Top CPU and motherboard deals under $170 from PF SENSE
Top CPU and motherboard deals under $170 from PF SENSE
You're asking about the meaning of "WAN ID" and whether it relates to your IP address. That information is usually managed by your internet service provider, not by the router or firewall you use. So it shouldn't depend on the device you select. Even if you choose a consumer model, changes to settings like DNS might still be necessary. It seems you're concerned about compatibility with certain routers or firewalls. There are consumer routers that receive updates regularly, which is good for security. For example, my mom's Asus AC68U has been updated frequently over the past few years. However, whether updates matter depends on what features you enable. Still, major security issues affecting everyday users are uncommon. You might not need a UDM Pro if you're satisfied with basic functionality. Perhaps a simpler router like EdgeRouter X or an Asus model would suffice? Considering your budget and the effort involved, it's worth thinking about whether you truly need these features.
Also consider other Celeron models such as the G5900T, which draws around 35 watts of TDP. That’s lower compared to a Ryzen processor with about 65 watts.
I get where you're coming from. Apologies if I misheard—was it a WAN ID or VLAN ID? My ISP needs a specific VLAN ID of 35 for PPPOE connections. For now, I’m relying on my ISP router since that’s the only choice available. They wanted to restrict PPPOE-only connections to businesses. But some time back they changed their policy. That’s why I came across someone using PFSense for a PPPOE connection. That made me think more about it. Plus, you can set up a VPN server to create a secure link from another location. It lets you connect to your NAS and CCTV cameras without sending videos over the internet, which I’m not comfortable with. If you have any other good ideas, feel free to share!
Most users haven't tried it, but the available tests show solid single-threaded results. It's unclear how much power usage will drop overall since the issue isn't just from the CPU—it’s more about the outdated desktop boards compared to modern laptop chipsets built for efficiency. My pfSense unit was an i5 3470T, and I noticed the motherboard consumes a lot of power even with low-power CPUs. Swapping it out for the appliance cut power use in half while maintaining similar performance; maybe a bit faster too. This might also depend on the PCIe network adapters, which won’t perform as well as built-in NICs. For best results, using Intel NICs would be ideal, so even with multiple cards, you could get a PCIe solution.