pfsense Archives - The Silicon Underground David L. Farquhar on technology old and new, computer security, and more Tue, 04 Nov 2025 01:00:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://kerosin.digital/rss-chimp16321610 Best Pfsense hardware https://dfarq.homeip.net/best-pfsense-hardware/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=best-pfsense-hardware Mon, 13 Mar 2017 11:00:55 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=10036 The best Pfsense hardware is rather subjective. I think the ideal Pfsense box should deliver solid performance while being affordable. A year or so ago, Pauldotcom did a podcast on building your own router, but the resulting beast was overkill. It

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]]> 10036 DD-WRT needs to be saved, but I won’t bet on it happening https://dfarq.homeip.net/dd-wrt-needs-to-be-saved-but-i-wont-bet-on-it-happening/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dd-wrt-needs-to-be-saved-but-i-wont-bet-on-it-happening Mon, 05 Oct 2015 17:32:04 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=7882 A college classmate asked me if there’s anything to the stories that DD-WRT might potentially get locked out due to new FCC regulations. (Link removed in retaliation for Conde Nast’s 11/3/2025 layoffs. Sorry not sorry.) Unfortunately the answer is yes, there

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]]> 7882 How hard-coding your DNS can improve your security https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-hard-coding-your-dns-can-improve-your-security/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-hard-coding-your-dns-can-improve-your-security Wed, 27 May 2015 11:00:47 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=7726 I’ve long recommended hard-coding your DNS settings as a performance and reliability enhancement–here’s my guide for that–but it turns out it can be a security enhancement too. Botnets targetting routers aren’t new at all, but there’s a particularly nasty one

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]]> 7726 The clear and present danger lurking at the edge of your home network https://dfarq.homeip.net/the-clear-and-present-danger-lurking-at-the-edge-of-your-home-network/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-clear-and-present-danger-lurking-at-the-edge-of-your-home-network Mon, 11 Aug 2014 11:00:02 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=7308 In 2003, Dan Geer called the combination of Microsoft’s market dominance and the flimsy security of its products a threat to national security. Today, he’s calling the security holes in consumer routers a threat to critical infrastructure. These two things

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]]> 7308 Rick Broida thinks he doesn’t use antivirus software https://dfarq.homeip.net/rick-broida-thinks-he-doesnt-use-antivirus-software/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rick-broida-thinks-he-doesnt-use-antivirus-software Mon, 30 Jun 2014 10:45:55 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=7243 C’mon. You knew I’d get around to writing a response to Rick Broida’s claim that he doesn’t use antivirus software. Actually, he’s not nuts. But he’s also mistaken if he thinks he doesn’t use antivirus software. His editorial is kind

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]]> 7243 Firefox memory high? It might be Adblock Plus https://dfarq.homeip.net/firefox-memory-high-it-might-be-adblock-plus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=firefox-memory-high-it-might-be-adblock-plus Mon, 26 May 2014 11:00:37 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=7191 Last week, a great deal of discussion about ad blocking and its effect on memory usage took place. This makes a lot of sense, and explains why my memory usage has always been really high. I’m not sure there’s a

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]]> 7191 The world’s fastest budget PC https://dfarq.homeip.net/the-worlds-fastest-budget-pc/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-worlds-fastest-budget-pc Tue, 25 Feb 2014 11:00:04 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=7069 So, a relative’s PC was getting a bit aged, and runs Windows XP, barely, so I talked them into an upgrade. I noticed that Micro Center had HP/Compaq DC5700s for $99. They were standard issue office PCs a few years

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]]> 7069 More about Pfsense, the alternative to the crappy consumer router https://dfarq.homeip.net/more-about-pfsense-the-alternative-to-the-crappy-consumer-router/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=more-about-pfsense-the-alternative-to-the-crappy-consumer-router Mon, 24 Feb 2014 11:00:36 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=7067 I spent some time over the weekend playing with Pfsense, and I can’t say much about it other than it does what it says. I didn’t throw a ton of hardware at it–the best motherboard I have laying around is

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]]> 7067 Consumer routers are the security vulnerability of the year, so far https://dfarq.homeip.net/consumer-routers-are-the-security-vulnerability-of-the-year-so-far/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=consumer-routers-are-the-security-vulnerability-of-the-year-so-far Fri, 21 Feb 2014 11:00:38 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=7066 Today I found an article in PC World that gives a somber assessment of the state of consumer routers, like the device that probably sits between you and the Internet. I’m glad this is getting attention. There’s a lot more

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]]> 7066 Home network projects for a budding sysadmin https://dfarq.homeip.net/home-network-projects-for-a-budding-sysadmin/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=home-network-projects-for-a-budding-sysadmin Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:01:11 +0000 https://dfarq.homeip.net/?p=6349 A very good question came in as a comment to my earlier post, the benefits of practicing IT at home. What do I mean by putting some Windows 7 machines on a domain? It’s one of several good home network

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