PfSense Guest Network Setup: A Comprehensive Guide

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pfSense Guest Network Setup: A Comprehensive Guide

Setting up a guest network with pfSense is a fantastic way to provide internet access to visitors without compromising the security of your primary network. This guide will walk you through the entire process, ensuring that your guest network is isolated, secure, and easy to manage. Let's dive in!

Why Set Up a Guest Network?

Before we get started, let's talk about why setting up a guest network is so important. Imagine you have friends or family visiting, and they need to access the internet. Do you really want to give them the password to your main Wi-Fi network, which connects to all your personal devices, smart home gadgets, and sensitive information? Probably not!

A guest network provides a separate, isolated network specifically for visitors. This means they can access the internet without gaining access to your private network resources. Here’s why it’s a great idea:

  • Security: Prevents guests from accessing your personal files, devices, and sensitive information.
  • Privacy: Keeps your network activity separate from guest traffic.
  • Bandwidth Management: Allows you to limit bandwidth usage for guests, ensuring they don't hog all your internet speed.
  • Ease of Management: Simplifies network management by keeping guest devices separate from your primary network.

With a guest network, you can offer internet access with peace of mind, knowing that your primary network remains secure.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

  • A pfSense Firewall: You should have a working pfSense installation. If you don't, you'll need to set that up first.
  • A Second Network Interface (NIC): This can be a physical NIC or a VLAN. We'll use this to create a separate network for our guests. A VLAN is a virtual LAN, which allows you to create multiple logical networks on a single physical network.
  • Basic Networking Knowledge: Familiarity with IP addresses, subnets, and DHCP is helpful.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a pfSense Guest Network

Step 1: Configure the New Interface

First, we need to configure the new network interface that will be used for the guest network. This involves assigning an IP address and enabling the interface in pfSense.

  1. Log in to your pfSense Web Interface: Open your web browser and enter the IP address of your pfSense firewall. Log in using your administrator credentials.
  2. Go to Interfaces > Assignments: In the pfSense web interface, navigate to Interfaces > Assignments. This is where you can assign physical or virtual network interfaces to different roles.
  3. Assign the New Interface: If you have a physical NIC, it should appear in the list of available network ports. If you're using a VLAN, you'll need to create it first. To create a VLAN, go to the "VLANs" tab and click "Add". Select the parent interface, enter a VLAN tag (e.g., 10), and provide a description (e.g., Guest Network VLAN). Click "Save".
  4. Add the Interface: Once you have the interface (either physical or VLAN), click the "+" button next to it to add it as a new interface. pfSense will automatically assign a name like OPT1, OPT2, etc. You can rename it to something more descriptive, like GUESTNET.
  5. Configure the Interface: Click on the newly created interface (e.g., GUESTNET) to configure it. Here are the settings you need to adjust:
    • Enable Interface: Check the box to enable the interface.
    • Description: Enter a description, such as "Guest Network".
    • IPv4 Configuration Type: Select "Static IPv4".
    • IPv4 Address: Enter an IP address for the interface. This will be the gateway address for your guest network. A common choice is 192.168.2.1/24. This means the network address is 192.168.2.0, the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0, and the gateway address for devices on this network will be 192.168.2.1.
    • IPv6 Configuration Type: You can set this to "None" unless you plan to use IPv6 on your guest network.
  6. Save the Configuration: Click "Save" at the bottom of the page and then click "Apply Changes" to activate the new interface configuration.

Step 2: Enable the DHCP Server

Now that we have the interface configured, we need to enable the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server on it. The DHCP server will automatically assign IP addresses to devices that connect to the guest network.

  1. Go to Services > DHCP Server: In the pfSense web interface, navigate to Services > DHCP Server. This is where you can configure DHCP settings for each interface.
  2. Select the Guest Network Interface: Choose the guest network interface (e.g., GUESTNET) from the dropdown menu.
  3. Enable DHCP Server: Check the box to enable the DHCP server on this interface.
  4. Configure DHCP Range: Define the range of IP addresses that the DHCP server will assign to guest devices. For example, if your guest network IP address is 192.168.2.1/24, you might set the range from 192.168.2.100 to 192.168.2.200.
  5. Set DNS Servers: Specify the DNS servers that the DHCP server will provide to guest devices. You can use public DNS servers like Google DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1).
  6. Set Gateway: This should automatically be set to the IP address of your guest network interface (e.g., 192.168.2.1).
  7. Save the Configuration: Click "Save" at the bottom of the page and then click "Apply Changes" to activate the DHCP server configuration.

Step 3: Create Firewall Rules

Firewall rules are essential for isolating the guest network and controlling what traffic is allowed in and out. We need to create rules to prevent guests from accessing your primary network and to allow them to access the internet.

  1. Go to Firewall > Rules: In the pfSense web interface, navigate to Firewall > Rules. This is where you can create and manage firewall rules for each interface.
  2. Select the Guest Network Interface: Choose the guest network interface (e.g., GUESTNET) from the interface dropdown menu.
  3. Add a Rule to Allow Internet Access:
    • Click the "Add" button to create a new rule.
    • Action: Set to "Pass".
    • Interface: Set to your guest network interface (e.g., GUESTNET).
    • Address Family: IPv4
    • Protocol: Set to "Any".
    • Source: Set to "Guest Network Net" (this represents the entire subnet of your guest network, e.g., 192.168.2.0/24).
    • Destination: Set to "Any".
    • Description: Enter a description, such as "Allow Guest Internet Access".
    • Click "Save" and then "Apply Changes".
  4. Add a Rule to Block Access to the Private Network:
    • Click the "Add" button to create a new rule.
    • Action: Set to "Block".
    • Interface: Set to your guest network interface (e.g., GUESTNET).
    • Address Family: IPv4
    • Protocol: Set to "Any".
    • Source: Set to "Guest Network Net" (e.g., 192.168.2.0/24).
    • Destination: Set to "Private Networks". This is an alias that includes common private IP ranges (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24, 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12).
    • Description: Enter a description, such as "Block Guest Access to Private Networks".
    • Click "Save" and then "Apply Changes".

Important: Make sure the "Block" rule is placed above the "Allow Internet Access" rule. Firewall rules are processed in order, so the block rule must come first to prevent guests from accessing the private network before they are allowed internet access.

Step 4: Configure DNS Resolver

To ensure that guests can resolve domain names, you may need to configure the DNS Resolver in pfSense. This step is especially important if you're using pfSense as your primary DNS server.

  1. Go to Services > DNS Resolver: In the pfSense web interface, navigate to Services > DNS Resolver.
  2. Enable DNS Resolver: If it's not already enabled, check the box to enable the DNS Resolver.
  3. Network Interfaces: Select which interfaces you want the DNS Resolver to listen on. Ensure that your guest network interface (e.g., GUESTNET) is selected.
  4. Save the Configuration: Click "Save" at the bottom of the page and then click "Apply Changes" to activate the DNS Resolver configuration.

Step 5: Testing the Guest Network

Now that you've configured the guest network, it's time to test it. Connect a device (like a smartphone or laptop) to the guest network and verify the following:

  • IP Address: Ensure the device receives an IP address from the DHCP server within the configured range (e.g., 192.168.2.100 to 192.168.2.200).
  • Internet Access: Verify that the device can access websites and other internet resources.
  • Private Network Isolation: Try to access devices or services on your primary network (e.g., file shares, printers). You should not be able to access them. You can try pinging devices on your primary network to confirm they are unreachable.

If everything works as expected, congratulations! You've successfully set up a guest network with pfSense.

Optional Configurations

Here are some additional configurations you might want to consider for your guest network:

Captive Portal

A captive portal requires users to authenticate or agree to terms of service before accessing the internet. This is useful for businesses or public Wi-Fi hotspots.

  1. Go to Services > Captive Portal: In the pfSense web interface, navigate to Services > Captive Portal.
  2. Configure Captive Portal: Create a new captive portal instance and configure settings such as authentication methods, terms of service, and idle timeout.

Bandwidth Limiting

To prevent guests from consuming all your internet bandwidth, you can set up traffic shaping rules to limit their bandwidth usage.

  1. Go to Firewall > Traffic Shaper: In the pfSense web interface, navigate to Firewall > Traffic Shaper.
  2. Configure Traffic Shaping: Create new traffic shaping rules to limit the upload and download speeds for the guest network.

Logging and Monitoring

To monitor guest network activity, you can enable logging and use pfSense's monitoring tools to track traffic and identify potential issues.

  1. Go to Status > System Logs: In the pfSense web interface, navigate to Status > System Logs.
  2. Review Logs: Check the firewall logs and other system logs to monitor guest network activity.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues while setting up or using your guest network, here are some troubleshooting tips:

  • Check Firewall Rules: Ensure your firewall rules are correctly configured and that the "Block" rule is above the "Allow" rule.
  • Verify DHCP Settings: Double-check that the DHCP server is enabled and configured with the correct IP address range and DNS servers.
  • Test DNS Resolution: Make sure guests can resolve domain names by testing DNS resolution on a guest device.
  • Review Logs: Examine the pfSense system logs for any error messages or warnings related to the guest network.

Conclusion

Setting up a guest network with pfSense is a smart move for anyone who wants to provide internet access to visitors while maintaining the security and privacy of their primary network. By following this comprehensive guide, you can create a secure, isolated guest network that's easy to manage and provides a seamless internet experience for your guests. So, go ahead and set up your guest network today and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your network is secure!