Netgate 3100 EOL

Networking & Firewalls
1

I recently received an update from Netgate regarding my beloved sg3100 which is slated for EOL more or less right now. I will be replacing that device with another Netgate appliance, but the question is will the 2100 suffice, or is the 4100 the way to go? It seems to me that the 3100 was perfect for a home “power user”, but the 2100 seems to have a slower (newer) processor but does have more memory. It also seems that throughput is down as well compared to the 3100, which may not matter to me though. The 4100 seems to be a significant jump in resources as well as cost, but the flexibility is very tantalizing. I dont want to have to replace either thing in another 3-4 years either but that may be out of my control so an extra ~300$ for the 4100 might be worth spending if there is a ~5 year return tbh.

My use case is more or less work from home with video streaming and some online gaming (seems to be less and less as the days go on unfortunately). I do work in IT so the premise of a “home lab” is always a possibility

What are everyone’s thoughts or opinions on this? I could not locate a good topic on this already.

2

I would go with the 4100 as it’s likely to last longer for you if your needs expand.

3

Thanks Tom. Order placed for a 4100!

1 Like
4

I also have a obsolete 3100. Is the ARM based 2100 more susceptible to obsolescence than the the Atom based 4100? The 2100 probably meets my limited needs, but I would be willing to invest in a more expensive unit with a longer service life vs multiple cheaper units

5

I’m curious. Why are you guys getting rid of the 3100s? Are they not coping with the demand or is there another reason?

6

Maybe becuase it’s EOL and therefore won’t receive any more updates.

7

Apologies, I had been told by Netgate that they will push updates for EOL devices but then further down in the email they mention that they can’t do it for the 1000 or 3100.

8

The 3100 is a great device too btw so I was disappointed in the email from Netgate and would likely function for my purposes for many more years, but the hardware / firmware is one CVE away from being junk though.

Gone are the days of “supported” hardware that lasts ~15 years. I feel like my company throws away more dell r7xx series servers every day. The OS vendors lifecycle is likely another soapbox / thread on here to be fair.

I paid the extra $$ and got the 4100. Im sure the 2100 would have been just fine for me, but do like increase versatility of the 4100/6100 chassis and hardware.