Configuring a pfSense Firewall Network with an AT&T Modem and WiFi 6 Router
In this article, we will discuss the steps to set up a pfSense network firewall with an AT&T modem and WiFi 6 router. We will assume that you are using a PC with Ubuntu VMware to run pfSense. The network will consist of two subnets.
Prerequisites
- pfSense installed on a PC with Ubuntu VMware
- AT&T modem and WiFi 6 router
- Two subnets
Setting up the AT&T Modem
Before we begin configuring pfSense, we need to set up the AT&T modem. Connect the modem to your internet source and power it on. Once the modem is on, connect your PC to one of the modem's LAN ports using an Ethernet cable. Open a web browser and navigate to the modem's configuration page by entering its IP address in the address bar. The default IP address for AT&T modems is 192.168.1.254.
Once you are logged in, navigate to the 'Firewall' section and disable the modem's firewall. This will allow traffic to flow between the modem and pfSense. Next, navigate to the 'LAN' section and make note of the modem's LAN IP address. This will be used later when configuring pfSense.
Setting up pfSense
Now that the AT&T modem is set up, we can begin configuring pfSense. Connect your PC to one of pfSense's LAN ports using an Ethernet cable. Open a web browser and navigate to pfSense's configuration page by entering its IP address in the address bar. The default IP address for pfSense is 192.168.1.1.
Once you are logged in, navigate to the 'Interfaces' section and configure the WAN interface to use the AT&T modem's LAN IP address. Next, configure the LAN interface to use a different IP address than the AT&T modem's LAN IP address. This will create the first subnet.
Next, navigate to the 'Firewall' section and configure the firewall rules. You will need to create a rule to allow traffic from the WAN interface to the LAN interface. This will allow traffic to flow between the AT&T modem and pfSense.
Setting up the WiFi 6 Router
Now that pfSense is set up, we can begin configuring the WiFi 6 router. Connect the router to one of pfSense's LAN ports using an Ethernet cable. Open a web browser and navigate to the router's configuration page by entering its IP address in the address bar. The default IP address for WiFi 6 routers is 192.168.1.1.
Once you are logged in, navigate to the 'Network' section and configure the router's LAN IP address to be in the same subnet as pfSense's LAN interface. This will create the second subnet. Next, configure the LAN interface to use a different IP address than pfSense's LAN interface. This will allow traffic to flow between pfSense and the WiFi 6 router.
- Set up the AT&T modem and disable its firewall
- Configure pfSense's WAN interface to use the AT&T modem's LAN IP address
- Configure pfSense's LAN interface to use a different IP address than the AT&T modem's LAN IP address
- Configure pfSense's firewall rules to allow traffic from the WAN interface to the LAN interface
- Configure the WiFi 6 router's LAN IP address to be in the same subnet as pfSense's LAN interface
- Configure the WiFi 6 router's LAN interface to use a different IP address than pfSense's LAN interface