Top 3 Wireless Firewalls for 2021
Wireless firewalls simplify deployments for small businesses. Small offices are sometimes, well, small. Sometimes that power outlet is just a few feet too far to reach your desk. Or the Internet line from your ISP is juuust out of reach of your rack. Looking to shed the cords and cables for a hassle-free network security deployment? Wireless firewalls allow greater flexibility, mobility, and can even save on Total Cost of Ownership.
For the best wireless firewall to simplify your network security setup, Firewalls.com recommends:
What’s the difference between a wired & wireless firewall?
Wired firewalls pass data between the public Internet and other wired devices on your network through a physical ethernet cable connection. Wireless firewalls operate over a radio frequency that allows wireless devices to communicate with one another and the Internet without being hard-wired into a switch, firewall, or router.
While the wired setup has its advantages, it can be frustrating or sometimes impossible to deploy a firewall in an exact desired location as you are at the mercy of cord length and outlet placement. Plus, once a device is plugged into wired infrastructure, that machine needs to stay in that spot or risk coming unplugged.
A wireless firewall on the other hand, can be deployed in just about any location and users on the wireless network can move their machines wherever they like—assuming they stay in wireless signal range! Wireless firewalls also cut down on clutter and excessive equipment by reducing the number of cables, power supplies, and network switches needed to keep your network infrastructure powered and connected.
Fortinet FortiWifi FWF-40F Wireless Firewalls
The Fortinet FortiWifi FWF-40F wireless firewall can pump a serious amount of data over the airwaves! With a Threat Protection Throughput of up to 600 Mbps, most small offices will boast more than enough performance and security for their purposes.
This wireless firewall secures your network against advanced cyber threats with a SOC4 (system-on-a-chip) internal security processor that enables SD-WAN, accelerates performance, and integrates into the Fortinet Security Fabric.
The Fortinet Secure Fabric consolidates security tasks with automated tools and strategies such as:
- Security-driven networking that unifies user experience across the network
- Zero trust access which protects remote workers and users both on- and off-network.
- Automated security operations driven by AI to prevent, detect, isolate, and respond to incidents automatically
- Dynamic cloud security to guard cloud infrastructure and secure cloud applications
Wireless Support: 3×3 MU-MIMO 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wave 2 with 3 External Antenna (or antennas, or antennae)
SonicWall TZ270 Wireless-AC Firewalls
The TZ270 wireless firewall is a new addition to the SonicWall firewall family, released in the last quarter of 2020. Wireless networking tag teams with Zero-Touch Deployment to make installing this firewall on a small business network a snap. With the new features of SonicOS 7.0 powering it, the TZ270 wireless firewall integrates firewalling, switching, and wireless capability with a single-pane-of-glass management dashboard to put superb visibility and control of your wireless network right at your fingertips.
Wireless Support: 2×2 802.11ac Wave 2 with 2 External Antennas
Meraki MX64W Wireless Firewalls
The Meraki MX series of wireless firewalls are 100% cloud managed with SD-WAN capabilities, application-based firewalling, and auto-provision VPN, among many more advanced features. Plus, Meraki firewalls piggyback on the Cisco SNORT engine to deliver real-time signatures for up-to-the-minute threat intelligence generated from millions of security sensors around the world.
In addition to simplifying deployments in physical space, Meraki further simplifies network security with seamless firmware updates and an intuitive browser-based management.
Wireless Support: Dual-band 802.11n/ac Wave 2, 2×2 MU-MIMO with 2 spatial streams & 2 External Antenna
