Palo Alto Networks ION 1200-S vs Ubiquiti Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG): Specs & Price Comparison

Palo Alto Networks ION 1200-S

★ 4.3 Value Score

Firewall Throughput: Not published by Palo Alto
Threat Prevention Throughput: Not published by Palo Alto
IPsec VPN Throughput: 700 Mbps (encrypted, 1400-byte packets, Prisma SD-WAN datasheet); 250 Mbps at 600-byte packets
Max Sessions: Not published
New Sessions/sec: Not published
Interfaces: 2 x RJ-45/SFP combo WAN, 2 x RJ-45 10/100/1000 WAN/LAN, 6 x RJ-45 GbE Layer 2 switch ports (4 PoE), 1 x RJ-45 bypass pair, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x RJ-45 console
Form Factor: Fanless rack or desktop, 9 in W x 13 in L x 1.73 in H, 7.85 lb
PoE Budget: 90 W total across 4 PoE ports (60 W max per port, 802.3bt); port-level PoE figures in the official table conflict, so verify against the PDF
Layer: L2 switch ports with SD-WAN routing (appliance function)
Stacking support: Not supported
Cellular: Base ION 1200-S has no cellular; -C-NA and -C-ROW variants have 4G LTE; -C5G-WW has 5G NR sub-6 GHz
Memory / Storage: 8 GB RAM / 128 GB eMMC
Power: AC 100-240 V, 150 W adapter (derated to 50 W above 45 C) to 12 VDC
Operating Temperature: 0-40 C at 3,000 m (0-60 C for C5G-WW with PoE disabled)

✔ Pros: Fanless design suits branch and desk deployments; Integrated PoE++ Layer 2 switch ports reduce the need for a separate switch; Multiple WAN options including dual-WAN and cellular variants; Lower cost than the ION 3200 and larger Prisma SD-WAN models; Bypass pair on the ports helps keep the network up if the device fails
✘ Cons: Encrypted throughput of about 700 Mbps caps it well below larger branch devices; Palo Alto does not publish firewall, threat prevention, or session capacity figures; PoE budget and port-level figures are inconsistent across sources; The 5G and LTE variants add cost and depend on carrier certifications; Built around Prisma SD-WAN, so it is a poor fit for standalone firewall use
Est. Price: $1,614 - $2,152

Ubiquiti Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG)

★ 4.9 Value Score

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

✔ 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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