Review on 🔒 Zyxel USG Flex 100 (USG40 v2) UTM Firewall Bundle + 1 Year Security License - Ideal for up to 25 Users [USGFLEX100BUN] by Justin Puranik

After several years of using consumer routers with a switch and firewall, I decided to purchase this device, which is being sold as a standalone firewall. It also has routing and DHCP services. I plugged it into my cable modem and unplugged my regular router. The problem was that my router is 192.168.1.1 and this device defaults to 192.168.1.1. To fix this quickly, I disabled port 192.168.1.1 on this device and connected to port 192.168.2.1. this firewall. I'll be putting a switch on that firewall soon. The setup is a bit confusing. First there is a fold-out brochure with 5 or 6 steps in several languages. These steps will only get you so far. basically connected. You then go through the initial setup wizard, which starts you up, but only in the default configuration. You cannot make any changes during this initial configuration. This process also takes you to a separate web browser (or tab) to register the device and then you need to return to the setup wizard. This out-of-band process seems inevitable since it requires registration. The hardest part of this device is learning the interface. This requires some knowledge of the network. At first I couldn't figure out if I had free services for a year, but then I delved into the Device Management section of this interface and clicked on the MAC address of that device. It then showed me the services I had previously enabled during the initial setup wizard. Please note that some (or possibly all) of these services are chargeable after one year. So far I work with this device and can access the internet with a wired laptop. As I said, my next steps are to connect the switch and then add the wireless access point. I plan to build a more robust home network using managed devices instead of consumer-level devices. There is hardly any usable information about this device on the websites and there are no current "tube" videos. I found a user manual online. Therefore, when purchasing this device, you should understand what you are getting in the form of a subscription model, enterprise-class firewall.