PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Cisco Secure Firewall 1220 (1220CX)
Cisco Secure Firewall 1220 (1220CX)
★ 3.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 2.5 Gbps
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 1.25 Gbps
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 1.0 Gbps
  • Max Concurrent Sessions: 400,000
  • New Sessions/sec: 20,000
  • Interfaces: 8 u00d7 1GbE (4 ports + 4 management)
  • Form Factor: 1U Rack-mountable

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Excellent mid-range performance tier for SMB and enterprise deployments; Integrated Threat Prevention with IPS/AMP/sandboxing capabilities; Strong value-for-money ratio with flexible licensing models; Supports high-availability and failover clustering; FIPS 140-2 and CNSA-compliant encryption; Backward compatible with Cisco Secure Client VPN; Low power consumption relative to performance (240W typical)
  • ✘ Cons: Advanced features require premium licensing (threat defense, AnyConnect); Maximum throughput is limited compared to higher-end models (ASA 5525 and above); Smaller RAM and storage than enterprise variants (4GB RAM, 250GB SSD typical); Slower session processing than newer ASA5900-X series; Management interface has limited scalability for large deployments; End-of-Sale status since 2022 (support available but new features minimal)
  • Est. Price: $2,800 - $4,200

Compare Against

Ubiquiti Dream Machine Special Edition (UDM-SE)
Ubiquiti Dream Machine Special Edition (UDM-SE)
★ 4.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Device Type: UniFi Network Appliance / Gateway
  • Processor: Quad-core ARM (MediaTek MT7986)
  • RAM: 2 GB DDR4
  • Storage: 32 GB eMMC + 1 TB HDD (for protect/video)
  • Network Interfaces: 1u00d7 WAN (2.5G), 3u00d7 LAN (GbE), 1u00d7 Console (USB)
  • Routing Throughput: 3.5 Gbps
  • Switching Capacity: 5 Gbps fabric
  • Max Concurrent Connections: 100,000+
  • VPN Support: IPsec, WireGuard, L2TP
  • Security Features: Built-in IPS/IDS, DPI, threat management
  • Form Factor: Compact Desktop (1U appliance)
  • Power Consumption: 35W typical
  • PoE Output: 1u00d7 802.3af (for optional AP)
  • Management: UniFi OS + Cloud integration
  • Redundancy: Dual WAN capable

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: All-in-one network appliance with built-in UniFi OS, video storage, and robust security; Excellent value for SMBs combining routing, switching, and threat protection; Includes 1TB HDD for UniFi Protect video surveillance; Silent fanless design or passive cooling; Seamless integration with UniFi ecosystem; Low power consumption (~35W)
  • ✘ Cons: Limited to 2.5G WAN uplink (not enterprise-grade 10G); Overkill for very small networks (branch offices with <50 users); Less granular control than dedicated enterprise firewalls (Cisco ASA, Fortinet FortiGate); Storage not user-upgradeable; Noise from HDD if used heavily for video recording; Requires UniFi Cloud account for optimal features
  • Est. Price: $299 - $349

Popular Comparisons

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