Usb nic recommendation
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i know this may have been answered but i just wanted to know if any1 using a usb nic successfully over a long period without issues and any which works also with pfsense 2.1, kindly recommend some which works the most stable and gives about a minimum of 20mbps speed in performance at least
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I have used Logilink ua0025c USB NIC with pfSense.. (2.0.1/2.1 snapshots)
Can't recall from where I got the binary driver (it was already compiled by somebody for FreeBSD8.x) but it was not supported by pfSense by default.. after some work with command line (and by using some files off FreeBSD liveCD) I got it to work and it looked stable. Binary version had to come from somewhere so perhaps all it needs is finding the necessary module and compiling it from source in FreeBSD
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If you're looking for a good, stable USB NIC, you won't find one. :-)
Don't use USB NICs unless you're being forced to use them at gunpoint. It's just asking for trouble… and it's not pfSense specific, no matter what the OS, it's just not a very good way to connect a NIC
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What is a good option for adding NICs to a little pfsense box?
Currently I'm using an old laptop for my router and added a cheap USB NIC which is supported already by 2.1 and so far seems stable.
I will be planning sometime soon to add a second WAN connection and even with a little atom based MB I'll be needing a third NIC. (or two USB NICs if I keep the laptop)
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Managed switch like a GS-108T + vlans.
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An HP J9079A is a bit less ($10 less on NewEgg.) It's 10/100 for 7 ports and a 1Gb for 1 port, which, if your laptop has Gb onboard, would probably work well for such a situation.
Personally, I got a bit unhappy with Netgear a while ago. HP switches just end up being a bit more "enterprise"-ish, even at this level and they have a lifetime warranty.
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A $10 price difference is more than worth it to get 8 10/100/1000 ports rather than being stuck with 7 10/100 ports :-)
I've heard some people have had problems with Netgear but my GS-108T has been happily in use for over two years now with zero issues (knock on wood).
