Mini PC with pfSense off AliExpress

johnnytran on 02/06/2024 - 12:14

I want to buy a mini pc for pfSense, I see a lot of posts to reinstall windows that come on these in case there's malware. Does this also apply to pfSense pre-installed? or can I just factory reset the pfSense if there's an option?

I'm looking at buying one of these. I know there's cheaper options with better hardware (Dell systems posted frequently) but I just simply want a small powerful router for 1Gbps. I'm not an I.T. guy with spare SSD laying around so I'd like to buy one with all parts.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005977972934.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004302428

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Comments

  • Pikaloo on 02/06/2024 - 13:01
    +1

    Better to do a fresh install yourself. You never know. They could have a modified version of pfSense installed. They could have modified it so the updates of pfSense is from their Git repository, which could be very dangerous.

    All you need is another PC and a USB and you can perform a fresh install and wipe the existing drive.

    • johnnytran on 02/06/2024 - 13:30

      Okay say I buy it with SSD/RAM but no install, am I just creating a pfSense USB using Rufus, plugging it in and following the instructions to install? After it's done, connect it to my PC to configure?

      • Pikaloo on 02/06/2024 - 13:35
        +1

        Yep, create an installation usb drive. When plug the USB into the new PC and enter BIOS/Boot Menu. Boot from USB and follow the steps to install to SSD.

  • Sal in SA on 02/06/2024 - 13:11
    +6

    PFSense is not the most err..user friendly UI. If you struggle to install PFSense, then administrating it may be a real challenge.
    Also will need 2 x NIC's - worse case can be onboard and then USB.

    • bargaino on 02/06/2024 - 19:36

      The linked mini-PCs are 4-port.

      If getting an ex-govt/corp micro-PC, it is easy to add an m.2 NIC.

  • Sneeze on 02/06/2024 - 15:05
    +4

    Also consider OPNsense if pfsense is too much of a learning curve for you. GUI is meant to be better/easier and updates are more frequent.

    • johnnytran on 02/06/2024 - 15:28

      Thanks, I thought it was the other way around with pfSense being supported more.

      If I’m not happy/have no idea what I’m doing with pfSense, do I just create another bootable USB and boot from USB again to install OPNsense (I’m guessing I just need a keyboard/monitor plugged in and figure out which key brings up the boot menu before pfSense boots?)

      • Sneeze on 02/06/2024 - 16:18

        Comparison of the two - https://www.stationx.net/opnsense-vs-pfsense/

      • rumblytangara on 02/06/2024 - 18:42
        +1

        Mate, iirc a pfSense install is pretty much hitting the Enter button 4-5 times to accept the defaults (autosensed WAN port, default LAN IP and subnet, a couple of other things). And entering an admin password. It is piss easy.

        Same with OPNSense.

        There's probably a hundred youtube videos that will walk you through the install.

        If you can install Windows on a new computer, that's about five times as complex as installing pfSense because you don't have to bugger around selecting privacy options and Microsoft authentication accounts.

        • johnnytran on 02/06/2024 - 20:37

          I don't think i'll have an issue installing/setting it up, it's the process I am unfamiliar with.

          To be safe should I look at buying my own SSD/RAM off ebay or is theirs okay if I overwrite the drive with the image? I'd have no idea what I'm doing opening the device so I was leaning towards using theirs if it's safe.

          I'm guessing these devices are like a PC so I should be able to press one of the F* keys to load up a boot menu and select USB from there to begin the install. Once pfSense is installed, connect it to my PC to configure.

          Now that it will be my router, can I still press the F* key after booting it up to access the boot menu and install OPNsense if I find pfSense too difficult to configure?

          I have basic networking knowledge and I love having lots of options to tinker with when it comes to routers (I currently use openwrt, have used freshtomato, merlin, stock router firmwares etc. and haven't found any of them difficult to configure/understand).

    • Snoozer on 03/06/2024 - 08:59

      I installed OpenWRT on mine after having a play with OPNsense. In my opinion OpenWRT is better suited to home networks, easier to use and plenty of features and add-ons.

  • Sneeze on 02/06/2024 - 21:08
    +2

    I got a TopTon one from Aliexpress and was lazy so opted for their M.2 storage and RAM bundled. It had pfsense already installed but first thing I did was boot the installer from a USB stick and overwrote it.

    Use Rufus to create your USB installer from the installer image at https://atxfiles.netgate.com/mirror/downloads/

    The correct image for you will likely be - pfSense-CE-memstick-2.7.2-RELEASE-amd64.img.gz

    You might find you need to jump into the BIOS of the mini pc to tell it to boot from USB or it will keep booting the internal storage first.

    As has been mentioned, default install will likely work fine for you and will put WAN on the first port and LAN on the second, no other ports will be active. If you decide to swap over and try OPNsense it'll probably take you 20mins to be up and running. Once you start toying with more features in pfSense, e.g. PFblocker for add blocking, Suricata for IDS/IPS, just ensure you take regular config backups so if you mess something up you can just restore.

    • johnnytran on 02/06/2024 - 21:34

      Thank you, this is what I wanted to hear. Less hassle for me if I can just overwrite whatever they have on their drive if there's something malicious set up.

  • rumblytangara on 02/06/2024 - 21:09
    +1

    Yes, these are PCs.

    Del or an F key gets you into BIOS.

    SSD- doesn't matter. Self bought will probably be a little more guaranteed quality, but it's not like a high-write disk anyway.

  • skillet on 04/06/2024 - 09:28

    So you worry about the OS being loaded with malware what about BIOS Rootkit ?

    I only install OS that I've downloaded from known and trusted sources but for BIOS you can only hope for the best.
    Your best option is to monitor the network traffic from the suspicious device for a few months ensure it's not phoning home then your all good.

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