{"product_id":"firewall-mini-pc-n355-upgraded-n305-6x-2-5gbe-fanless-firewall","title":"Firewall Mini PC N355 Upgraded N305 - 6x 2.5GbE Fanless Firewall","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this review the Firewall Mini PC N355 is evaluated as a compact hardware appliance aimed at small offices, home labs, and network hobbyists who need multi-gigabit routing with low power and silent operation. The single biggest reason to consider it is the combination of six 2.5GbE i226V ports and a low-power 12th Gen N355 CPU, which together offer real-world throughput and AES-NI acceleration in a fanless micro chassis suitable for OPNsense and other firewall operating systems.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e6 x 2.5GbE LAN:\u003c\/strong\u003e Six Intel i226V ports provide 2.5x the bandwidth of gigabit for more responsive LAN routing and multiple WAN or LAN segments without immediate need for additional switches.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e12th Gen N355 Processor:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Twin Lake N355 with 8 cores and AES-NI delivers enough CPU headroom for VPN, IDS\/IPS and deep packet inspection tasks while keeping power use low.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDDR5 and NVMe Expandability:\u003c\/strong\u003e Single DDR5 SO-DIMM support and two M.2 NVMe slots plus a SATA 3.0 bay allow fast system storage and room to grow for caching or logging.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFanless Micro Design:\u003c\/strong\u003e The passive chassis runs quietly for desktop or closet placement, with an optional small 12V 4-pin fan supported if active cooling is later required.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTriple Display and I\/O:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dual HDMI and a Type-C video output support 4K@60Hz for local console use, plus USB3.2, multiple USB2.0 ports and a TF card slot for flexible management and storage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis unit is best for small business IT administrators, lab enthusiasts, and prosumers who want a dedicated hardware firewall appliance with multi-gigabit LAN ports and the ability to run OPNsense, OpenWrt, ESXi or Linux images. Its combination of AES-NI capable CPU and multiple 2.5GbE ports makes it practical for VPN termination, site-to-site tunnels, and modest IDS\/IPS loads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose who need enterprise-class throughput well above multi-gigabit, redundant power, or rackmount form factors should look elsewhere. Also, buyers expecting a fully assembled server with lots of internal memory preinstalled should note this model uses a single DDR5 SO-DIMM slot and may require separate RAM or storage upgrades for heavy use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\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 Intel i226V 2.5GbE ports provide flexible WAN\/LAN segmentation without extra NICs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLow-power 12th Gen N355 processor with AES-NI handles VPN and security services efficiently.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFanless design ensures silent operation suitable for office or home placement.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGood expandability with 2x M.2 NVMe slots and a SATA 3.0 bay for storage needs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOnly one DDR5 SO-DIMM slot limits out-of-the-box memory capacity compared with larger appliances.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNot rackmount or redundant by default, so larger enterprises will need different hardware.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eProcessor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e12th Gen N355 Twin Lake, 8 cores\/8 threads, up to 3.9 GHz\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNetwork\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6 x Intel i226V 2.5GbE LAN ports\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMemory\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1 x DDR5 SO-DIMM 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 (cable included)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGraphics \u0026amp; Display\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eIntegrated UHD Graphics (32 EUs) with 2 x HDMI + Type-C supporting 4K@60Hz\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDesign\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFanless micro appliance; optional 12V 4-pin fan supported (cable included)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOS Compatibility\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWindows 11 Pro pre-installed; supports OPNsense, Linux, ESXi, OpenWrt\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Firewall Mini PC N355 is a well-rounded micro firewall for small networks that need multi-gigabit LAN and efficient VPN or inspection workloads. It is good value for users who want a quiet, expandable appliance that runs OPNsense or similar software and offers six 2.5GbE ports natively; larger sites needing rackmount redundancy should consider a different class of device.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan this run OPNsense out of the box?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes, the unit supports OPNsense and other firewall distributions, though OS installation may require configuring BIOS boot settings via the Delete key.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow many drives can be installed?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTwo M.2 NVMe drives and one 2.5\" SATA drive are supported, with a SATA 3.0 cable included for the 2.5\" bay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it truly fanless?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe chassis is designed for fanless operation, but a small 12V 4-pin fan is supported and a fan cable is included if additional cooling is desired.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Glovary","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233459450075,"sku":"B0DX6TSBML","price":757.92,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/71_V1UIaNjL._AC_SL1500_4491ad29-b9d1-473b-a6dc-2d40137968a9.jpg?v=1770914959","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/firewall-mini-pc-n355-upgraded-n305-6x-2-5gbe-fanless-firewall","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}