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pfSense and OPNsense Reviews
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Topic starter
19/07/2026 10:49 pm
Hey everyone! I'm setting up a new OPNsense box and trying to be a bit more eco-conscious (and lower the electricity bill 😅).
I see a lot of people using Protectli or other mini PCs, but I have a spare Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB) and was wondering about using that. I know x86 is more common, but ARM should be more power efficient, right?
Has anyone actually measured the power draw difference? My current old mini PC pulls about 12W idle. I'm hoping the RPi4 with a USB 3 to NIC adapter would be under 5W. Looking for real numbers before I commit to buying the extra hardware.
Also, any major downsides to OPNsense on ARM for a simple home setup? I just do VLANs, WireGuard, and basic firewall rules.