Qotom X86 Mini PC Q190G4N Intel celeron J1900 Processor, Quad core 2.0 GHz, 8GB RAM,64GB SSD, WiFi, Fanless Mini PC 4 LAN

If you want to do something in a small network environment, this computer is great to run programs such as IPFire, OPNSense or pfSense. There is a The 2 SSDs inside make booting and setting up the computer quick and easy. When I tested IPfire, Opensense and pfSense software from USB thumb drives, there were no problems booting from them, and I was able to connect a monitor to the VGA output port. There was no problem with any of the three routing software packages I tried to recognize the device's hardware. I was able to implement VLANs, boot, shutdown, update, and assign interfaces without any trouble. Formatted as follows Secondly, it's kind of awkward that the power supply plugs in on the left side of the screen to the left of the four RCA inputs Instead of 45 sockets, we have 45 sockets in the front. Likewise, I would prefer that the power button on the back would be on the front instead of the back. As part of a packet-based network With filtering and port isolation on three ports and a WAN port, and several traffic shaping rules, the case heats up a bit but not hot to the touch (for now). In a larger network than mine with only a few dozen computers connected at any given time, and working in small groups at the same time, I would opt for the two port version of this device to use as a rules-based firewall and then leave the rest to a good The following can be used as an all-purpose tool If a firewall / routing device is used behind a home or small business Internet bridge, it is only marginally more capable in some regard than a cheaper and faster Mikrotik router / switch. In this regard, pfSense and this device are more approachable since Mikrotik RouterOS is extremely efficient, but it is more difficult to configure in a hybrid bridge / switch configuration, whereas Mikrotik RouterOS is extremely efficient, but it is more difficult to configure. The combination of this computer and pfSense or the new version of RouterOS has not been well documented recently, so you may need to spend some time testing your results if you follow The number one reason I came up with this solution would be that it was so much easier to use two or even three simple devices / logic combinations rather than trying to fit everything into the single unit - it was more straightforward. This computer has the allure of being able to use it. Several caveats apply Being able to configure the monitor through a USB port and have a monitor port was truly It would have been impossible for me to access a couple configurations The problem is that Unless the "Windows 7" legacy boot mode is selected in the BIOS, there needs to be a monitor or dummy VGA plug connected to the device in order to boot it. When I was carrying the pre-written test I found myself scratching my head After configuring the unit, I took it to the computer room only to discover that it was As soon as the BIOS was switched to its legacy Windows 7 mode, there was no configuration loss. You should be wary of pfSense add-ons and configurations. Due to the unexpected behavior, a few add-ons (thinking they were geoIP related) had to be removed from the firewall. There are also some settings that do not apply until the router is fully rebooted, even though the interface states that everything is on its way. It is important to test things every so often and to reboot to make sure that everything is working as expected. The price of this device is so high for what it actually does that it is difficult to justify keeping one To cover for this unit if it fails too soon, I have another less expensive router on hand. If I need this computer for a future setup that involves Cisco or Mikrotik, then it will be harder to repurposing it. My model does not support HDMI output or 4K video, the sound does not work, and there is no Thunderbolt 3 connection, yet the Despite the hard drive and CPU / motherboard being quite slow, they are still quite fast. In the end, it will be a waste of money to simply throw it away The box will be disposed of since it does not have a possible future use. The end user verdict after one month is ****This is a keeper, it has enough hardware to have a luxurious router / firewall toy that has been working really well in terms of home use and small-business use. There are more ports than needed for a firewall router, since the remaining ports will be bridged, but these ports will be usable, depending on the This unit with an HDMI jack and two, or three ethernet ports would be perfectly fine if it was paired with an additional, separate switch unit for the most part. There may be one or two issues with the product in the first year or two, and I will update this review accordingly.

Judah Hull

| Nov 04, 2020

THE UPDATE IS There was an outage in our Comcast service for eight hours on the morning when the appliance ceased In light of that, I am now thinking that someone cut a cable to do construction down the street, or there was a surge or short somewhere in Comcast's network that somehow Appliances are not usually to blame for malfunctions. had intended to give it only four stars since nothing else in my server room got fried, but I realized it was probably the appliance that took the brunt of the heat. I've changed from 4 stars to 5 stars due to the excellent performance of this box, especially at its price. My plan is to purchase a Cat6 surge protector in order to prevent loss This review has already been done Pfsense was working perfectly for a while, but when it reached 6 months in service it wouldn't A second one of these was bought as a backup, and I moved to it. It will not boot from a flash drive, even if you have the PfSense install image on it. I am also unable to run other utilities, and even after replacing the mSATA, I receive the same error. It seems that something went wrong with There were eight people working in my small office at the time It is carrying the load of 10 users, so perhaps that is too much. The one I'm using now needs to be replaced by a more robust.

Veda Silva

| Aug 20, 2021

In my experience, PCs can be highly effective for this task, but I did not want to invest in a large machine that may lack As compared to the manufacturer Since it's branded hardware, I can easily install the software on it and get a better value for my money! The chassis is one big heat sink even though there is no fan on the unit. There is some warmth from the unit, but it is I like it because it is fast! Instant refreshing! The site completely refreshes in a matter of seconds. (American Megatrends) has some of the best BIOS features out there. The installation can be done with either an IODD or a CD/DVD (via USB). Also, it can be a PXE-type device Installation based on the platform. In all seriousness, it took me less than five minutes to get PF However, if you are interested in a newer manufacturer, they are Cisco's 4 port WIC cards for branded firewall systems will use VLANs to manage their ports, much like PF servers running pf. As far as you remember- In pf's branded firewall, the 4860, each port has its own assignment, just as these units do. I find it much easier to manage the process of assigning interfaces and I am sure it makes the CPU less stressed. included is a VESA mount for mounting on the wall. So yes, this unit would be recommended to others. In case you know what you are doing with firewalls, this is certainly a good.

Bennett Berg

| Sep 12, 2020

With this purchase, I am finally able to set up my own home network on a linux server. Personally, I went with ClearOS instead of pfSense, and it worked like a charm. My device is paired with a UniFi Access Point (onboard WiFi isn't strong enough to work as a WiFi access point), a switch, and two internet providers (Connection Fail over is supported by ClearOS), and everything works perfectly. In addition to being overpowered as a router, it has more than enough resources to operate as a fairly powerful gateway server. I have one issue with this device, namely that there's no COM port, so you'll have to use an external VGA monitor and external serial port You can connect a keyboard locally with a USB cable. The majority of people will not care about that, however. You probably won't have any effect on it. It's such a good piece of software that you can stop looking, it's what you need for Linux routers and gateways. Don't delay - go grab yourself that beast of an access point, and say good-bye to network problems forever.

Marlee Decker

| Jun 24, 2021

When used with pfSense, it does the job well and has plenty of power left over. There is an exception in the form of the WiFi card. By ordering the WiFi card I would have known that ordering it would have been pointless since pfSense/FreeBSD does not support 802. 11b. As it stands, there is no 802. 11a model mentioned by the manufacturer. The Ralink RT3070 has 11n (with the I request that you include the exact model number of your WiFi card in your product descriptions.

Paloma Jefferson

| Mar 06, 2021