Firewall Mini PC N150 Barebone - 4 x 2.5GbE Fanless Micro Appliance

In this review of the Firewall Mini PC N150 Barebone the bottom line is simple: this compact, fanless micro appliance is aimed at network professionals and advanced home lab users who need a small, quiet hardware platform with four proven 2.5GbE ports and flexible storage expansion. The reviewer found the Twin Lake N150 CPU, DDR5 memory support and dual M.2 slots make it a capable platform for OPNsense and other router/firewall distributions, while the barebone nature (no RAM, no SSD) gives buyers control over memory and storage choices.

Key Features

• 12th Gen N150 Processor: A lowpower 4 core, 4 thread CPU with up to 3.6 GHz that balances performance and efficiency for routing, VPN and packet inspection tasks.
• 4 x 2.5GbE i226V LAN: Four i226V network interfaces provide 2.5x gigabit throughput for multiWAN, LAN segmentation and high speed internal transfers.
• DDR5 and NVMe expansion: One DDR5 SODIMM slot (up to 48GB) plus two M.2 NVMe slots give room for heavy packet capture, caching and fast system disks.
• Fanless micro chassis: Passive cooling keeps the unit very quiet in office or home lab environments while a 12V 4pin fan option is available for higher thermal needs.
• Multiple display and USB ports: Dual HDMI, DisplayPort and TypeC outputs and several USB ports allow local management and diagnostics without additional adapters.
• Barebone flexibility: Ships without RAM or SSD so administrators can install preferred storage and memory for customized firewall or virtualization setups.

Who It's For

The Firewall Mini PC N150 Barebone is best for IT professionals, small business administrators and serious home labbers who want a compact, low noise platform to run OPNsense, Linux firewall distributions, or lightweight hypervisors. Its multiple 2.5GbE ports and NVMe slots make it useful where multiLAN throughput and local storage performance matter.

It is less suitable for casual users seeking a plugandplay consumer router or for buyers who want a fully configured appliance; this model requires purchasing DDR5 memory and NVMe or SATA storage separately and some comfort with BIOS and OS installation.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Four 2.5GbE i226V ports offer much higher throughput than gigabitonly devices.
• DDR5 and dual M.2 slots provide a modern upgrade path for memory and fast storage.
• Fanless design keeps operation very quiet in office or lab deployments.
• Wide OS support and BIOS features such as Auto Power On and PXE for flexible deployments.

Cons

• Ships as barebone with no RAM or SSD, so initial cost rises when adding components.
• Advanced features mean a steeper setup curve for inexperienced users who prefer turnkey appliances.

Specifications

Processor	Twin Lake N150 12th Gen, 4 cores / 4 threads, up to 3.6 GHz
Network	4 x i226V 2.5GbE LAN
Memory	1 x DDR5 SODIMM 4800MHz, up to 48GB (sold separately)
Storage	2 x M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe3.0 slots; 2 x SATA 3.0 for 2.5in drives (SATA cable included)
Graphics & Displays	Integrated UHD Graphics, 2 x HDMI + 1 x DP + 1 x TypeC, 4K@60Hz support
Cooling	Fanless design; optional 12V 4pin fan supported (cable included)
OS Support	Windows 11 Pro preinstalled; supports OPNsense, Linux, ESXi, OpenWrt

Our Verdict

The Firewall Mini PC N150 Barebone is a strong choice for network professionals who need a quiet, compact appliance with four 2.5GbE ports and modern expansion options. Its barebone nature requires extra purchases and a bit of setup, but the combination of DDR5, dual NVMe and a capable lowpower CPU makes it excellent value for custom firewall or lab builds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this unit include RAM and storage?
No, it ships as a barebone without RAM or SSD; you must install DDR5 memory and NVMe or SATA drives separately.

Can it run OPNsense or other firewall OS?
Yes, it supports OPNsense, Linux, ESXi and OpenWrt in addition to Windows 11 Pro that can be preinstalled.

Is it suitable for alwayson home use?
Yes, the fanless design and low TDP CPU suit alwayson deployments, though a small 12V fan can be added if heavier loads increase temperatures.