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 UniFi Cloud Gateway Fiber
Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Fiber
★ 5.0 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti; 5 Gbps IDS/IPS-secured routing throughput is the only headline figure (reviewer and retailer listings)
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 5 Gbps IDS/IPS
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: Not published
  • Max Sessions: Not published; 500+ simultaneous users and 4,000-entry MAC address table
  • New Sessions/sec: Not published
  • Interfaces: 2x 10G SFP+; 1x 10GbE RJ45 (10G/2.5G/1G); 4x 2.5GbE RJ45 (2.5G/1G/100M/10M); 2 of the 6 WAN-capable ports are default WAN (1x 10G SFP+ and 1x 10GbE RJ45), with the other ports selectable as WAN
  • Form Factor: Compact desktop; 212.8 x 127.6 x 30 mm; 675 g without SSD
  • CPU / RAM: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A73 at 2.2 GHz / 3 GB RAM
  • Storage: Optional NVMe SSD up to 2 TB (NVR storage)
  • PoE Budget: 30W total from one PoE+ port (port 4)
  • Max Power Consumption: 29.4W excluding PoE output

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Lowest-cost Ubiquiti gateway with 5 Gbps IDS/IPS, rated above the UDM-SE's 3.5 Gbps at a lower launch price ($279 MSRP vs. $499); Multi-gig flexibility with 10GBASE-T, dual SFP+ and four 2.5GbE ports; Compact desktop design with optional NVMe storage for UniFi Protect/NVR use; Supports site-to-site VPN plus OpenVPN, WireGuard and L2TP server functions, with integrated PoE+ for one device; Managed through the UniFi Network controller with 500+ simultaneous user capacity
  • ✘ Cons: No official routing, IPsec or WireGuard throughput figures published by Ubiquiti; community WireGuard numbers (around 400-500 Mbps) are unverified; Only one PoE+ output port (30W total) versus eight PoE ports on the UDM-SE; Lower device and user capacity and less storage expansion than the UDM-SE; No published IPsec tunnel or concurrent session limits; Reseller prices now often run above the launch MSRP (about $320-$346 USD at US resellers)
  • Est. Price: $279 - $346

Popular Comparisons

Cisco Secure Firewall 3120 vs Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Fiber Cisco Secure Firewall 3120 vs Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max Cisco Secure Firewall 3120 vs Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway Max Cisco Secure Firewall 3120 vs Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max (UCG-Max) Cisco Secure Firewall 3120 vs Ubiquiti Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG)