@SoonerLater:
After some hours of reading the Wiki, I still have some pre-sales questions. I am considering buying a SG-2220 to replace my existing Wal-Mart quality Linksys router.
Q. - Can I create complex access schedules under pfSense which restrict certain MAC and/or IP addresses from (1) all network and internet access, (2) all internet access, (3) filtered internet access? Sometimes I don't want my kids (teenagers) to be able to access anything outside their own computer (no local network and no internet). Sometimes I just want to limit their access (e.g. Wikipedia is OK; Blood Guts and Gore Gaming is not).
Yes. It's not easy and will be a lot of work, but it can be done.
Content filtering can be done with a package or something else like OpenDNS for example. Both require configurations.
Q. - Can I create schedules which start one day and end another? One would think this is obvious, but on my existing cheapie router, I can't have a schedule that runs from 10pm to 6am, because the moronic interface on my router can't figure out that I mean 6am the next day.
Yes, see the Schedule screen shot enclosed.
Q. - After programming pfSense with my schedules, can I create simple toggles that my wife, who is even less tech than I am, can login to toggle on or off restrictions for certain MAC and/or IP addresses?
No. Schedules are time-based firewall rules. You would need to modify those rules in the pfSense interface. So there would be some navigation, identification of the appropriate rule, and enabling/disabling that rule. Since you seem to have complex schedules, there will be quite a few rules.
Q. - Can I setup the DHCP service so that certain MAC addresses are always denied a lease? I like to setup my router so that everything that is normally on my network has a reserved address. The only devices to get DHCP leases should be guests, and I want to be able to easily toggle DHCP service on and off.
Yes, but it might be easier to use Captive Portal instead. You can exempt your devices from using captive portal by MAC, and those that you want to allow access onto the network would need to go through the captive portal.
Q. - Can I setup logging for specific MAC and/or IP addresses which logs all addresses that devices visits and when?
When you're used to spending <$100 for a router, spending $300 is a big step up. No doubt that pfSense is incredibly robust, but after much research, I still can't determine whether I can program it to keep my kids from wasting hours in the middle of the night playing games and surfing the web.
No. There may be a package that does this, but none that I've used. pfSense is a firewall/router, not a networking monitoring appliance. I think E2guardian might do this, but I'm not sure. It's a package that is awaiting approval, so you'd need to install it on your own in the meantime.
