Why OPNsense?
Added to my stack at KnausDev recently, but it’s already saving me over 100€ a month. My ISP wants 100€ for a static IPv4 address. I figured out I can host OPNsense on a Hetzner VPS for 4.50€, run it as a virtual router, install WireGuard, and connect it to my Mailcow email server hosted in Proxmox. Problem solved at a fraction of the cost.
pfSense for serious work
I’ve been using pfSense for over 5 years in client infrastructure setups that need more robust firewall configurations. For my personal use case — routing email traffic through a static IPv4 — OPNsense is more than sufficient, but the firewall and routing experience carries over directly.
How I Use It
OPNsense runs as a VPS on Hetzner, acting as the router that gives my KnausDev home infrastructure a static IPv4 address without paying my ISP’s premium.
Current setup
- Virtual router: OPNsense on a 4.50€ Hetzner VPS providing static IPv4
- WireGuard tunnel: connecting the VPS to my Mailcow instance running in Proxmox
- Email routing: all email traffic for Mailcow flows through the OPNsense router via the WireGuard tunnel
What’s next
I want to connect OPNsense with my UniFi Dream Router for better interconnect between the VPS router and my home network but for now it works.
Status
Active: virtual router for static IPv4 and email infrastructure.