Notes from both practices

A cost-first alternative to buying a Netgate appliance: pfSense on a two-port mini PC, for roughly what a Netgate 1100 costs but with an x86 CPU and 8 GB of RAM behind it. Parts list with prices, install and interface assignment, the first-login changes that matter, and the two kernel panics I hit along the way.

Enterprise security stacks are dense, costly, and staffed. At home the same three things — a password manager, a VPN, and anti-virus — are usually already bundled into a carrier plan or a credit card you pay for anyway. What I found when I audited my own subscriptions before renewing them.