What hardware to buy for OPNsense router in 2024

This article was last updated on January 1, 2024

We sell a lot of open-source hardware. Most of our customers prefer OPNSense, the most popular open-source operating system for routers. The question we often get is "What hardware should I get for OPNSense?".

Not everyone's needs are the same, but here are some requirements any hardware must fulfil.

  • CPU should support AES-NI if you plan to use VPN
  • CPU must be powerful enough to route your internet traffic (depending on your connection requirements)
  • CPU should be 64bit Intel or AMD (you probably don't want 32-bit ARM CPUs)
  • RAM - you must have enough for the packages you want to run. (minimum 2GB)
  • NICs - LAN ports should be coming from Intel. OPNsense still doesn't perform great with Realtec Network Interfaces.
  • WiFi - OPNsense supports a very limited number of WiFi adapters. If you plan to use WiFi, get the right adapter. 

Minimum OPNsense hardware requirements

CPU 1.0 GHz dual core
RAM 2GB
NICs minimum 2 Intel network adapters
Storage 4GB SD card (SSD preferred)

 

Reasonable OPNsense hardware requirements

CPU 1.0 GHz dual core
RAM 4GB
NICs minimum 2 Intel network adapters (more preferred)
Storage 16GB SSD


Recommended OPNsense hardware requirements

CPU 1.5 GHz dual core
RAM 8GB
NICs minimum 2 Intel network adapters (more preferred)
Storage 120GB SSD


All hardware sold by TekLager has AES-NI support and Intel NICs.


OPNSense firewall appliance recommendations

Cheap OPNSense box - APU2E4

APU is a well-known, reliable hardware manufactured by the Swiss company PC Engines. APU2, APU3 and APU4 routers are the most popular hardware firewalls we sell at TekLager. This is the cheapest OPNSense router we sell but don't be deceived; it's a very capable firewall for a home or small office.

Tip: in most applications, this box will perform just as well as the more expensive versions.

APU2E4 router

  • CPU: 4 core, 1.0/1.4Ghz AMD GX-412TC (with AES-NI) 
  • RAM: 4GB DDR3-1333 ECC DRAM
  • NIC: 3x Gigabit Intel i210AT
  • Storage: 16GB mSata SSD
  • Routing throughput: ~750Mbit/1Gbit  (1 connection / multiple connections)
  • VPN: ~100Mbit with OpenVPN, ~400Mbit with WireGuard. (~600Mbit/s with Debian)
  • Cooling: Passive, fanless cooling.
  • Power consumption: 6-10W - very low power consumption

See the full specification here: APU2E4 router 

This hardware is definitely good enough for home usage. It's passively cooled, so it's completely silent. 

Our favorite thing about APU routers is that they are 100% silent, cheap, powerful enough and super reliable. 

APU2E4_ROUTER

APU2E4: 3x Gigabit LAN, Quad Core CPU, 16GB SSD, 4GB RAM

 TekLager PC Engines APU2E4 is a state of the art router / firewall for office or home. Ships pre-configured, optimized and ready to use. Compatible with pfSense, IPFire, OPNSense and others.

2,268 SEK

(2,835 incl. SE 25% VAT)
2,268 SEK 2099-01-01

( about $224 USD)

 

TLSense J6412 OPNSense router (most popular)

For those who would like to have a bit better CPU or mote LAN ports, we recommend TLSense J6412, which is one step up from APU. It has 5x intel 2.5Gbps NICs, more storage, a more performant Intel Celeron J6412 CPU and 4-32GB of RAM.

  • CPU: 4 core, 2.0/2.6Ghz Intel J6412 (with AES-NI) 
  • RAM: 8GB DDR4-2400 DRAM (Max: 32G)
  • NIC: 5x 2.5Gbps Intel i225V
  • Storage: 16GB mSata SSD (Max: 2-3TB)
  • Routing throughput: 2.5Gbps on OPNSense. 
  • VPN: ~1Gbps with OpenVPN, ~2.0Gbps with WireGuard
  • Cooling: Passive, fanless cooling.
  • Power consumption: 6-10W - very low power consumption

See the full specification here: J6412

This configuration is very popular. Ability to extend RAM and SSD ensures that this hardware will last you for a long time.

TLSENSE_J4125V3

TLSense J4125v3: 5x 2.5Gbit LAN, J4125 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD

 TekLager TLSense J4125 v3: 5x 2.5Gbit LAN, J4125 CPU

3,203 SEK

(4,003.75 incl. SE 25% VAT)
3,203 SEK 2099-01-01

( about $304 USD)

​TLSense - the high-end performance

TLSense 10210U is a powerful box. It's great if you plan to use IDS/IPS packages such as Suricata or Snort for Intrusion detection and prevention. It's also a perfect choice for a VPN gateway.

This hardware is popular with customers who have a 1Gbps or 2.5Gbps internet connection and want to utilize the full throughput over OpenVPN or IPSec. This hardware is also suitable for Proxmox or VMware to run multiple Virtual Machines. 

It has a powerful 10th-generation Intel Core 10210U CPU, 16-64GB of RAM, and up to 1TB NVMe SSD. In addition, it comes with 6x 2.5Gbps Intel LAN ports and an HDMI port.

  • CPU: CPU: 10th generation Intel Core i5 1021U Quad-Core, 8 threads, Up To 4.2GHz. 
  • RAM: 16GB (2133/2400MHz)
  • NIC: 6x 2.5Gbps Intel i225-V rev3 (supported by pfSense)
  • Storage: up to 1TB NVMe SSD (accepts regular SATA drives as well)
  • Routing throughput: 2.5 Gigabit on pfSense, and other operating systems
  • VPN: Over 1Gbit over OpenVPN, 2.5Gbit over WireGuard. 
  • Cooling: Passive, fanless cooling. 0 noise

 

TLSENSE-10210U

TLSense 10210U: 6x 2.5Gbps LAN, 10th gen i5 CPU, 256GB NVMe SSD, 16GB RAM

 TekLager TLSense 10210U: 6x 2.5Gbps LAN, 10th gen i5 CPU,

5,635 SEK

(7,043.75 incl. SE 25% VAT)
5,635 SEK 2099-01-01

( about $734 USD)

If you are looking for 10Gbit hardware, see the fanless TLSense C3558R or the rack TLSense 1U W-1290.

If you are looking for something else, see other models.

Cheers!