pfSense SG-2220

[barlo]

Anyone here using this router? I'm expecting to buy one soon, and have some questions, like how long does it typically last under continuous (24/7) usage, does it really handle gigabit speed, and so on?

 

[sfx2000]

There's a couple of pfSense subtopics, so check them out.

It's the little brother of the SG-2440, two less ports, 2GB vs. 4GB of RAM on the 2440, and it's fairly realistic to expect it to handle a 500Mb/Sec pipe with little effort...

The smaller 2GB RAM footprint might impact Snort performance, if one wants to run Snort (many do)...

As far as uptime, most folks only reboot on system updates, generally they're very stable - as for build quality, they're first rate, but a bit spendy compared to other options.

pfSense does have a bit of a learning curve, esp. when doing things like building port forwards, dmz, and the like, but there's a lot of power and capability inside pfSense.

 

[barlo]

There's a couple of pfSense subtopics, so check them out.

It's the little brother of the SG-2440, two less ports, 2GB vs. 4GB of RAM on the 2440, and it's fairly realistic to expect it to handle a 500Mb/Sec pipe with little effort...

The smaller 2GB RAM footprint might impact Snort performance, if one wants to run Snort (many do)...

As far as uptime, most folks only reboot on system updates, generally they're very stable - as for build quality, they're first rate, but a bit spendy compared to other options.

pfSense does have a bit of a learning curve, esp. when doing things like building port forwards, dmz, and the like, but there's a lot of power and capability inside pfSense.

Thanks for your reply. I should first mention that I am completely new to networking and routers...only just now getting a home PC for internet use. Been tied to public computers for about three years, so my skill set is negligible. From what I can determine via Google searches, "500MB/Sec" is nowhere near gigabit speed. The two DSL providers I'm courting (LMI & Sonic.net) both promise gigabit speed, although many on other forums say don't hold your breath! Nevertheless, I require the router I buy to be very able to reach gigabit throughput, so looks like SG-2220 is out, and since I've no interest in spending more than $300 on a router, that eliminates both SG-2440 and Jetway NF9HG-2930, which leaves me back at square one. So far as I can see, my only option to deploy pfSense is now a DIY build, so guess I should start a separate thread on this.

 

[sfx2000]

If your heart is set on pfSense as a DIY project - be sure to check out the QOTOM pfSense build thread here on SNB, and that member shared insight over on the pfSense forums as well..

It's a good build, and decent performance...

Just remember that most pfSense builds will need a switch behind the Gateway/Firewall/Router - depends on how the NIC's are configured - so add that to the cost of a build - and there one might very well consider a managed switch (like the Netgear GS-108T or similar, I mention the GS-108T as its reasonably priced and very good) - same goes with Wireless AP...

So as you might observe - it gets expensive, fast... and there's the time investment as well..

If you're relatively new to networking, you might consider one of the consumer Router/AP units from some of the more popular vendors - the AC1900 class is the sweet spot, and units like Netgear's R7000, Asus' RT-AC68U series (or the RT-AC3100 even), and I would toss in the Airport Extreme AC (limited functionality, but stable and relatively fast) - those three boxes are pretty much built on the same Broadcom platform, so they share performance characteristics.

The Netgear and Asus devices do have stout 3rd party support.