switch vs router
switch vs router
I wanted to keep everything offline for now. At that stage I expected a firewall purchase, but I'm really undecided. On one hand I'd like motion alerts from some cameras, yet on the other I don't want anyone accessing any recordings. My servers stay offline except for one Plex server with 20 terabytes of movie files. Some systems use dual NICs—one connected to the main network and another to a separate offline network. I usually turn off the offline side when not in use, but I'm unsure if that really protects them.
To manage network traffic precisely, you’ll need a firewall and possibly a switch with VLAN support for segmentation. However, this often means investing in costly, large, or noisy hardware. If you opt for used equipment like an older Cisco ASA5506, you might face steep prices—around 300 dollars—and the complexity could be overwhelming without prior experience. Additionally, its performance likely won’t meet expectations, possibly capping at around 700Mbps instead of the advertised speeds. There are more affordable options available from brands like Ubiquity that can deliver similar functionality for a fraction of the cost. If you’re unfamiliar with Ubiquiti products or their security gateway firewall, setting it up and understanding its capabilities could be challenging. You’d need to define strict rules, such as restricting camera data flow while allowing specific devices to communicate, but achieving this level of control requires both knowledge and confidence.