There’s also ClearVM, which is a management solution you can utilize to deploy multiple VMs of ClearOS, other Linux distributions, and even Windows OSs on your physical server.ĬlearOS version 7 has three editions with varying support and functionality: Community, Home, and Business. ClearBox is their hardware line with ClearOS pre-installed. ClearOS is the downloadable OS you can install on your own hardware or virtual machine with their CD (.iso) image. The can both be installed on x86 machines-like the other three solutions as well-but DD-WRT can also be flashed onto wireless routers with their custom Linux-based firmware.ĬlearOS is more than a simple router, it’s a unified threat management (UTM) solution that offers more than 120 functions via add-ons they call apps, all configurable via their web-based interface. Both support Wi-Fi, but their deployment options differ. The pfSense OS offers a more basic feature set, but seems to be the most “free” option.ĭD-WRT and ZeroShell are targeted more toward home and SMB usage, rather than enterprise.

Untangle also provides extra functionality beyond routing and firewall protection, but some features require recurring monthly subscriptions. We found that ClearOS, pfSense, and Untangle could be appropriate for home use all the way up to the enterprise environment.ĬlearOS is quite feature-rich, including many extra functionalities such as web filtering, antivirus, and a RADIUS server, but lacks a good captive portal-which all of the other solutions provide. We reviewed five products: ClearOS, DD-WRT, pfSense, Untangle and ZeroShell. Many of them sell pre-configured appliances as well if you like their feature-set or support, but don’t want to build your own machine. These products can be downloaded and deployed on your own hardware, on a virtual platform, or in the cloud. Plus, they are combined with security functionality, starting with a basic firewall and possibly including antivirus, antispam and Web filtering. These open source products deliver simple routing and networking features, like DHCP and DNS. Open source software offers an economical and flexible option for deploying basic home, SMB or even enterprise networking.

Untangle firewall dd-wrt firewall rules