PACKETPERF

Primary Device

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

Compare Against

Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway Ultra
Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway Ultra
★ 4.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti; no firewall-only rating on the official spec sheet
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 1 Gbps (IDS/IPS, vendor rating); reviews report roughly 900-950 Mbps sustained, and lower on faster or PPPoE links
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti; WireGuard about 300-600 Mbps in server mode (community-reported)
  • Max Sessions: Not published; spec sheet lists 300+ simultaneous users and 2,000 MAC address table entries
  • New Sessions/sec: Not published
  • Interfaces: 1x 2.5GbE RJ45 WAN (default, reassignable); 4x 1GbE RJ45 LAN; up to 4 WAN-capable ports for multi-WAN
  • Form Factor: Compact desktop, fanless, 141.8 x 127.6 x 30 mm, 520 g, 6.2 W max, USB-C 5V/3A power

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Built-in UniFi controller, so no separate Cloud Key needed; Low price for a gateway with IDS/IPS and controller included; Built-in IDS/IPS with no subscription fee; 2.5GbE WAN port for multi-gig internet; Multi-WAN failover or load balancing; Low power draw and fanless design; VPN (IPsec, OpenVPN, WireGuard) and VLANs without a subscription
  • ✘ Cons: IDS/IPS ceiling of 1 Gbps limits secure throughput on links above about 1 Gbps; Real-world throughput drops further with PPPoE or threat detection enabled; No Wi-Fi radio, so separate access points are required; No PoE output and no UniFi Protect, Access, or Talk support; Only one 2.5GbE port; the other four are 1GbE; Runs warm and should not be stacked on heat-generating equipment; Firewall and VPN throughput figures are not published by Ubiquiti, so buyers must rely on third-party tests
  • Est. Price: $129

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