PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Palo Alto Networks ION 3200
Palo Alto Networks ION 3200
★ 4.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: Unconfirmed: 1.5 Gbps (Prisma SD-WAN 6.0.2 table and reseller listings, not on the official ION 3200 spec page); an older spec sheet lists 250 Mbps encrypted
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: Not published; a reseller datasheet lists 520 Mbps, unverified
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: Not published on official page; 600 Mbps appears in a Prisma SD-WAN 6.0.2 table, unlabeled and unverified
  • Max Sessions: Not published
  • New Sessions/sec: Not published
  • Interfaces: 8x 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ-45 + 2x 1 Gbps Combo (RJ-45/SFP) = 10 network ports; 1x RJ-45 console; 2x USB Type-A; 128 GB eMMC; 16 GB RAM; PoE on ports 7-10 (90 W system budget, 60 W max per port)
  • Form Factor: Desktop/1U-style compact appliance, 8.87 in W x 13 in L x 1.66 in H, 8.30 lbs; rack, desktop, or wall mount; fanless; redundant power supply supported

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Fanless design with no moving parts for quiet, low-maintenance branch deployment; Built-in PoE++ on four ports (60 W max per port) to power endpoints or APs; Dual-WAN capable with 2 combo ports for internet redundancy; Part of Palo Alto's Prisma SD-WAN ecosystem with centralized cloud management; Redundant power supply option and enterprise certifications (FCC, CE, cMETus, IEC 62368-1); Hardened 3200H variant available for extreme-temperature environments
  • ✘ Cons: Published firewall, threat prevention, and VPN throughput figures are inconsistent across sources and not confirmed on the official datasheet; Not a traditional next-generation firewall, so threat prevention capabilities are limited compared with PA-Series; Low throughput for modern multi-gigabit WAN links; Limited session and tunnel capacity figures are not publicly documented; Limited base RAM (16 GB) and 1 Gbps-only interfaces restrict future scaling; Price varies widely between resellers and no official list price is published
  • Est. Price: $3,228 - $3,600

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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