Kingnovy’s “Firewall Micro Appliance” is a compact fanless computer designed to be used as a router or other internet appliance, thanks to the inclusion of six 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports.
But it’s also a pretty versatile system for folks looking to build their own networking system, thanks to an Intel Gemini Lake Refresh processor, support for up to 32GB of RAM and dual storage devices, and support for a range of open source operating systems.
As spotted by FanlessTech, the system is available from Amazon with prices starting at under $300 for a barebones model.
For a limited time you may also be able to save $35 by clipping an on-page coupon.
The box has an aluminum alloy chassis that measures 155 x 124 x 53mm (6.1″ x 4.9″ x 2.1″) and under the hood it features an Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core processor, two SODIMM slots for up to 32GB of DDR4-2400 dual-channel memory, and an mSATA socket and 2.5″ SATA drive bay for a hard drive or solid state drive.
In addition to the six Ethernet ports, the device has an mPCIe socket that can be used to add an optional wireless card for WiFi, Bluetooth, and/or cellular data (there’s also a SIM card slot in case you want to add a 4G modem).
Other ports include:
- 1 x HDMI 2.0
- 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A
- 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A
- 1 x RS-232 COM
According to the Amazon product listing, the system is compatible with Openwrt, pfSense, and OPNsense software for folks looking to use it as a router and/or firewall, among other things. But since it’s basically a computer with an x86 processor, you should also be able to run Windows 10, Windows 11, or most desktop GNU/Linux distributions on the computer.
CNX-Software noticed that the same computer/internet appliance is available from AliExpress for $230 and up, with a notice that systems configured with memory and storage will ship with pfSense pre-installed by default, but that customers can request a different operating system.
I’d proceed with caution if ordering from AliExpress though, as some of the photos in that listing don’t match the specs detailed in the product description.
This post has been updated to reflect price changes at Amazon. An earlier version of the article said that the appliance was priced at under $275, but pricing may vary over time.Â
Only errata processors and presumably single memory slot.
You can see two SO-DIMMS in one of the pictures.
I’ve had something pretty much the same as this for about five years, and it’s been a great little edge router running pfsense for my home network.
These should be good enough for folks wanting a simple FW/Router combo but the J4125 will quickly run out of horsepower when running a lot of intrusion protection and VPN loads. I really wish they would offer these with a Ryzen processor or at least an Intel i5 4c8t but unfortunately those miniPCs tend to top out at 2 ethernet ports.
Exactly. There is no point in 2.5 Gbps with such CPU and single memory channel.
On AliExpress there are options with Core i7, but they are obviously pricier.