New to Pfsense
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@stephenw10 Ok maybe I will have to change my plan of attack and try see if I can get a second NIC to go inside the HP machine instead of using the USB ethernet
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Is that a limitation with PfSense not being able to reach the same speed using a USB nic? Can PfSense be run on a linux box instead of stand alone and would that maybe help me get the speed I want out of it?
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@tunnlrat USB nics are usually used for "in a pinch" situations. Your firewall shouldn't be one of those situations. I believe the problem resides in the FreeBSD operating system, the OS that pfsense runs on top of, not supporting (or not liking) USB network cards. Or, the tech inside the adapter is absolutely garbage.
Generally, there are no problems (or much fewer) when run in say Windows, Linux, Mac OS, because the driver software is already there, or can be added. FreeBSD, not so much...
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@tunnlrat said in New to Pfsense:
Can PfSense be run on a linux box instead of stand alone and would that maybe help me get the speed I want out of it?
No. pfSense is a complete operating system built on FreeBSD (which is not Linux).
You can run is as a VM in a Linux box if you need to but you then have a far complex routing situation.Manufacturers of USB NICs don't care about FreeBSD. If you're lucky they care about Windows and (maybe) OSX. For it work in Linux or FreeBSD the drivers need to be written and that is often done without full documentation etc. The result is often a reduced feature set ot varying compatibility.
There are users here who are running USB Ethernet without issue but it's impossible to recommend it especially for a 1G link.Steve
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@stephenw10 Ok thank you! I still have use for the USB nic not a problem I will seek out a second NIC for my HP system so I can run it like I want and probably end up having to build a custom case for it all at the same time! May as well go full on DIY thank you very much for the patience and answers I know where to go from here now much appreciated.
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@akuma1x I will move that USB NIC to a system that can use it then thank you for the input.
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@stephenw10 I really appreciate the advice. Went out and got an intel NIC for my LAN connection just swapping out the USB NIC and changing nothing else has got me back up to my 1Gigbit speeds. I took the week off my next step now is to make the full jump and turn my current asus router into just an AP
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@stephenw10 So I'm running into a new unexpected issues now that I'm trying to run my PfSense machine by itself now as the router. I removed everything from the network but it, but when the LAN should grab an IP from my ISP like my normal router does its always making the WAN ip 192.168.1.92 and not getting a proper IP from the modem. My modem is in bridge mode and has been so since I got it.
If I run the PfSense machine I built behind my Asus router it works just fine and can hit all the speeds I want. I'm guess its something I am configuring incorrectly from the start. I've been using the setup wizard for now to let it set everything until I am more comfortable with more advanced setup of it.
Not sure where I am going wrong.
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@tunnlrat said in New to Pfsense:
but when the LAN should grab an IP from my ISP like my normal router does its always making the WAN ip 192.168.1.92 and not getting a proper IP from the modem.
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I suppose you mean WAN , not LAN in the above line.
It should be the WAN IF , that is conencted to the ISP.2:
What ip address does the ASUS get from the ISP ?3:
What does Status --> System Logs --> DHCP show ??
Should give some info about the WAN getting the DHCP address.
/Bingo
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You are correct yes I meant WAN not LAN
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The asus router is grabbing a proper IP from my ISP starting with 68.145.xx.xxx
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I read another post on the forums that suggested maybe since my modem is and always has been in bridge mode its not re issuing an IP because its locked to the MAC address of my Asus router? Should I be powering off the modem while I shift the cables around to remove the Asus router?
Its 11:48pm here am in tired enough im gettin WAN and LAN mixed up I will try again in the morning and post what the Logs say after I attempt again in the AM
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Powering down the ISP Modem , before connecting the pfSense WAN would be a good thing to do. Try that first.2:
Spoofing the ASUS WAN Mac address on the pfSense WAN interface could be worth a try , if the above doesn't work
But i'm not sure if it could lead to issues later on , if/when you want to connect the ASUS as an AP. Tecnically you now have that MAC twice in your setup (1= pfSense Wan , 2= Asus Wan).
I might be seeing ghosts here. As your Asus WAN would NOT be active , so maybe it wouldn't respond to an ARP or worse proxy ARP.
It is worth a try ...
But i would turn off the ASUS while trying ...Edit:
If you're going to sleep now, and can "live wo. internet" while sleeping , i'd disconnect & turn off the ASUS. And hope the ASUS DHCP reservation would be released , when you wake up. Now try to connect the pfSense WAN./Bingo
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Yup, that^. The modem is probably locked to the MAC address of the old router and needs to be reset or have the MAC spoofed to match.
Steve
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@stephenw10 I think pfSense can preform ppp and other modem functionality for wan connections like DSL and others thus deleting the need for a DTE (data terminating equipment) /modem's functions once it is in bridge mode. DTE/DCE built-in functionality can be enabled if configured correctly, however bridge mode I think disabled the DHCP on the modem.
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/interfaces/ppp.html
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"PPPoE is a popular method of authenticating and gaining access to an ISP network, most commonly found on DSL networks, but may also be used on fiber or other link types."
This can be done inside pfSense for DSL.
What is the WAN connection using?
Make sure to upvote
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@bingo600 @stephenw10 I got it! Finally!
I've got so many network connections in my house I didn't wanna take the internet down until everyone else was in bed or at work but I finally got it. The modem is an XB7. I'm on shaw internet in Canada the Fibre 1.5gbs. I shut everything off including the modem did the wire changes I needed did a factory reset on the PfSense machine just to make sure everything was clean and fresh.
Turned on the modem after giving it 5 minutes of downtime and the PfSense machine grabbed the proper IP address no problem.
My next step it outside of what I need with PfSense now I believe, I am going to turn my Asus router into just a wifi AP with 2 machines wired into it just because of how everything worked out.
This is great thank you so much for all the help with the USB NIC and the advice on getting the Modem to reset I really appreciate it!
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@tunnlrat
That is great news
And since you didn't have to "Spoof the ASUS MAC" , you should have no issue connecting it (ASUS), and use it as an AP.For a simple non-vlan WiFi setup , you should connect the ASUS LAN (not wan) to the pfSense Lan , where you want the WiFi to be connected.
I recommend you to disable the ASUS DHCP Server , and let pfSense control all DHCP./Bingo
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Nice!
Bonus points for putting OpenWRT on the Asus for true AP mode.
(if it supports it)Steve
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https://getlabsdone.com/how-to-setup-pfsense-pppoe-wan/
Great example of bridging the modem
