{"product_id":"firewall-mini-pc-n355-upgraded-n305-6-x-2-5gbe-fanless-firewall","title":"Firewall Mini PC N355 (Upgraded N305) - 6 x 2.5GbE Fanless Firewall","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this review the Firewall Mini PC N355 is evaluated as a compact, fanless appliance aimed at home labs, small offices and network enthusiasts who need multiple high-speed LAN ports and flexible OS support. The bottom line is that this micro appliance delivers unusually strong I\/O for its size: with six native 2.5GbE ports, DDR5 memory support and dual M.2 NVMe slots, it is primarily for users who want a dedicated hardware platform for OPNsense, OpenWrt, ESXi or Windows 11 Pro without the bulk of a rack chassis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e12th Gen N355 processor:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Twin Lake N355 with 8 cores and up to 3.9 GHz offers enough singlethread and multicore performance for firewall, routing and light virtualized services without high power draw.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSix 2.5GbE LAN ports:\u003c\/strong\u003e Native i226V 2.5GbE interfaces provide multiWAN or LAN segmentation at 2.5x the speed of gigabit, useful for modern ISP speeds and internal backplane traffic.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDDR5 and NVMe storage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Single DDR5 SODIMM slot at 4800 MHz and two M.2 NVMe slots let users allocate fast storage for OS, logs and caching to keep throughput high under load.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFanless with optional fan support:\u003c\/strong\u003e Passive cooling keeps the unit quiet in normal use, with a 12V 4pin fan option included for higher ambient or sustained load environments.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTriple display and rich I\/O:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dual HDMI\/DisplayPort plus TypeC support 4K@60Hz, while USB3.2, USB2.0, SATA3 and TF card slot give flexible connectivity for local management and storage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMultiOS compatibility:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ships with Windows 11 Pro preinstalled but supports OPNsense, Linux, ESXi and OpenWrt for those who prefer a dedicated firewall OS.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Firewall Mini PC N355 is best for small business IT administrators, home lab enthusiasts and network professionals who need multiple highspeed physical interfaces and the ability to run a dedicated firewall or virtualization host in a compact, lownoise package. Its combination of 2.5GbE ports and NVMe slots makes it ideal where throughput and storage speed matter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is less suited to users who need extremely high CPU horsepower for heavy virtualization of many VMs or heavy DPI throughput beyond the N355 class, or those who require a fully rackmount chassis with hotswap enterprise features. Consumers who only need a simple home router with WiFi should look elsewhere for simpler turnkey devices.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSix native 2.5GbE ports let you build multiWAN or multiLAN topologies without additional adapters.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDDR5 RAM and two NVMe slots provide modern, fast memory and storage options for caches and OS images.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFanless design keeps noise to a minimum while still offering an optional 4pin fan for added cooling.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWide OS support including OPNsense, Linux and ESXi for flexibility in deployment.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe N355 is efficient but not a highend datacenter CPU - very heavy DPI or many simultaneous VMs may push it beyond optimal performance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSmall form factor limits internal expandability compared with larger rack units.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eProcessor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e12th Gen Twin Lake N355, 8 cores 8 threads, up to 3.9 GHz\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLAN\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6 x Intel i226V 2.5GbE ports\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMemory\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1 x DDR5 SODIMM slot, 4800 MHz\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStorage\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 x M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 3.0 slots, 1 x SATA 3.0 for 2.5\" SSD\/HDD\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGraphics \/ Display\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eIntegrated UHD Graphics, 2 x HD + TypeC triple display support 4K@60Hz\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCooling\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFanless design; 12V 4pin fan support (cable included)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOS Support\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWindows 11 Pro preinstalled; supports OPNsense, Linux, ESXi, OpenWrt\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor users who need concentrated Ethernet density and modern storage in a quiet micro appliance, the Firewall Mini PC N355 is an excellent value. It strikes a practical balance between performance, I\/O and power efficiency, making it a solid choice for small offices and home labs that will run OPNsense or a lightweight hypervisor. Buyers wanting large scale virtualization or enterprise features should consider larger hardware.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan this run OPNsense reliably?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes. The unit supports OPNsense and offers native 2.5GbE ports and NVMe storage that are well suited to a dedicated firewall installation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the unit noisy during use?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is designed as fanless and is quiet in normal operation; a 12V 4pin fan can be installed if additional cooling is needed under sustained heavy load.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow many drives can I install?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInternally you can use two M.2 NVMe drives plus one 2.5\" SATA drive via the included SATA 3.0 cable.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Glovary","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48232301691099,"sku":"B0DX6YZ19Q","price":478.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/71_V1UIaNjL._AC_SL1500_30564174-0dff-4b92-aa4e-b8c2e38179df.jpg?v=1770822975","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/firewall-mini-pc-n355-upgraded-n305-6-x-2-5gbe-fanless-firewall","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}