PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Palo Alto Networks PA-445
Palo Alto Networks PA-445
★ 3.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 2.7 Gbps App-mix (newer datasheet value; some older sources list 2.8 Gbps HTTP / 2.2 Gbps App-mix)
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 1.25 Gbps (newer datasheet value; some older sources list 1.0 Gbps)
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 1.1 Gbps (newer datasheet value; some older sources list 1.6 Gbps)
  • Max Sessions: 200,000 concurrent sessions
  • New Sessions/sec: 34,000 (some sources list 37,500 or 39,000)
  • Interfaces: 8 x 1GbE ports (1 x SFP/RJ-45 combo, 7 x RJ-45 per listed sources), 1 x RJ-45 1GbE management port, 1 x RJ-45 console, 2 x USB, 1 x micro-USB console
  • Form Factor: Desktop
  • Storage: 128 GB eMMC
  • MTBF: 29 years (PA-400 Series reference, not model-specific)

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Low entry price for a Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall; Full PAN-OS feature set with App-ID, User-ID and threat prevention; Compact desktop form factor suited to branch and small office deployments; 200,000 concurrent sessions and 34,000 new sessions per second; Centralised management through Panorama and Strata Cloud Manager; 128 GB eMMC onboard storage
  • ✘ Cons: Throughput is limited to about 2.7 Gbps App-mix and 1.25 Gbps threat prevention, so it is unsuitable for high-bandwidth sites; Only 1GbE interfaces, with no 10GbE uplink; Threat prevention, URL filtering and other security features require separate paid subscriptions; Published spec values differ between datasheet revisions and resellers, so figures should be confirmed against the current official datasheet; Requires a Palo Alto Networks subscription and support plan for full functionality
  • Est. Price: $2,200 - $2,754

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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