Firewall Mini PC N150 (Upgraded N100) - Fanless 4x2.5GbE Router

In this review the Firewall Mini PC N150 is evaluated as a compact hardware firewall and micro appliance aimed at small offices, home power users, and IT pros who want a capable, energy-efficient box they can install OPNsense or other network OS on. The single biggest reason to consider it is the combination of a low-TDP 12th Gen N150 CPU and four native 2.5GbE i226V ports, which deliver noticeably faster LAN throughput than gigabit boxes while staying fanless for quiet operation. The unit ships ready for multiple uses and supports Windows 11 Pro preinstalled or popular firewall and virtualization systems.

Key Features

• Processor: The Twin Lake N150 12th Gen chip with 4 cores and up to 3.6 GHz provides enough compute for routing, VPN tunneling and light virtual machines without high power draw.
• Multi-gig Networking: Four onboard i226V 2.5GbE LAN ports offer 2.5x the throughput of gigabit Ethernet for faster LAN transfers and improved WAN aggregation options.
• Expandable Storage and Memory: Two M.2 NVMe slots plus two SATA 3.0 bays and a DDR5 SO-DIMM slot let the appliance be configured with fast NVMe boot and large storage for logs or caching.
• Quiet Fanless Design: The chassis is designed for fanless operation for noise-sensitive environments, with an optional small fan supported for heavier duty use.
• Display and I/O: UHD integrated graphics with 4-display outputs including HDMI, DP and Type-C give flexible console access and local monitoring.

Who It's For

The Firewall Mini PC N150 suits small businesses, branch offices and advanced home lab users who need reliable multi-gigabit LAN performance and the ability to run OPNsense, OpenWrt, ESXi or Linux on dedicated hardware. IT administrators who want AES-NI acceleration and PCIe NVMe boot options will appreciate the hardware offload and upgrade paths.

This is less appropriate for casual users who only need basic consumer routing from an ISP-supplied gateway, or for those who require large server-class CPU cores; buyers who need integrated Wi-Fi or plug-and-play consumer features should look elsewhere.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Four 2.5GbE i226V ports provide higher-than-gigabit LAN throughput for modern networks.
• Low TDP N150 CPU and DDR5 support balance performance with very low power consumption.
• Multiple storage options with 2x M.2 NVMe and 2x SATA 3.0 allow flexible boot and data configurations.
• Fanless design keeps noise to a minimum while offering an optional small fan for demanding setups.

Cons

• Not aimed at nontechnical users; configuring OPNsense or ESXi requires networking and system knowledge.
• Integrated graphics and multiple display outputs are useful but this is primarily a headless network appliance rather than a desktop replacement.

Specifications

Our Verdict

The Firewall Mini PC N150 is a strong value for technically minded buyers who need compact, energy-efficient hardware for OPNsense or similar firewall platforms. Its combination of 2.5GbE networking, DDR5 support and NVMe storage slots makes it a future-proof small office appliance; choose it if you want multi-gig LAN speeds and hardware flexibility, but expect to manage setup and firmware choices yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I install OPNsense or Linux?
Yes. The unit supports OPNsense, Linux, ESXi, OpenWrt and ships compatible with these systems.

Does it include a fan?
The unit is designed to run fanless; a 12V 4-pin small fan cable is included if you want to add the optional fan.

How many drives can I attach?
You can use 2 M.2 NVMe drives and 2 SATA 3.0 2.5in drives simultaneously for boot and storage expansion.