R2 - 2.5Gbps Firewall, fully compatible with pfSense and OPNsense - EOL

I bought this mini PC to use as a pfSense firewall, to replace an old device which was over ten years old. While I am an IT professional, I had never used pfSense before...and I am in the early stages of learning the nuances of it. However, there is one problem I experienced right out of the gate...and I think it might be a common one.

When I first configured pfSense, I used igc0 as the LAN interface, and ue0 as the WAN interface. What I didn't know, however, is that pfSense/FreeBSD is known to have issues with Realtek NICs...and I certainly experienced that. The first issue, is that spoofing a MAC address (within pfSense) for that interface made it inoperable. I should have seen that as a red flag, but I pressed forward without the spoofing. When I was finished configuring and put the firewall in place, it worked...but the network throughput of that ue0 interface was much slower than it should have been (15% to 20% of normal).
I ended up ditching the ue0 interface, and used igc1 for the WAN instead...and it's all good (MAC address spoofing works properly as well, although I decided against using it).
Perhaps this "review" might help someone else avoid the problem I had. At the very least, perhaps the picture with the "interface order" will be helpful for someone.

Just today the R2 reach me and yes
great piece of Hardware !!!

The workmanship is very delicate, the quality control is perfect, and the accessories are complete. Only you can't think of it, the boss can't do it. I can only say that you're lucky to get it. I'll give a brief review first and then add it later.

I recently purchased my first mini PC. Although the wait for the pre-order was a bit long, it was worth it.

First, let's talk about the exterior design. It is small and delicate, convenient and does not take up space. It has a good weight, sufficient materials, and excellent surface finishing technology, which is relatively delicate. The passive heat dissipation of the SSD and the full copper PWM heat dissipation of the CPU are both worthy of praise. The entire case will also conduct heat, which is hot to the touch, but it is not a problem for the machine, and the fan is very quiet.

Then the N300 performance is not weak, enough for me to tinker, SSD supports dual protocols, and can still insert a wireless network card inside, and the power supply can also be used with a mobile phone charger. In short, it is basically all-powerful. I give the boss a thumbs up for his attitude of striving for perfection and details.

No machine is perfect. Finally, I would like to point out some minor flaws. The high-speed data port and audio port (two Type-Cs) of the machine I received are slightly tilted to the right, although it does not affect the connection. The DC to Type-C power adapter cable included in the accessories has a slightly worse feel. The cable looks thick, but the wire core and the sheath seem to be separated, and it is not easy to bend. Small problems, can be ignored.

I hope this is helpful. Overall, it is excellent, satisfactory, and highly recommended!

After purchasing the R1, I repurchased the R2. The two little guys are clearly more stylish. I tested the integrated graphics card directly connected to the virtual Windows and solved the problems of HDMI no sound and no startup screen for N5105/N6005. The temperature control performance is much better than that of the previous generation products. The fan noise is also much smaller. It was a very pleasant shopping experience. Although the waiting time was a bit long, it was worth it. I look forward to the early release of R3.