the Ubiquiti UniFi platform for both homes and small businesses. The UniFi Security Gateway (USG) and the newer UniFi Dream Router are both systems that offer routing, firewall, and VPN services.
These devices work with the UniFi Controller interface, which makes it easy to manage everything from one place. They support site-to-site VPNs, client isolation, and customizable firewall rules, which help keep your NAS on a safe part of the network.
If you add access points, switches, or even remote networks, the UniFi ecosystem grows well.
2. Appliances that use pfSense or OPNsense
pfSense and OPNsense are open-source firewall platforms that are known for being flexible and having strong security features. When used on a dedicated appliance, these firewalls offer business-level security without the need for a subscription.
Some of the main benefits are:
- Checking packets deeply
- More advanced VPN options, like OpenVPN and IPsec
- Monitoring and shaping traffic
- Rule sets that can be changed a lot
These solutions are great for home users who are okay with a slightly harder learning curve and want to have full control over how their network works.
3. SG-1100 or SG-2100 from Netgate
Netgate devices are made to work with pfSense software. The SG-1100 and SG-2100 series can be used in homes and small offices and take full advantage of pfSense’s features.
They have great VPN support, strong intrusion detection, and fine-grained firewall control that keeps NAS connectivity safe when you access it from a distance.
4. Firewalla (Red, Blue, and Gold)
Firewalla devices are made to be easy to use and powerful. They have strong firewall features and a mobile app interface that is easy to use, which makes them good for home networks.
Firewalla works with:
- Finding intrusions
- Modes for VPN servers and clients
- Filtering content
- Seeing how apps are used
Setting up Firewalla devices is simple and doesn’t require much networking knowledge.
5. The Cisco RV Series (RV260W)
The RV Series routers and firewalls from Cisco bring the same level of trust to home and small office networks as they do to big businesses. For instance, the RV260W has advanced VPN, firewall rules, and gigabit throughput.
These devices are great for remote access and are a good choice if you think you’ll need more bandwidth or want to combine Wi-Fi and VPN into one solution.
Finding a balance between security and home use
The best firewall for a home NAS setup is one that offers strong protection without being too hard to set up. Firewalla and UniFi are easy to use, but pfSense/OPNsense and Netgate give advanced users more options.
No matter what solution you choose, always:
- Allow strong passwords
- Instead of exposing ports directly, use VPN to access NAS from afar.
- Make sure your firmware is up to date.
Keep an eye on logs and alerts for strange behavior.
About the Epis Technology
Epis Technology offers enterprise IT infrastructure, data protection, and Synology consulting services that help people and businesses build networks that are safe and strong. The company is an expert in setting up Synology systems, planning firewalls and network security, designing backup systems, and improving performance. Epis Technology makes sure that home and business networks stay safe by combining hardware firewall solutions with NAS storage, VPN access, and the best cybersecurity practices. This lets people access important data safely and reliably.