Replacing Aging Sonicwall 210 – Looking for Advice

RERobbins

I've been running a Sonicwall 210 on my home network for many years. That device has been discontinued and I'm tired of paying the annual fees for UTM features. I am ready to move to pfSense and while I'm not averse to building a system from parts I'm inclined to purchase a barebones fanless device with a modest preference for supporting the pfSense initiative by acquiring from the pfgSense store. On the other hand, if there's a compelling reason to purchase a barebones device like one of the fitlet models, I'm ok with that.

My network is driven by cable service that tops out at about 100Mbps on a good day.

At any given time there may be half a dozen devices utilizing the internet connection but that can top out at perhaps a dozen on occasion depending on what I'm doing with various virtual machines running on some esxi hosts I built.

I anticipate using the pfSense box as a router with UTM services running, DHCP server and possibly a caching DNS server.

I do not anticipate a need for anything more than a dual nic configuration.

Your thoughts on a suitable pfSense appliance for me given the above would be most welcome.

exograpix

Any latest celeron system with 2 nics will do, if possible go for intel nics and small 32 GB. SSD for caching, helps a lot

RERobbins

Are you suggesting I avoid the Atom-based systems and focus on Celeron systems?

heper

@reRobbins

it all depends on the UTM services you wish to be using …. some of those are highly cpu intensive, so low-end atoms might have issue's with them.

RERobbins

I intend to deploy antivirus and intrusion detection.

Are you saying that the SG 2220 or 2440 won't cut it for that purpose?

exograpix

We are using dual core or quad core celeron for our build works great with proxy, antivirus, content filtering and bit pfblocker.

As you haven't mentioned number of users , I assume 15-20 concurrent, above will be fine, if user base is over 25 and below 50, go for corei3.

RERobbins

Actually more like ten concurrent at peak, which is why I'm curious about whether the lower end Atom solutions like the 2220 etc will cut it.

My network is driven by cable service that tops out at about 100Mbps on a good day.

The Sonicwall 210 is capable of;
Throughput: 200 MBit/s
Paketfilter Throughput: 50 MBit/s
VPN throughput: 75 Mbit/s

And so now you will compare the Sonicwall 210 against the SG-2220, so I am really thinking it must be something greater then the SG-2220! If the SG-2220 is able to run Squid & SuidGuard, ClamAV and Snort the entire rest
throughput that you might awaiting is lower then the given throughput by the Sonicwall 210! And the price?
Sonicwall 210 ~245 €
Comprehensive Gateway Security Suite ~300 €
Anti-Spyware and Intrusion Prevention ~200 €
This might be then an amount of total ~745 €

So then better go with the SG-4860 or SG-8860 this might be better for the packets you will be installing
and on top the entire main throughput that will be awaited. And then you might be comparing the prices
together likes the $699 for the SG-4860 and the $899 for the SG-8860 against to the ~745 € for the
Sonicwall 210.

This might be better for you to come closer to the point that the throughput you will need is there.

RERobbins

Thanks for that comparison.

I suspect that my aging Sonicwall, which I already own, is much more than I need given my network.

The annual subscription costs are high.

So the real question is which new device will fit my needs. I doubt that I require something as powerful as what I've already got and which costs me too much to maintain at this point.

I suspect that my aging Sonicwall, which I already own, is much more than I need given my network.

An UTM device is for something around ~245 € is not really over clocked for home usage or to much
spend money and if you have the need for an UTM device the pfSense is able to serve you also really
good and will also a do a good job for you I am pretty sure! But if you want to begin and replace such
a device it should also be able to run all your favorite packets smooth and liquid and on top it should
be delivering the same or more throughput as you got before. And a SG-2220 or SG-2440 is not that
device in my eyes.

The annual subscription costs are high.

For sure I can feel the pain, which comes beside with those license fees, but please be sure that this
small UTM device from Sonicwall is not a by the license fees substituted piece of hardware that will normally
being much more expensive and now you are orienting your self only on this lower hardware price.

So the real question is which new device will fit my needs.

This is pending on the installed packets and also on the awaited throughput.

I doubt that I require something as powerful as what I've already got

And in the meaning I was reading your text in the opening post also for sure, but with the
difference that you will be more orientating at the $180 for the Sonicwall 210 and something
like that should be driving pfSense with the same throughput and the same agility.

and which costs me too much to maintain at this point.

This point will be not there in the near future, but if the license fees are cross financing
the Sonicwall 210 hardware, you should be more orientated on the whole or entire price
of the licenses and hardware together, and this was after my math something around ~745 €
and not $180!