Introducing the New Netgate 6100

We’re excited to introduce our latest secure networking appliance, the Netgate® 6100, available now for preorder! Over a year in the making (new product introduction is always a journey, but the global pandemic made this one particularly challenging), the product sets a new standard for versatility, connectivity, port density, performance and product integration.

The Netgate 6100 is an ideal edge gateway solution for any organization in need of versatile WAN connectivity (1 to 10 Gbps WAN connections - across RJ45, SFP, and SFP+ ports) and high-performance LAN connectivity (4 discrete, unswitched 2.5 Gbps LAN ports), all in a fanless, desktop package starting at $699 USD.

Its versatility hardly stops with LAN/WAN ports. The Netgate 6100 is designed to run either pfSense® Plus or TNSR® software, enabling it to address a broad range of secure edge networking use cases. Our initial software focus is on pfSense Plus - which provides legendary edge firewall, VPN, and router capabilities. At the same time, customers investing in the product should appreciate that it will soon be available with TNSR - transforming it into a stout BGP edge router with serious VPN throughput. We expect this will grab the attention of businesses and service providers alike - with increasing demand for true 10 Gbps performance under pressing traffic conditions.

At its core, the Netgate 6100 has a 2.2 GHz Quad Core Intel C3558 CPU with integrated QuickAssist Technology, SHA and AES-NI instructions, plus 8 GB of DDR4 memory - leading to a noticeably more performant user experience.

Let’s get into performance specifics: Suited up with pfSense Plus, our track testing shows delivery of 18.7 Gbps L3 routing, 10.1 Gbps firewall performance, 7.9 Gbps NAT handling, or 2.1 Gbps of AES-GCM IPsec VPN throughput - using iPerf3 traffic as a benchmark. In our view, these are excellent figures for a product in this class, especially fanless and at a sub-$700 USD price point.

Further, the product’s physical packaging and environmentals make for even more versatility. The Netgate 6100 comes in a compact form factor (only a bit larger than our recently introduced Netgate 2100), has a quite low power draw, and operates silently at up to 40° C - making it suitable for desktop or wall-mounted placement. Of special note for IT folks - we heard you - we’ve included a dual USB / RJ45 serial port console and locking power connector.

Businesses, educational institutions, government agencies and managed service providers (MSPs) will be hard pressed to find another product on the market in this price range with this level of connectivity, throughput, performance, and deployment flexibility.

We’re still working through the world’s supply chain knothole, but expect to be shipping in volume in just a few weeks. Pre-orders can be placed now. Simply head over to our e-commerce site here, which provides the full rundown of product specifications. As always, if you have a specific question, we can be reached anytime by phone or email. You can also watch our full Inside the Box video featuring the Netgate 6100 here.