There isn't a good 1:1 comparison until newer models are available. Protectli is using a different ODM for newer systems and I can't compare the AE vs. VAR prices. I've been told that they'll be releasing additional systems in August and September too.
Well if we are talking about the exactly same hardware, then the only comparison 1:1 that you can do is if you compare Protectli with YangLing which is the ODM...
For me this difference is about 100 bucks if i buy strait from YangLing instead of buying from Protectli, without taxes and etc ofc
.! In other words, if i buy strait from the ODM which is YangLing ill pay US$ 240,55 for the F4WB bare bones model and if i buy from Protectli it will be US$ 339,00 and again without including taxes and etc.
But to illustrate better what i mean, lets use this as an example:
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com
Its US$ 160,00 for a x86 router with a j4125 + 2.5Gb which is much less than the US$ 230,00 that you used for your calculations as base price while comparing a system using a j3160 + 1Gb ports + M-Sata and etc from Protectli, against a system using a n5105 or above + 2.5Gb ports + NVME and etc from Aliexpress.
What i mean is that this J4125 system already has better hardware than the FW4B and its cheaper than the N5105 systems and above, so if you want to do a comparison of Cost x Benefit between an Aliexpress system and the FW4B system from Protectli, then you should start either with a system with the same CPU or the closest thing, which is the J4125 so the calculation should start at US$160,00 and not at U$$230,00, and that's what i mean
PS: There are even cheaper j4125 models than this one that i've found for US$ 160,00
The only thing you might need to buy for a j4125 system is a power supply since from what i saw so far from people who got them, is that they don't get hot at all! So a fan is not needed...
So if we do the calculations using this j4125 bare bones system which is US$ 160,00 + US$ 30,00 for a power supply, then we have US$ 190,00 which is almost half of the price for the FW4B bare bones which has inferior CPU and ports.
The only advantage Protectli has here is the coreboot support, and according to you a better warranty\better support.
The J3160 running OPNsense can handle 1Gbps without too many additional packages. At that speed, there's no practical benefit from the 2.5Gbps links. I have 1Gbps fiber and use a fair number of rules with fq_codel shaping. That pegs the CPU, but it works. I'd like to run IDS and more reporting, but memory and cpu limits slow things down too much.
Well the thing is that each person will have a different use, necessity and/or want to do something with it just because they want to do it, so just because the j3160 is enough for you, it might not be enough for someone else...
I see ppl that will host more than only a router system on their x86, in other words, it will have more than one function. I even see ppl from my own country doing load balance / link aggregation of over gigabit speeds of like 1.5 Gb or more, ppl that want to use snort, suricata and other things for security and etc.
From what I understand, the only reason ODMs have started using the i225 is because the i210/i211 are no longer available. Someone else in this thread pointed out that the 6x PCIe 2.0 links on a J4125 to the i225 would only provide ~ 2.0Gbps. The N5095/N5105/N6005 have 8 lanes and PCIe 3.x though.
I can't say anything for sure about any of this information and for the hypothetical max speeds based on the PCIe situation of the j4125, well the only thing i can say is that 2 Gb is still > than 1Gb.
If the included power supply can't be trusted, do you want to use it somewhere else? I'd wager not.
I'm assuming that any accessories or additional purposes will stay with the system. When I upgrade my current router I'm going to put it at my partner's home or pass it on to a friend. If I had a AliExpress system, I'd pass on the additional power supply and cooling since they're required for the system to run properly.
Well when i buy one of these systems and then later when pass it or resell it to someone else, then i either charge the person to include the upgraded power supply and noctua fan(cause like i said they are good quality, can be repurposed be myself and i had to pay more for them) or i keep them for myself to reuse\repurpose them, and then i warn the person who is getting the system that the original power supply that came with it is not good and that it needs a fan
If its something of good quality that i can reuse\repurpose, then i won't give it for free for sure
... Unless its for a person that is a really good friend of mine and\or that owe something to.
So this way, the extra price payed for the power supply and fan had a really good cost-benefit ratio when reusing them or i get most if not all of my money back when reselling them...
I haven't tested the Ktec power adapter, but the wall wart is cool to touch so it's not wasting too much power. Next time I have an excuse to shut down the system I'll plug it into a Kill-a-Watt to see how much it's pulling from the wall.
Thanks for the info and ill wait those results
US and European companies are subject to stricter customer protection laws than companies on AliExpress. This carries over to the support options. I don't know how expensive or fast it is to ship between the US and Brazil, but I would think it's on par with China to Brazil?
The time for a something to arrive from the USA to Brazil, i cant say for sure! Since i never brought anything coming from there
Why? Cause the import tax of anything coming from the USA is an absurd, Its like paying for the product twice or eve more than twice the price.
For me and from china, it takes usually about 15 to 30 days and the shipping price for 90% of things in aliexpress is free. Another reason is that things that i buy from aliexpress and because the way the shipping works from china, the chance of not paying any import taxes is high unless its smartphone or something like it.
Regarding Protectli's support, I have some experience. I purchased a FW4B (J3160) system with 8G RAM and 120G SSD for $340 from Amazon in late 2020. After only a month or two I had to RMA the drive in my system. They asked for logs and I sent them output from the syslog and smartctl. They sent a new drive which arrived 2 days later.
Good info, thanks
Assuming that you bought a system with memory and ssd from AE, the base price would have been about $300, closer to $350 with a new power supply and a fan. Buying a replacement drive would have cost about $30, bringing the AliExpress system price up to $380.
Sry and again, what kinda of calculation are you doing? Cause the one that i did, has completely different prices...
PS: We also can't use prices from 2 years ago.
J4125 system from aliexpress in 2022 with 8GB ram and 128GB SSD:
N5105 V3 system from aliexpress in 2022 with 8GB ram and 128GB NVME SSD:
FW4B system from Protectli in 2022 with 8GB ram and 120GB SSD:
On amazon its even worse, since its US$ 500,00 for the F4WB.
Se that amazing import tax and fees? LMAO.
I hope I'm not coming across as a shill for Protectli, but their hardware is the most comparable to AliExpress systems. The only connection I have is that I own an FW4B, and I recently emailed them about the newer systems and they were able to give me a few hand-wavy answers about future plans.
You are not, don't worry! I am just brain storming possibilities, information, facts and etc with you