Palo Alto Networks ION 3200H-C5G-WW vs Ubiquiti Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG): Specs & Price Comparison

Palo Alto Networks ION 3200H-C5G-WW

★ 4.3 Value Score

Firewall Throughput: Not published by Palo Alto Networks. Third-party listings cite 1.5-1.7 Gbps, unverified
Threat Prevention Throughput: Not published
IPsec VPN Throughput: Not published by Palo Alto Networks. Third-party listings cite 1.5 Gbps, unverified
Max Sessions: Not published (third-party listing cites 80,000, unverified)
New Sessions/sec: Not published
Interfaces: 6 x 10/100/1000 RJ-45 + 2 x RJ-45/SFP combo WAN ports; 1 x Ethernet 1Gbps Port 0; 4 x 1Gbps RJ-45 L2 switch LAN ports (C5G-WW); 2 x RJ-45 bypass pair; 1 x RJ-45 console; 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A; 4 x 5G antennas; dual nano-SIM slot
Form Factor: Desktop, rack or wall-mount appliance, 9 x 13 x 1.73 in (228.6 x 330.2 x 43.9 mm), 9.85 lb, fanless, IP40
Cellular / 5G: 5G (worldwide), dual nano-SIM; cellular certifications listed for AT&T, T-Mobile, PTCRB and Verizon
PoE: Not listed for ION 3200H-C5G-WW (the base ION 3200 lists 90W system / 60W per port PoE)
Power Input: Redundant DC 12-48 V, 4 A; 180W power adapter option
Memory / Storage: 8 GB RAM / 128 GB eMMC
Operating Temperature: -40C to 70C (-40F to 158F); 0C to 60C when using the provided power adapter
Certifications: FCC Class A, CE Class A, VCCI Class A, UL/CSA/IEC 62368-1, IEEE 1613, IEC 61850-3

✔ Pros: Temperature-hardened, fanless design rated for -40C to 70C operation; Integrated 4-port L2 switch with 5G cellular and dual-SIM failover in one branch device; Redundant DC 12-48 V power input suits harsh or remote sites; Cellular carrier certifications for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon; Part of the Prisma SD-WAN ecosystem with centralized management and IP40 rating
✘ Cons: Palo Alto Networks does not publish firewall, threat prevention, IPsec or session throughput figures for this model; Only 8 GB RAM and 128 GB eMMC storage, limiting it for heavier workloads; Designed as an SD-WAN branch device, not a full next-generation firewall; Heavier at 9.85 lb than comparable compact branch units; Pricing is quote-only from some vendors and third-party listings vary widely; PoE budget for the C5G-WW variant is not documented
Est. Price: $897 - $1,614

Ubiquiti Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG)

★ 4.9 Value Score

Firewall Throughput: 23.5 Gbps (routing, iPerf3, DHCP WAN)
Threat Prevention Throughput: 12.5 Gbps (IDS/IPS)
IPsec VPN Throughput: 580 Mbps (site-to-site, single tunnel)
Max Sessions: 1,000,000 concurrent
New Sessions/sec: 71,000 (listed under general capacity; not specific to VPN or IPsec)
Interfaces: 2x 2.5GbE RJ45, 2x 25G SFP28, 2x 10G SFP+ (some listings show 2x RJ45 + 4x SFP28; verify against the Ubiquiti datasheet)
Form Factor: 1U rack-mount, dual hot-swappable PSUs
SSL/TLS Inspection Concurrent Sessions: 10,000 (5,000 recommended under heavy traffic)
CPU / Memory: 18-core ARM v8.2 @ 2 GHz, 16 GB DDR4
UniFi Capacity: 500+ UniFi devices, 5,000+ clients

✔ Pros: 25G SFP28 and 10G SFP+ uplinks at a gateway price point; 23.5 Gbps routing throughput; 1 million concurrent sessions; 18-core ARM CPU with 16 GB RAM; hot-swappable redundant PSUs; supports 500+ UniFi devices and 5,000+ clients; manages through UniFi Network controller with a single pane of glass
✘ Cons: IPsec VPN throughput of 580 Mbps is low for a gateway at this price; IDS/IPS throughput of 12.5 Gbps halves routing performance when threat inspection is enabled; SSL/TLS inspection is limited to about 10,000 concurrent sessions; port configuration differs across listings and should be verified; frequently out of stock at major US retailers, with a $170 memory surcharge at some resellers; no built-in Wi-Fi, so it depends on separate UniFi APs and switches; reviewers cite a steeper learning curve than consumer-grade routers
Est. Price: $1,999 - $2,892

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