# OPNsense vs OpenWRT: The Superior Choice

## 🎯 Bottom Line Recommendation

**Buy a Protectli VP2420 ($400-450) and run OPNsense with Zenarmor**

Your current hardware (Archer AX72 Pro) becomes a dedicated WiFi Access Point.

## Why OPNsense Wins for Your Household

### What You Get vs What You Can't Get

| Feature | OpenWRT on Archer | OPNsense + Dedicated HW |
|---------|-------------------|-------------------------|
| **Application Control** | ❌ Can't distinguish apps | ✅ Block TikTok, allow Khan Academy |
| **Traffic Visibility** | Basic bandwidth totals | **Full Deep Packet Inspection** |
| **Parental Controls** | All-or-nothing blocking | **Per-app time quotas & schedules** |
| **Reporting** | Manual log analysis | **Automated daily email reports** |
| **Content Filtering** | DNS only | **DPI + DNS + TLS inspection** |
| **Cost (5 years)** | $0 | $695 ($400 HW + $295 Zenarmor) |

## The Game-Changing Difference

### OpenWRT Says:
```
"Bella used 2GB today"
```

### OPNsense with Zenarmor Says:
```
Bella used 2GB today:
 - 1.2GB YouTube (700MB educational, 500MB entertainment)
 - 500MB TikTok (EXCEEDED QUOTA at 5:43 PM - BLOCKED)
 - 200MB Discord  
 - 100MB Khan Academy

Peak usage: 3-5 PM
Violations: 
 - Attempted adult site at 4:32 PM (BLOCKED)
 - Bypassed SafeSearch at 6:15 PM (BLOCKED)
 - 3rd violation this week (parent alert sent)
```

**That's the difference!**

## Real-World Example: School Night Gaming

### Problem: "Bella is gaming too much during school hours"

#### OpenWRT Solution:
- Block ALL internet during school hours
- OR manually identify gaming server IPs and block those
- **Problem:** Can't distinguish homework from gaming
- **Result:** Blocks everything or nothing

#### OPNsense + Zenarmor Solution:
```yaml
Policy: Bella (14yo) - School Days

7 AM - 3 PM (School Hours):
  ✅ Allow: Educational sites (Khan Academy, school portal)
  ✅ Allow: Research (Wikipedia, Google for homework)
  ❌ Block: Gaming (Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, web games)
  ❌ Block: Social Media (TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat)
  ❌ Block: Streaming (YouTube, Netflix, Disney+)

3 PM - 9 PM (After School):
  ✅ Allow: YouTube Educational (2 hours max)
  ⏱️ Limit: Gaming (1 hour max)
  ⏱️ Limit: TikTok (30 minutes max)
  🔒 Force: SafeSearch on all searches

9 PM - 7 AM (Bedtime):
  ❌ Block: Everything except emergency sites

Always:
  ❌ Block: Adult content, Gambling, Violence
  📧 Alert: Parent on violations
  📊 Log: All blocked attempts
```

**OpenWRT CANNOT do this!**

## Recommended Hardware: Protectli VP2420

### Specs ($400-450):
- **CPU:** Intel Celeron J6412 (4 cores, 2.0 GHz)
- **RAM:** 8GB DDR4 (upgradeable to 32GB)
- **Storage:** 256GB M.2 SSD
- **Network:** 4x Intel 2.5GbE
- **Power:** 6-10W (silent, fanless)

### Performance:
- ✅ 1 Gbps with Zenarmor Deep Packet Inspection
- ✅ Runs Suricata IDS/IPS simultaneously
- ✅ Months of detailed logs
- ✅ Room for future features

### vs Archer AX72 Pro (for reference):
- CPU: 880 MHz MIPS ❌
- RAM: 512MB ❌  
- Storage: 128MB flash ❌
- **Cannot run Zenarmor** ❌
- **Cannot do DPI** ❌

## Cost Justification

### 5-Year Total:
- **OPNsense:** $400 + ($59/year × 5) = **$695 total** ($11.58/month)
- **Commercial Service (Qustodio):** $138/year × 5 = **$690**
- **OpenWRT:** $0 (but basic features only)

**OPNsense gives you MORE than commercial services for the SAME price!**

Plus you get:
- Professional firewall
- Network security (IDS/IPS)
- Traffic analysis
- Router redundancy
- Future upgrade path

## What Zenarmor Gives You

### 1. Live Session Monitoring
See RIGHT NOW what each person is doing:
- "Bella is watching YouTube (Educational) - 2.5 Mbps"
- "Xander is on Discord voice chat - 500 Kbps"  
- "William is downloading from Steam - 45 Mbps"

### 2. Application-Level Blocking
- "Block TikTok for Bella"
- "Block Fortnite during school hours"
- "Block all social media 9 PM - 7 AM"
- Works even if they use VPNs or proxies!

### 3. Time Quotas Per App
- "2 hours of YouTube per day"
- "1 hour of gaming per day"
- "30 minutes of TikTok per day"
- Automatic blocking when exceeded

### 4. Safe Search Enforcement  
- Google: Forced Safe Search
- YouTube: Restricted Mode
- Bing: Strict filtering
- **Cannot be disabled by kids**

### 5. Category-Based Filtering
- Block: Adult Content, Gambling, Violence (always)
- Limit: Social Media (time-based)
- Limit: Streaming (bandwidth-based)
- Allow: Educational (always)

### 6. Professional Reporting
Automated daily email:
```
Daily Report - December 21, 2025

BELLA (14yo):
  Usage: 2.1 GB
  Top Apps: YouTube (1.2GB), Discord (400MB), TikTok (200MB)
  Violations: 3 (attempted adult site, SafeSearch bypass, quota exceeded)
  Time Online: 4.5 hours
  
XANDER (15yo):
  Usage: 3.4 GB
  ...
```

## Home Assistant Integration

### OPNsense has OFFICIAL integration:
```yaml
# Via HACS - auto-creates entities:
device_tracker.opnsense_bella_iphone     # Presence
sensor.opnsense_bella_bandwidth          # Usage  
switch.opnsense_firewall_bella_block     # Control
sensor.opnsense_bella_violations         # Alerts

# Plus Zenarmor API:
sensor.bella_youtube_time_today          # Per-app usage
sensor.bella_policy_violations           # Violation count
```

### OpenWRT requires manual SSH commands:
```yaml
shell_command:
  block_device: "ssh root@router 'iptables...'"
  
sensor:
  - platform: command_line
    command: "ssh root@router 'nlbwmon...'"
```

## Setup Timeline

### OPNsense Path (1 week total):
**Day 1:** Order Protectli VP2420  
**Days 2-7:** Read docs, watch tutorials  
**Day 8:** Install OPNsense (2 hours)  
**Day 9:** Setup HA + Zenarmor (3 hours)  
**Day 10:** Configure policies (4 hours)  
**Days 11-14:** Test & optimize  

**Result:** Enterprise system for years!

### OpenWRT Path (2 weeks):
**Week 1:** Flash, setup, configure  
**Week 2:** HA integration, testing  

**Result:** Better than stock, but limited.

## Decision Factors

### Choose OPNsense If:
- ✅ You want to know WHAT apps kids use
- ✅ You need different rules per child  
- ✅ You want professional reports
- ✅ You have 3 kids with 22 devices
- ✅ You're willing to invest $400
- ✅ You want it to "just work"

### Choose OpenWRT If:
- ✅ $0 budget is critical
- ✅ Basic blocking is sufficient
- ✅ You enjoy tinkering
- ✅ You don't need app-level visibility

## Final Verdict

For a household with **3 children (14, 15, 17)** and **22 devices**, **OPNsense on dedicated hardware is the clear winner**.

The $400 investment gives you:
- 🏆 Enterprise-grade parental controls
- 🔒 Professional network security  
- 📊 Complete visibility
- 🚀 Room to grow
- 😌 Peace of mind

**It's worth it.**

## Next Steps

1. **Order:** Protectli VP2420 from Protectli.com or Amazon
2. **Read:** Full OPNsense setup guide (see DOCS_INDEX.md)
3. **Install:** OPNsense (30 minutes)
4. **Configure:** Zenarmor policies (few hours)
5. **Enjoy:** Professional parental controls!

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**For complete technical details, see the full OPNSENSE_VS_OPENWRT_COMPARISON.md file (822 lines) in your outputs directory.**

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*This summary captures the key decision points. Your specific needs (3 kids, 22 devices, age-appropriate controls) make OPNsense the obvious choice.*