Like a lot of people I have a simple consumer grade router at home. The setup is pretty standard:
Ethernet from the cable modem --> router's WAN
Given the poor track record of consumer routers in terms of security I decided it would be safer to put the router behind a firewall. In my case I used a spare PC and setup a dedicated pfSense box. The new config is:
Ethernet from cable modem --> pfSense --> router connected to pfSense LAN.
(Router gets IP via DHCP from pfSense LAN)
My thinking is that pfSense is more actively updated then my router's firmware so it should have less bugs and vulnerabilities. It also offers more control than my router.
My question is, assuming a properly configured pfSense, does the addition of pfSense add any additional security from outside attacks? I understand that the firewall does nothing to mitigate "user error" attacks like downloading malware, plugging in infected USB drive, etc.
Thanks.