I built my first network firewall in 2000 with ipchains on Linux. Of course, I followed up with iptables shortly after. After changing into the IT industry, my first experiences with professional firewalls were on a Cisco PIX. After playing around with one from work, I bought one for my home and started a deep dive into PIXes.
Later I collected experience and also got certified on Check Point, Check Point NG and Check Point NGX on Nokia IP and x86 platform, which I deployed a lot in projects of all sizes, including international corporate network projects.
When the Cisco ASA series came out, I bought a 5505 to replace my aging PIX at home and quickly learned the particularities of that platform. My 5505 is currently running but it has been end of life for a while and it doesn’t keep up with the speed of my internet connection, so it will be replaced soon, probably by a pfSense box - again a new platform to learn for me.
AV-wise, I have used the usual enterprise products over time, starting with TrendMicro, then WebWasher, etc.
I’m also familiar with various IDS and IPS system, mostly from Cisco and Open Source products like Snort, fail2ban, etc.