PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max
Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max
★ 5.0 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti. Third-party tests: about 3.8-4.7 Gbps internet (WAN) throughput; about 3.0 Gbps inter-VLAN routing
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 5 Gbps IDS/IPS (Ubiquiti spec)
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti. Unverified third-party estimate of about 1.8-2.2 Gbps
  • Max Sessions: Not published
  • New Sessions/sec: Not published
  • Interfaces: 2x 10G SFP+ ports; 8x 1GbE RJ45 LAN ports; 1x 2.5GbE RJ45 WAN port (sources conflict on WAN; one lists a 25GbE WAN port)
  • Form Factor: 1U rackmount

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: 5 Gbps IDS/IPS rating from Ubiquiti; 10G SFP+ ports for fast uplinks or LAN; Multi-WAN support with 2.5GbE WAN; Integrated UniFi Network controller and UniFi OS for centralized management; Built-in NVR bay for UniFi Protect cameras; Rackmount 1U form factor suited to server racks
  • ✘ Cons: Ubiquiti does not publish firewall, VPN, or session-rate figures; Real-world WAN throughput in independent tests is about 3-4.7 Gbps, below the 5 Gbps IDS/IPS rating; Port layout and WAN specs differ between sources; Costs about 2x the UDM Pro (about $220 more) for a modest throughput gain; Limited 1GbE LAN port count compared with dedicated switches; Requires UniFi ecosystem for full feature set
  • Est. Price: $599 - $660

Compare Against

Cisco Secure Firewall 220
Cisco Secure Firewall 220
★ 3.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 2 Gbps (ASA software, stateful inspection, HTTP 1024B; 1500B UDP per footnote)
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 1.5 Gbps (FTD software, FW + AVC + IPS, 1024B; AVC + IPS also 1.5 Gbps)
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 1.5 Gbps (ASA, 450B UDP L2L); 1.2 Gbps (FTD, 1024B TCP with fastpath)
  • Max Sessions: 100K concurrent firewall connections (ASA); 30K concurrent sessions with AVC (FTD)
  • New Sessions/sec: 80K new connections per second (ASA); 6K new connections per second with AVC (FTD)
  • Interfaces: 4x 1000BASE-T (RJ-45) + 1x 1G SFP fixed data ports, plus 1x 1000BASE-T management port; no network modules; max 5 data ports
  • Form Factor: Compact fanless desktop unit, 1 RU rack-mountable with accessory, wall-mount option; 1.15 in x 9.2 in x 7.8 in, 2.6 lb

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Fanless, silent operation (0 dBA) suited to branch offices and small desks; Compact footprint with rack and wall-mount options; Low power draw (12.7 W typical, 19 W max) on a single external 30W AC supply; Supports both ASA and Threat Defense (FTD) software images via separate SKUs (CSF220-ASA-K9, CSF220-TD-K9); Active/Standby high availability and up to 5 VRF instances on FTD; Built-in 4x 1GbE copper plus 1G SFP for flexible uplinks; Broad price point for a Cisco-branded next-generation firewall; MTBF rated at 700,000 hours
  • ✘ Cons: Throughput is limited to about 1.5 Gbps with threat prevention enabled, so it does not suit multi-gigabit WAN links; Only 1G interfaces, with no 10G SFP+ option listed on the official datasheet; No clustering or multi-instance support, which limits scale-out; No redundant power supply; Maximum 50 VPN peers and 30K concurrent sessions with AVC on FTD are modest for larger sites; Software image is fixed per SKU (ASA or FTD), so switching platforms requires a different appliance; Official datasheet does not publish a USD list price, so pricing depends on reseller quotes
  • Est. Price: $839 - $1,136

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