Linux is highly secure, but you should still have a firewall. You should know if your ISP's hardware (gateway) uses a firewall. One of the easiest Linux firewalls is UFW and its GUI sidekick, GUFW.
I've used many different network configurations lately, from custom OPNsense boxes to Eero mesh networks, have used custom firmware on various hardware, several generations of Ubiquiti, and I am ...
Create the ultimate OS for your home lab.