PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Cisco Secure Firewall 3120
Cisco Secure Firewall 3120
★ 3.4 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 22 Gbps stateful (ASA image); 21 Gbps FW+AVC (FTD image); 17 Gbps stateful multiprotocol (ASA)
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 21 Gbps NGIPS (1024B)
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 10 Gbps (1024B TCP / 450B UDP L2L); projected 13.5 Gbps with VPN offload (FTD 7.2), 15.4 Gbps with VPN offload (ASA 9.18)
  • Max Sessions: 4,000,000 concurrent connections
  • New Sessions/sec: 170,000 (FTD, with AVC); 500,000 (ASA)
  • Interfaces: 8x 1GBASE-T RJ-45 + 8x 1/10G SFP+ (integrated); up to 24 total Ethernet ports with network modules; 1x 1/10G SFP management port; max 7,000 VPN peers
  • Form Factor: 1RU rack-mount; 1.75 x 17 x 20 in; single 400W AC PSU (dual optional)

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Up to 22 Gbps stateful firewall throughput in a compact 1RU chassis; 4 million concurrent sessions and 170,000 new connections/sec for high-density traffic; Supports both ASA and FTD (Threat Defense) software images for deployment flexibility; Integrated 8x 1GbE copper and 8x 10G SFP+ ports with expansion modules for up to 24 ports; Hardware VPN offload raises IPsec throughput to 13.5-15.4 Gbps and supports up to 7,000 VPN peers; Redundant power supply option available
  • ✘ Cons: Only about 21 Gbps threat-prevention throughput, which is modest for full inspection on high-speed links; IPsec VPN throughput without offload is only 10 Gbps; Limited to 10G maximum port speed with no 25G/40G/100G options; Pricing is high relative to newer-generation platforms, and no official Cisco list price is published; Cisco has announced end-of-sale timelines for the 3100 series, so buyers should check lifecycle status before purchase; Ports are not PoE and the device has no built-in Wi-Fi or switching features
  • Est. Price: $36,493 - $65,325

Compare Against

Ubiquiti Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG)
Ubiquiti Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG)
★ 4.9 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • 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

Curation Review

  • ✔ 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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