PACKETPERF

Primary Device

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

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 15 Gbps (ASA stateful inspection, 1500B UDP); 12 Gbps (ASA multiprotocol)
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 9.0 Gbps (FW + AVC + IPS, 1024B packets); 9.0 Gbps (NGIPS); 1.5 Gbps (TLS decryption)
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 10 Gbps (Threat Defense, 1024B TCP w/ Fastpath); 12 Gbps (ASA, 450B UDP L2L)
  • Max Sessions: 300K concurrent sessions (with AVC); 300K concurrent firewall connections (ASA)
  • New Sessions/sec: 50K connections/sec (with AVC, Threat Defense); 250K connections/sec (ASA)
  • Interfaces: 2x 10GbE SFP+ (1/10 Gbps); 8x 1000BASE-T (RJ-45); 1x management 1000BASE-T; console (USB Type-C and RJ-45); 1x USB 3.0 Type A
  • Form Factor: Desktop/compact appliance (not rack units); optional rack or wall mount kits (CSF1200C-RACK-MNT=, CSF1200C-WALL-MNT=)
  • Max VPN Peers: 300
  • Max Virtual Routers (VRF): 10 (Threat Defense only)
  • Storage: Integrated 480GB SSD
  • Power: Single external AC supply, 100-240V AC, 50-60 Hz, 40W max (confirm for 1220CX), no PoE
  • Cooling: Integrated blower, side exhaust
  • Weight: 3.09 lb (1.40 kg)
  • Operating Temperature: 32 to 104u00b0F (0 to 40u00b0C)

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Compact desktop form factor suits branch offices and small sites; 15 Gbps stateful firewall throughput and 300K concurrent sessions for its class; 2x 10GbE SFP+ uplinks plus 8x 1GbE copper ports; runs either ASA or Threat Defense software, so migration paths exist for existing ASA estates; supports up to 300 VPN peers and 10 VRFs (Threat Defense); integrated 480GB SSD and optional rack or wall mounting
  • ✘ Cons: Threat prevention throughput drops to 9 Gbps with IPS enabled, well below the 15 Gbps headline firewall figure; TLS decryption is only 1.5 Gbps, a significant limit for encrypted-traffic inspection; only two 10GbE ports, so it is not suited to high-speed aggregation; no PoE; performance figures are lab-measured and vary with features enabled and traffic mix; requires separate Cisco subscription licensing for threat features; retail pricing is widely dispersed across retailers and the official Cisco list price could not be confirmed
  • Est. Price: $3,299 - $4,562

Compare Against

Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway Max
Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway Max
★ 4.9 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 2.5 Gbps (routing, IDS/IPS off)
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 1.5 Gbps (IDS/IPS on)
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti; WireGuard/Site-Magic VPN up to 500 Mbps (third-party review, untested method)
  • Max Sessions: Not published
  • New Sessions/sec: Not published
  • Interfaces: 5x 2.5GbE RJ45 (1 WAN + 4 LAN, one LAN port can be remapped to a second WAN)
  • Form Factor: Compact desktop, 142 x 127 x 30 mm, USB-C 5V/5A power (max 16.1 W)

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: 2.5GbE WAN and LAN ports on a compact, low-power chassis (max 16.1 W); 512GB built-in NVMe storage on the standard SKU for local UniFi data; Integrated UniFi controller with IDS/IPS and no license or subscription fees; Supports 300+ clients and 30+ UniFi devices; Multi-WAN capable through the remappable LAN port
  • ✘ Cons: Only 1.5 Gbps with IDS/IPS enabled, well below the 2.5 Gbps routing figure; IPsec VPN throughput, session counts and new sessions per second are not published; No PoE output and no built-in Wi-Fi access point; No LAG/LACP support; 500 Mbps VPN throughput is limiting for high-volume site-to-site tunnels
  • Est. Price: $240 - $279

Popular Comparisons

Cisco Secure Firewall 1220 (1220CX) vs Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Fiber Cisco Secure Firewall 1220 (1220CX) vs Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max Cisco Secure Firewall 1220 (1220CX) vs Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway Max Cisco Secure Firewall 1220 (1220CX) vs Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max (UCG-Max) Cisco Secure Firewall 1220 (1220CX) vs Ubiquiti Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG)