Tech & Innovation
Automatically quarantine (block) any device caught hotspotting, and how to track those blocks right from a custom dashboard feed.
Here is how to upgrade your detection script to automatically quarantine (block) any device caught hotspotting, and how to track those blocks right from a custom dashboard feed.
Create the Whitelist Alias in the Web UI in pfsense+
To protect critical corporate assets, VIP hardware, or network testing infrastructure from being accidentally quarantined, we can implement an allowlist (whitelist). The cleanest way to do this inpfSense is to reference a dedicated Firewall Alias inside our tracking loop. This allows you to manage whitelisted devices directly from the pfSense user interface without ever needing to touch the background script again.
Send your weekly PDF report automatically to your email inbox every Sunday morning
To send your weekly PDF report automatically to your email inbox every Sunday morning, we can use pfSense's built-in PHP mailer utility. This avoids installing external mail clients and ensures secure delivery via the SMTP settings you already configured in your web dashboard.
Engineering Guide: DIY Passive PoE Injection Using ATX PC Power Supplies
This technical guide demonstrates how to repurpose a standard ATX computer power supply (or alternative IT equipment power adapters) to construct a custom Passive Power over Ethernet (PoE) injector. This bench setup allows network engineers and field technicians to power multiple passive PoE devices—such as Ubiquiti and MikroTik Wireless Wire/5G/2.4GHz CPEs—either individually or via PoE pass-through (PoE-downstream relay).
Resolving Captive Portal Disconnections for 30-Day Vouchers pfSense+
Resolving Captive Portal Disconnections for 30-Day Vouchers If your clients on 30-day vouchers are frequently disconnected every 12 to 24 hours and forced to re-enter their voucher codes, it is typically because voucher centralization is disabled, causing session timeouts. You can permanently resolve this by creating a MAC address pass-through exception. This allows the client's device to stay connected for the full 30 days without interruptions.
Add an Internal 12V Auxiliary Cooling Fan to Prevent PC Overheating
Overheating is a common issue in compact computers and legacy workstations. When internal components like the CPU and hard drive get too hot, the system triggers thermal throttling, freezes, or experiences sudden shutdowns. If the factory configuration lacks adequate airflow, you can permanently solve thermal issues by hardwiring a custom 12V auxiliary mini cooling fan directly onto the motherboard. Below is a step-by-step modification guide to safely probe for power, solder the connections, and secure the
Managing the pfSense+ Dashboard and Monitoring User Activity
This guide explains how to customize your pfSense dashboard widgets, restrict visible system information for security, and track administrator changes using system logs and configuration history. Customizing Dashboard System Information The System Information widget can be customized to display only the metrics you need while hiding sensitive hardware and configuration data from unauthorized onlookers.
To block unauthorized mobile hotspots and tethering on your network
To block unauthorized mobile hotspots and tethering on your network, we must prevent users from sharing their managed network connection with secondary devices. The most effective way to do this in pfSense is by modifying the Time-to-Live (TTL) values of network traffic. When a device hotspots, it acts as a router and decrements the TTL of packets passing through it by 1. By forcing pfSense to set all incoming packets to a rigid value (like 65), secondary tethered devices will emit packets with a mismatche
Block users who attempts to bypass network controls by using a mobile hotspot: pfSense
Here is the step-by-step implementation guide to automatically alert your management team whenever a user attempts to bypass network controls by using a mobile hotspot. Because pfSense runs on FreeBSD, we can deploy a lightweight shell script that monitors packet logs for TTL mismatches and sends instant notification alerts.
Wireless backhaul links using Ubiquiti Light Beam 5AC Gen2 devices integrated into a pfSense Plus
Wireless backhaul links using Ubiquiti Light Beam 5AC Gen2 devices integrated into a pfSense Plus