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 UniFi Cloud Gateway Max (UCG-Max)
Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max (UCG-Max)
★ 4.9 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti in the sources reviewed
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 2.3 Gbps IDS/IPS per Ubiquiti spec page (older listings show 1.5 Gbps)
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti; third-party reviews report about 800-1,000 Mbps for WireGuard and 300-400 Mbps for OpenVPN
  • Max Sessions: Not published in the sources reviewed
  • New Sessions/sec: Not published in the sources reviewed
  • Interfaces: 1x 2.5GbE RJ45 WAN, 4x GbE RJ45 LAN (one LAN port can be reconfigured as a second WAN for multi-WAN)
  • Form Factor: Compact desktop; UCG-Max-NS variant includes 512GB NVMe storage

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Low entry price at $199 MSRP; Compact desktop form factor; Five-port layout with multi-WAN support via a reconfigurable LAN port; Runs UniFi OS with integrated IDS/IPS, site-to-site and remote VPN options (IPsec, WireGuard, OpenVPN, L2TP); Manages 30+ UniFi devices and 300+ clients per Ubiquiti listing
  • ✘ Cons: Routing and IPS throughput (2.3 Gbps) is modest for multi-gigabit WANs with inspection enabled; Published throughput figures conflict across sources (1.5 vs 2.3 Gbps IPS, varying VPN numbers); Only one 2.5GbE port, with the remaining ports at 1GbE; Vendor does not publish IPsec tunnel, session, or new-connection limits; Some resellers list prices well above MSRP (one US listing at $394.79)
  • Est. Price: $199 - $279

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