PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Palo Alto Networks PA-555-POE
Palo Alto Networks PA-555-POE
★ 3.2 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 7.5 Gbps (AppMix, reseller listings; not confirmed in official Palo Alto docs)
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 5.0 Gbps (reseller listings)
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 4.5 Gbps (reseller listings)
  • Max Sessions: 448,000 concurrent (reseller listings)
  • New Sessions/sec: 75,000 (reseller listings)
  • Interfaces: 8x 10/100/1GbE RJ-45 (ports 1-8, ports 5-8 PoE); 4x 1/2.5GbE mGig RJ-45 (ports 9-12, PoE); 2x 1GbE SFP (ports 13-14); 2x 1GbE/10GbE SFP+ (ports 15-16); 1x 1GbE management RJ-45; console (RJ-45 + USB-C)
  • PoE Budget: Up to 332 W per connected device on ports 5-12; no aggregate system PoE budget published
  • Form Factor: Desktop, PA-500 Series (not stated in official component docs; verify before relying on it)
  • Max Power Consumption: 503 W

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Firewall throughput of 7.5 Gbps (AppMix) and 5.0 Gbps threat prevention, well above the 2 Gbps in the current catalog row; Eight PoE ports (5-12) delivering up to 332 W per device, which removes the need for external injectors for APs and cameras; Mixed uplink options with 1/2.5GbE mGig copper plus 1GbE and 10GbE SFP/SFP+ ports; 448,000 max sessions and 75,000 new sessions/sec for busy branch or mid-market networks; Full PAN-OS next-generation firewall feature set, including App-ID and threat prevention
  • ✘ Cons: No aggregate PoE budget is published, so total power for many PoE devices is unclear; Throughput and session figures come from reseller listings rather than an official Palo Alto datasheet; Maximum power draw of 503 W requires a 550 W adapter and adequate power and cooling; Requires PAN-OS 12.1.2 or later, which may complicate upgrades in existing deployments; Street price of roughly $9,400-$10,400 is high for a desktop unit, and stock is limited (Newegg listing out of stock)
  • Est. Price: $9,387 - $10,430

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

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