Micro Firewall Appliance Fanless Mini PC N3700 Quad Core - Compact

In this review the Micro Firewall Appliance Fanless Mini PC is judged as a compact, low-power network appliance aimed at home labs and small offices; its single biggest selling point is a balance of quiet, fanless operation and four Intel 2.5GbE ports in a tiny chassis. The unit ships with an Intel N3700 quad core CPU, 8GB DDR3L and a 128GB mSATA SSD, making it ready for open-source firewall distributions and lightweight hypervisor tasks out of the box. For buyers who need a silent, energy-efficient router box with solid wired throughput and BIOS-level features like PXE boot, this device delivers a focused solution.

Key Features

• Quad core N3700 CPU: Provides better CPU and integrated GPU performance than common Braswell chips, useful for packet processing and light virtualization.
• Four Intel 2.5GbE ports: Uses Intel i225/i226 NICs for stable multi-gigabit wired connections when the OS provides drivers, improving network throughput capacity.
• Fanless, low power design: 6W TDP and passive cooling let the unit run quietly and reliably in cramped or noise-sensitive locations.
• Ready storage and memory: Ships with 8GB DDR3L (single SODIMM) and a 128GB mSATA SSD, covering common firewall and router OS storage needs and allowing mSATA upgrades.
• Router-friendly I/O: Includes 2 HDMI, 1 COM, 2 USB 3.0, 4 RJ45 LAN and DC input, meeting configuration, console and display requirements for network appliances.

Who It's For

The appliance suits home power users, small office networks and IT hobbyists who want a compact, silent box to run pfSense, Linux or other open-source firewall and router software. Its multiple Intel 2.5GbE ports and BIOS features like auto power on, Wake on LAN and PXE boot make it convenient for network lab setups and edge routing tasks.

It is not ideal for those needing built-in wireless, large memory capacity or high-end CPU performance for heavy virtualization; the single SODIMM slot limits RAM to 8GB and some operating systems may need additional driver installation to enable true 2.5GbE speeds.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fanless passive cooling keeps power consumption and noise very low.
• Four Intel i225/i226 2.5GbE ports provide higher-than-gigabit wired options when supported by drivers.
• Compact, mountable design fits behind a monitor or in tight racks for space savings.

Cons

• RAM is limited to a single 8GB SODIMM slot, which can restrict heavier firewall or hypervisor use cases.
• The 2.5GbE ports may fall back to 1G if the chosen operating system lacks appropriate drivers.

Specifications

Our Verdict

For home labs and small offices that prioritize silence, low power and reliable wired networking, this fanless micro firewall appliance is a practical value: it pairs an adequate N3700 CPU with four Intel 2.5GbE ports and ready-to-run storage and memory. Prospective buyers who need more RAM, internal Wi-Fi or plug-and-play multi-gig drivers in every OS should verify driver support or consider a different platform, but for dedicated soft-routing and firewall roles this unit is a sensible, space-saving choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this run pfSense out of the box?
Yes, the device is compatible with pfSense and other open-source firewall systems, though you should confirm network driver availability for full 2.5GbE support.

Is Wi-Fi included?
No, this model does not include Wi-Fi; it is designed as a wired firewall/router appliance.

Can I upgrade storage and memory?
Storage can be upgraded via the mSATA slot (up to 512GB supported); memory is limited to the single 8GB DDR3L SODIMM slot.