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    Netgate 4200 - Let down

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Official Netgate® Hardware
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    • M
      mcury @michmoor
      last edited by mcury

      @michmoor said in Netgate 4200 - Let down:

      well in fairness they are discrete ports so any port can be LAN or WAN

      I was about to say the same thing, just to add, this is a common thing that people usually complain about..
      In my case, I'm using a WAN port as LAN, so it is incorrectly labeled now.
      Edit: I have a SG-4100

      dead on arrival, nowhere to be found.

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      • M
        michmoor LAYER 8 Rebel Alliance @mcury
        last edited by

        @mcury I dont think theres an actual issue here tbh..

        Firewall: NetGate,Palo Alto-VM,Juniper SRX
        Routing: Juniper, Arista, Cisco
        Switching: Juniper, Arista, Cisco
        Wireless: Unifi, Aruba IAP
        JNCIP,CCNP Enterprise

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        • M
          mcury @michmoor
          last edited by

          @michmoor said in Netgate 4200 - Let down:

          @mcury I dont think theres an actual issue here tbh..

          I think that ports labelled as 1,2,3,4 are a better approach than LAN/WAN.
          I'm fine with LAN/WAN also.. np for me, I really love my SG-4100.. :)

          dead on arrival, nowhere to be found.

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          • M
            michmoor LAYER 8 Rebel Alliance @mcury
            last edited by

            @mcury said in Netgate 4200 - Let down:

            I think that ports labelled as 1,2,3,4 are a better approach than LAN/WAN.

            agreed. I much rather prefer the numbering rather than using a defined label such as LAN/WAN.
            Its what enterprise gear also uses as well. Look at any Juniper or Cisco switch and its eth1/1 or ge-0/0/0. No difference...Ports can be L2 or L3

            Firewall: NetGate,Palo Alto-VM,Juniper SRX
            Routing: Juniper, Arista, Cisco
            Switching: Juniper, Arista, Cisco
            Wireless: Unifi, Aruba IAP
            JNCIP,CCNP Enterprise

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            • C
              Cyphon
              last edited by

              I can get past the port labelling. It's all the rest on top of it. For this class firewall though you wouldn't expect a non standard configuration. So having WAN/LAN labelling would make more sense. Not going to be installing this in an enterprise environment.

              Using your example of Cisco or Juniper or more realistically as comparison Sonicwall or fortinet... They all have a design and labeling on the case to indicate it is a firewall. Not just a blank white box. With LEDs that flash and don't mean anything.

              I failed to include the power button that sticks out to be easily pressed. I've been very happy with Netgate design in the past, this just isn't what I would have expected for a new firewall.

              I am excited it is true 2.5Gbps across all ports, that is a HUGE plus. Unlike unifi who just released their "firewall" which has a 2.5Gbps wan port with a 1Gbps backplane. So it's not all bad, just disappointed in the design choice.

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              • dennypageD
                dennypage @Cyphon
                last edited by

                @Cyphon said in Netgate 4200 - Let down:

                The ports are labelled Port 1, 2, 3, 4 no indication of what is WAN or LAN.

                Given that Netgate cannot know in advance how the ports will be used, type labels have made little sense. People have been requesting Netgate to drop the type labels on the ports for several years. I for one am pleased to see that they have finally done so.

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                • M
                  mer @Cyphon
                  last edited by

                  My opinions only. Agree, disagree, no skin off my back.

                  @Cyphon said in Netgate 4200 - Let down:

                  For this class firewall though you wouldn't expect a non standard configuration. So having WAN/LAN labelling would make more sense

                  I don't understand this. "...this class..." the Netgate website clearly says "Home Pro/Small-Medium Business" so it seems to be targeted at someone who at least thinks they know something. I'd maybe agree with your statement if we were talking about the 1100 because a typical consumer may be more of a target there.
                  Keep in mind the labelling is driven by what you can do with the software: WAN/LAN makes more sense to me if the software/firmware is inflexible like on a cable modem, Netgear consumer stuff, etc.

                  @Cyphon said in Netgate 4200 - Let down:

                  Just looks like something that was thrown together, like you would get on AliExpress as opposed to a quality product from a reputable company.

                  I'm going to disagree with this, I miss the metal case of the 5100, but plastic doesn't mean cheap. If the 4200 is similar to the 4100 and other products, that plastic case is over a honking big heat sink, power buttons are meant to be pressed once in a while and it's kind of nestled amongst the wiring. I think it's only getting pressed accidentally if one is actively mucking around with cables.

                  @Cyphon said in Netgate 4200 - Let down:

                  Not just a blank white box. With LEDs that flash and don't mean anything.
                  Completely disagree here. One thing that always brings me back to Netgate/pfSense products is there clear documentation. Getting started guides, How-Tos on some more complex stuff, very clear docs on what the different LEDs mean (colors and states). Heck they still have the docs for my SG-2440 which has been EOL for a very long time now. It's the first place I start before I even put money down for a new box. Grab the docs go through them.
                  One can argue about having to get docs online instead of printed in the box but Netgate is no different than almost every other tech company out there.

                  https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/solutions/netgate-4200/index.html

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • gweemposeG
                    gweempose @Cyphon
                    last edited by

                    @Cyphon said in Netgate 4200 - Let down:

                    I received two 4200s I ordered back in January. Seriously let down on the poor quality. The ports are labelled Port 1, 2, 3, 4 no indication of what is WAN or LAN.

                    It clearly states in the manual that the default port assignments are WAN on port 1 and LAN on port 2. There is even a photo showing where to plug each cable ...

                    Ethernet.png

                    Ports.png

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                    • flowermoronF
                      flowermoron @Cyphon
                      last edited by

                      @Cyphon I'm interested in buying a 4200, you say poor quality, other than the labels what else is wrong with it?

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                      • LarryFahnoeL
                        LarryFahnoe
                        last edited by

                        I have a pair of 4200s which I added my own NVMe storage to, making them equivalent to the MAX version. Nothing wrong with either of them and I would not quibble about quality. I would say that if you want long life from the unit and are expecting to run things like IPS/IDS or pfBlocker, either adding an NVMe SSD or buying the MAX version is important. The eMMC storage in the base 4200 has a lower write capacity & will wear out sooner, but since it is built in, is not replaceable.

                        --Larry

                        S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • C
                          Cyphon @flowermoron
                          last edited by

                          @flowermoron I am happy with the unit from a functional standpoint. Only dissatisfied with the looks. I have installed 4 or so, so far and not had any major issues. The unfinished look is bothersome but I guess it gives one the opportunity to add their own labels.

                          T M 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • S
                            SteveITS Galactic Empire @LarryFahnoe
                            last edited by

                            @LarryFahnoe re: drive life, only because some are unaware of this (as was I) there is a list of packages and storage recommendations: https://www.netgate.com/supported-pfsense-plus-packages

                            Pre-2.7.2/23.09: Only install packages for your version, or risk breaking it. Select your branch in System/Update/Update Settings.
                            When upgrading, allow 10-15 minutes to restart, or more depending on packages and device speed.
                            Upvote 👍 helpful posts!

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                            • T
                              tgl @Cyphon
                              last edited by

                              @Cyphon
                              The one I bought looks exactly like the pictures on the product page, so I wonder what you were expecting.

                              With the 4200 only having been on the market for a month or so, it's way too soon to pass any judgments on reliability or anything like that. But so far I'm very happy with mine; it does everything I expected it to.

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                              • M
                                mvikman @Cyphon
                                last edited by

                                Why does the looks of the box matter? Usually network equipment is out of sight anyway, atleat mine are... well, apart from WiFi Accesspoints, with those I can understand that the looks could matter, but I will choose an AP for its performace and features over it's looks.

                                But each to their own :)

                                pfSense Plus 24.11-RELEASE (amd64)
                                Dell Optiplex 7040 SFF
                                Core i5-6500, 8GB RAM, 2x 240GB SSD (ZFS Mirror)
                                HPE 561T (X540-AT2), 2-port 10Gb RJ45
                                HPE 562SFP+ (X710-DA2), 2-port 10Gb SFP+

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