Book Image

Learn pfSense 2.4

By : David Zientara
Book Image

Learn pfSense 2.4

By: David Zientara

Overview of this book

As computer networks become ubiquitous, it has become increasingly important to both secure and optimize our networks. pfSense, an open-source router/firewall, provides an easy, cost-effective way of achieving this – and this book explains how to install and configure pfSense in such a way that even a networking beginner can successfully deploy and use pfSense. This book begins by covering networking fundamentals, deployment scenarios, and hardware sizing guidelines, as well as how to install pfSense. The book then covers configuration of basic services such as DHCP, DNS, and captive portal and VLAN configuration. Careful consideration is given to the core firewall functionality of pfSense, and how to set up firewall rules and traffic shaping. Finally, the book covers the basics of VPNs, multi-WAN setups, routing and bridging, and how to perform diagnostics and troubleshooting on a network.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)

Captive portal best practices

Especially if you are implementing a captive portal on a Wi-Fi network, you should give some consideration to the overall user experience before you plow ahead and set it up. We need to consider the following:

  • Is the network easy to connect to, and does it provide an adequate signal?
  • Does the captive portal login page contain all the relevant information? Is it user-friendly?
  • Have you addressed security concerns?

The network should be as easy to connect to as possible. It might be helpful to consider this issue from the perspective of the customer. You may want to set up several access points to ensure good coverage. If you do this, be sure to make sure overlapping access points are not on the same or adjacent channels, to minimize interference. Consider setting the channels as far apart as possible, for example, one access point on channel 1, another...