@Justin_:
cant ping 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4 (Google DNS servers) devices connected will recognise they are connected but cant ping eachother and cant access the server. When I connect/disconnect the networking cables the screen does not display any notification
A few thoughts:
Breaking down the run on sentences would help to convey you meaning more succinctly.
The PE 18xx series are absolute garbage at this point. I gleefully toss them in the dumpster if they darken my door. They are loud, power hungry, and were prone to array failure even when relatively new.
Why not just assign em0,1,2,3 instead of using autodetect?
If you have two hosts on the same network that can't ping each other, it has nothing to do with your firewall.
Again, you need to state you problem clearly, you are saying multiple things- it doesn't work why you try autodetect to assign the interface, you can't ping google DNS (did you manually assign, or it it surprising you can't ping when the wan isn't assigned?), devices can't ping each other… what port is lan, what is wan? using the card or the onboard? Did you try using the onboard with the card removed?