Updated May 29, 2019
The 9 Best Home Firewalls
This wiki has been updated 9 times since it was first published in January of 2019. These days, not having a firewall to protect your home network is like not having a front door on your house. The web is swarming with security threats, from viruses and malware to phishing sites and ransomware. Not to mention being able to control a child's internet access has become a staple of parenting. Our picks will keep your family safe and your personal information private. When users buy our independently chosen editorial choices, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki. Skip to the best home firewall on Amazon.
9. Firewalla Red
8. Bitdefender Box 2
7. Roqos Core
6. Norton Core
5. Bullguard Dojo
4. Watchguard Firebox T15
3. Protectli Micro
2. Cujo AI Smart Internet Security
1. Sonicwall SOHO
Editor's Notes
May 23, 2019:
Internet security has always been a cat-and-mouse game. As threats have become more sophisticated, so have the bulwarks we put in place to catch them before they do harm. In more primitive times, a firewall merely blocked internet traffic based on ports and IP addresses. Today, firewalls are sometimes part of unified management gateway (UTG) devices, which offer a wide range of security measures that work together inside a single form factor, from anti-virus protection to VPN tunneling to traffic routing.
Things can get jargon-y fast when diving into firewalls, but there are a few key things to look at when purchasing one for your home network.
Processing web traffic through a firewall can affect your internet speed. You'll want to look at a firewall's throughput, which is the volume of traffic that can pass through the firewall at any one time, to determine how fast you'll be able to stream and surf. Sonicwall SOHO's throughput is 750 Mbps while the Watchguard Firebox T15 clocks at nearly half that.
You also want an accessible and easy to understand interface. Models such as the Cujo AI Smart Internet Security and the Norton Core have nice complementary apps that help you monitor your network's status from afar.
