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Andrew Keywood - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at Specifix Limited
Reseller
Jul 13, 2022
A lower-end product that does the job, but doesn't do it very well
Pros and Cons
  • "The set up was quite straightforward and we handled it in-house. It took a few hours to deploy the product."
  • "There is room for improvement in the threat protection, data packet inspection, and performance of the solution. Generally, it's just a lower-end product. It does the job but doesn't do it very well."

What is our primary use case?

It's mainly an internet gateway that is used for internet gateway protection and remote access.

What needs improvement?

There is room for improvement in the threat protection, data packet inspection, and performance of the solution. Generally, it's just a lower-end product. It does the job but doesn't do it very well.

Compared to Palo Alto, for example, some of the main differences are zero-day protection, performance, deep packet inspection, and App-ID. I'm not really a fan of WatchGuard. We only use it with one client and we're trying to get them to get rid of it. I prefer to use Palo Alto instead. Industry analysts have voted Palo Alto the number one firewall for the last eight consecutive years, so if you want good protection, it's a no-brainer.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with this solution for 18 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is reasonably stable. 

Buyer's Guide
WatchGuard Firebox
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about WatchGuard Firebox. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I do not think the product is scalable.

How was the initial setup?

The set up was quite straightforward and we handled it in-house. It took a few hours to deploy the product. One a scale of one to five, one being very hard and five being very easy, I would rate the set up as a five.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is an entry-level product, so the price is cheap.

What other advice do I have?

The program requires maintenance, including updates, patching, and subscriptions. 

My advice to someone considering this project would be to look into Palo Alto instead. 

I would rate this solution as a one out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
PeerSpot user
Yintho Taev - PeerSpot reviewer
Logistics Supervisor at Andromeda Distribution Corporation
Real User
Apr 7, 2022
Secure, helpful support, and simple implementation
Pros and Cons
  • "WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response is a reliable solution."

    What is our primary use case?

    I use WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response to protect our clients from ransomware, spam, and other threats. We want to make sure all their applications are secure.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response for approximately two years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response is a reliable solution.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I have found WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response to be scalable.

    We have approximately 30 people using this solution.

    How are customer service and support?

    If we are not able to find answers to our questions about the solution from documents we can contact the support online through a portal on the application we have. They are able to help us when we have issues.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I was using a different solution previously to WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response.

    How was the initial setup?

    The installation of WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response is straightforward. It did not take a lot of time, approximately 10 minutes.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    There is a license required to use the solution and we pay annually. The price could be reduced because it is a bit expensive.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend this solution to others.

    I rate WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response an eight out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    WatchGuard Firebox
    May 2026
    Learn what your peers think about WatchGuard Firebox. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
    900,228 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Project Consultant at SysGroup PLC
    MSP
    Mar 22, 2022
    Reasonably priced, secure, and simple setup
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable features of the WatchGuard Firebox are all the security and updated features. You are able to configure the solution from the cloud platform and the application and web interface are very nice."
    • "They are working on cloud-based options. However, they do not have the options fully functional in their solution at this time."

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable features of the WatchGuard Firebox are all the security and updated features. You are able to configure the solution from the cloud platform and the application and web interface are very nice.

    Since I have been using this solution I have not been hacked or had any problems.

    What needs improvement?

    They are working on cloud-based options. However, they do not have the options fully functional in their solution at this time.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using WatchGuard Firebox for approximately five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    WatchGuard Firebox is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability of the WatchGuard Firebox is good.

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support is good from WatchGuard Firebox.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup was easy, and the time it took was a couple of hours.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The price of the WatchGuard Firebox is reasonable.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate WatchGuard Firebox an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Assistant Manager at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
    Real User
    Jan 26, 2022
    Easy to configure and great for troubleshooting
    Pros and Cons
    • "Watchguard Firebox is easy to use and easy to configure."
    • "The reporting could use improvement, because most of the firewalls available in the market come with the reporting built-in, with the memory and the hard disk capacity and all."

    What is most valuable?

    Watchguard Firebox is easy to use and easy to configure.

    What needs improvement?

    The reporting could use improvement, because most of the firewalls available in the market come with the reporting built-in, with the memory and the hard disk capacity and all. With WatchGuard, the models we use, none of them support that part. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution for over 10 years.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It's really good for X and B level organizations due to the cost and the features. As a medium-level businesses, we are satisfied. 

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We have a regional office in Hong Kong, and our director and the owner of the company lives there. He prefers this solution so both companies can have the same product. That makes it great for negotiation and troubleshooting.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup was straightforward. 

    What about the implementation team?

    We use a local vendor, Blue Chip Sri Lanka, who is very good. 

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    Our license is for a three year subscription. 

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I evaluated Sophos, but the cost was a little bit higher than this solution, so we went with this one instead. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate this solution a 10 out of 10. 

    When choosing a product, make sure you understand your organizations requirements. Whatever the product you choose should ultimately match with your organization's number of users plus maintenance costs. 

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Surjith Cs - PeerSpot reviewer
    Sr.System Administrator at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
    Real User
    Jan 25, 2022
    Improved our security at a lower price
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable features are the VPN and web blocker security."
    • "The technical support is very fast - when we raise an incident, we get a solution in no time."
    • "An area for improvement is that when we use a web administration link, there is no security."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Watchguard as a firewall and a VPN.

    How has it helped my organization?

    WatchGuard has improved our security.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable features are the VPN and web blocker security.

    What needs improvement?

    An area for improvement is that when we use a web administration link, there is no security.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using WatchGuard for the past five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Watchguard is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    This solution is scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support is very fast - when we raise an incident, we get a solution in no time.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I previously used FortiGate.

    How was the initial setup?

    The installation was straightforward and took between one and two hours. I would rate our experience with the initial setup as four out of five.

    What about the implementation team?

    I installed this solution by myself.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    We're currently renewing our license on a three-year basis. The licensing costs are comparatively lower than other providers, and I would rate the pricing as five out of five.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would give this solution a rating of eight out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    it_user1753128 - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT Technician at a real estate/law firm with 11-50 employees
    Real User
    Jan 12, 2022
    Excellent support, very stable, and fairly easy to use
    Pros and Cons
    • "Their support is excellent, and the stability is very good."
    • "Some of the configuration options are somewhat confusing."

    What is our primary use case?

    WatchGuard Firebox is our daily firewall. It gets used on a regular basis.

    It is deployed locally. We are using its latest version.

    What is most valuable?

    Their support is excellent, and the stability is very good.

    What needs improvement?

    Some of the configuration options are somewhat confusing.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It has been very stable.

    How are customer service and support?

    Their support is excellent.

    What other advice do I have?

    It is very stable and fairly easy to use.

    I would rate it an eight out of 10.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    PeerSpot user
    Technical & Pre-Sales Manager at GateLock
    Real User
    Jan 5, 2022
    Good log correlation features, straightforward to set up, and works with traditional antivirus products
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable feature is the correlation of logs from different devices."
    • "This product needs to be fully integrated with the firewall. Currently, it only sends logs to the cloud and asks the firewall to correlate them."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are a solution provider and WatchGuard is one of the product lines that we implement for our customers. I am the person in the company that is responsible for WatchGuard products.

    We do not use this product in my organization. I'm enabling partners and providing training for them on how to use this technology and how to sell it.

    I assist customers with implementing PoC installations in different environments.

    This product has a dashboard on the cloud that manages logs coming for the WatchGuard Firebox and workstations. It is a good product but it is not a fully integrated EDR or endpoint solution.

    How has it helped my organization?

    This product is one that not many customers request.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable feature is the correlation of logs from different devices.

    If there is a traditional antivirus solution installed on the machine then we can use it with this solution, helping to protect the endpoint from zero-day attacks.

    What needs improvement?

    This product needs to be fully integrated with the firewall. Currently, it only sends logs to the cloud and asks the firewall to correlate them. If it were fully integrated with WatchGuard Firebox then it would make sense.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I began working with WatchGuard products approximately two years ago but WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response is one that I have not been working with for a long time.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Scalability is very good because it's just an endpoint and therefore, it is managed through the cloud. There are no challenges.

    How are customer service and support?

    Technical support for this product is perfect. If you open a ticket with them, even with the slowest SLA, they reply to you within four hours. You can also request that they open a remote session with you.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    Quite some time ago, I had experience with Sophos products as a distributor in Egypt.

    I also have experience with products by Fortinet. I have been evaluating Fortinet because they are one of our competitors.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is very straightforward. The length of time required for deployment depends on the number of endpoints that we are dealing with.

    For a new setup, we can complete the bulk of the deployment at one time, but it is better to schedule it. This also depends on the number of endpoints because if it is huge then it will take time. A small number of endpoints, such as 20 machines can be completed in perhaps one to two hours.

    The number of people required for deployment also depends on the number of endpoints.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Director of Information Systems at Onomo hotels
    Real User
    Dec 1, 2021
    Complicated setup, but reliable, and scalable
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most important feature of this solution is the SLAs."
    • "The price of the solution is not expensive, it is less than FortiGate."
    • "Multi properties could be added to the solution in the future to make it better."
    • "The support could improve. I had to deal with support to give me new hardware and it took four weeks."

    What is our primary use case?

    I use WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service for all our properties for network security.

    What is most valuable?

    The most important feature of this solution is the SLAs.

    What needs improvement?

    Multi properties could be added to the solution in the future to make it better.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service for approximately three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service is scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    The support could improve. I had to deal with support to give me new hardware and it took four weeks.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I have used Fortinet solutions and they are the best.

    How was the initial setup?

    The implementation is very complex, you install the application for WatchGuard.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The price of the solution is not expensive, it is less than FortiGate.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend this solution to others.

    I rate WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service a five out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
    PeerSpot user
    IT Head at Patil Group
    Real User
    Jul 13, 2021
    Useful site-to-site controls and overall good functionality
    Pros and Cons
    • "The main features of the solution are the control of the site-to-site network access and the overall features."
    • "The solution can improve by adding a feature to tag a MAC address of a computer system in the policy and more IP configuration settings."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use WatchGuard Firebox for network security in our offices.

    What is most valuable?

    The main features of the solution are the control of the site-to-site network access and the overall features.

    What needs improvement?

    The solution can improve by adding a feature to tag a MAC address of a computer system in the policy and more IP configuration settings.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution for approximately ten years.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We did not need to use technical support.

    What about the implementation team?

    The implementation of the solution was done by our IT management team.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate WatchGuard Firebox an eight out of ten. 

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Reseller
    May 13, 2021
    A user-friendly, stable, and scalable solution that runs for a long time and can be deployed remotely
    Pros and Cons
    • "The ease of use is most valuable. You can quickly train someone who hasn't seen a firewall in life. You can get people up to speed, and in a few months, they are able to manage this product very easily. It is a very user-friendly, scalable, and stable product. Its price is also spot-on."
    • "Its documentation could be improved. Sometimes, you need to search a bit longer to find what you are looking for."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are using it for firewalling and providing wireless network connectivity for access points. It is a standard product for our infrastructure. 

    How has it helped my organization?

    We can implement it very easily. There are some standards that we can explain to our colleagues. It is easy to maintain the same type of installation at various customer locations. It is easy to pass on the information to our team about how to implement it in the same way.

    What is most valuable?

    The ease of use is most valuable. You can quickly train someone who hasn't seen a firewall in life. You can get people up to speed, and in a few months, they are able to manage this product very easily. It is a very user-friendly, scalable, and stable product. Its price is also spot-on.

    What needs improvement?

    Its documentation could be improved. Sometimes, you need to search a bit longer to find what you are looking for.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution since 2014.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is a very stable product. Usually, we have several years of uptime on WatchGuard Fireboxes. They can run for very long without any issues.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It is very scalable. We have several customers with several sites, and we can easily extend the network by using Fireboxes at several sites with site-to-site tunnels. If you use the WatchGuard system management software, you can even drag two Fireboxes together, and they automatically make their own tunnel. You don't even have to perform any additional tasks. It is very user-friendly in terms of scalability.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We get good support. It can take a bit longer only in the case of a specific problem that even they are not aware of, but that's the case with many of their competitors. In general, their support is very good.

    How was the initial setup?

    It is fairly easy to deploy. You can also deploy it remotely. It provides a very easy and out-of-the-box experience.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    It has a very good price. It is not the most expensive one, and it is also not the cheapest one. It is just spot-on in terms of price.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We evaluated Fortinet and Cisco. We chose WatchGuard because we wanted our engineers to be able to learn and work with the product in a very short amount of time.

    When comparing Fortinet and WatchGuard, in the past, Fortinet was before WatchGuard in providing the features for directly resolving DNS names and hostnames and making additions to the rules. A few months later, WatchGuard also implemented these features. Nowadays, it goes both ways.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would advise others to definitely take the WatchGuard Essential Security training course, which is a four-day or three-day course. It really gives a broad overview of the product. You get a good, basic, and overall feeling of the product. You can take it in groups. We normally go with four to five engineers of our company. Most of the time, after that course, you can implement the basic product and even scale it out to many more locations without requiring additional training.

    I would rate WatchGuard Firebox a nine out of ten. I am pretty satisfied with this solution.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. reseller
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free WatchGuard Firebox Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: May 2026
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free WatchGuard Firebox Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.