@dan2112 no that is pfsense cache, so it doesn't need to arp again - but it should answer all the time.. I am not aware off the top of my head any sort or throttle or security feature that would/should prevent an answer to an arp..
I would prob turn off the name resolution.. Could be some IP resolves to that name, but that not currently pfsense IP so why your not seeing the response? When you don't play with or get into the weeds on something for years and years its hard to recall exactly all the details.. But not seeing anything in your post that would scream to me - hey this is a problem
If you see an arp for some IP, unless it was actually for pfsense IP you wouldn't see the response - because the response would be directed to the specific mac that asked for it and not a broadcast.
And seeing a bunch of arp is not indicative of problem - its possible some device is asking for arp every like 2 seconds.. Not sure if pfsense would answer every single one of those, or if maybe there is something that says hey buddy, I just answered you like 2 seconds ago, give it at least X before going to bother answering you again..
Its quite possible there is such thing - but off the top its not coming to me of such mechanism or what its limitations or settings or timeouts might be.
But out of the box pfsense caches in arp for 20 minutes.. You should see pfsense arping for stuff in its cache until it has expired..
edit: so I took a bit of capture, and see every time something arps for pfsense IP .4.253 it does reply - those other arps are not for pfsense so you wouldn't see the response... But now I am curious exactly what those IPs are and why they are arping for other IPs ;) Off the top of my head I am not sure what specific IPs those are - but that is my psk vlan, and that is where all my lightbulbs and other iot stuff is like my alexas and stuff. And I know I put in some replacement bulbs and might not have reserved specific IPs for them as of yet.
arpreply.jpg
edit: ok 77, 76, 78 etc.. those are my alexas for example - and that .91 is one of my smartplugs I used for my xmas tree.. Which is currently offline.. hehe So yeah alexa keeps looking I take it - should prob go into alexa and disable any smartplugs and such that I don't always use ;)
haha - yeah should prob disable these until I need to use them next xmas..
plugs.jpg