Cisco Secure Firewall 3105 vs 3110
Both are mid-range Secure Firewall 3100 Series appliances, but the 3110 delivers about 70-80% more throughput (18G firewall, 17G threat) and higher session and VPN scaling than the 3105 (10G across the board). Choose the 3105 for the Internet edge of mid-size sites, and the 3110 when you need more headroom or larger VPN deployments.
Cisco Secure Firewall 3105
Entry model of the 3100 Series mid-range NGFW family with 10G-class throughput.
- 10G firewall, 10G FW+AVC+IPS (threat), 10G NGIPS
- 5.5 Gbps IPsec VPN, up to 2,000 VPN peers
- 1.5 million concurrent sessions with AVC
- 8x RJ45 + 8x 1/10G SFP+; runs FTD or ASA
Cisco Secure Firewall 3110
Step-up 3100 Series NGFW with higher throughput and VPN scale than the 3105.
- 18G firewall, 17G FW+AVC+IPS (threat), 17G NGIPS
- 8 Gbps IPsec VPN (11G projected with VPN offload), up to 3,000 VPN peers
- 2 million concurrent sessions with AVC
- 8x RJ45 + 8x 1/10G SFP+; runs FTD or ASA
Cisco Secure Firewall 3105 vs Cisco Secure Firewall 3110: spec comparison
| Spec | Cisco Secure Firewall 3105 | Cisco Secure Firewall 3110 |
|---|---|---|
| FW + AVC throughput (1024B) | 10 Gbps | 18 Gbps |
| FW + AVC + IPS (threat) throughput | 10 Gbps | 17 Gbps |
| NGIPS throughput (1024B) | 10 Gbps | 17 Gbps |
| IPsec VPN throughput | 5.5 Gbps | 8 Gbps (11G with VPN offload) |
| Max concurrent sessions (AVC) | 1.5 million | 2 million |
| New connections/sec (AVC) | 90,000 | 130,000 |
| Max VPN peers | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| TLS throughput | 3.2 Gbps | 4.8 Gbps |
| Interfaces | 8x RJ45 + 8x 1/10G SFP+ | 8x RJ45 + 8x 1/10G SFP+ |
| Optional interfaces | 10G SFP+ | 10G SFP+ |
| Software | FTD or ASA | FTD or ASA |
Choose Cisco Secure Firewall 3105 if
Choose the 3105 for the Internet edge of mid-size organizations where 10G of firewall and threat throughput and up to 2,000 VPN peers are sufficient. It is the most cost-effective entry into the 3100 Series and shares the same interfaces as the 3110.
Choose Cisco Secure Firewall 3110 if
Choose the 3110 when you want more headroom: roughly 70-80% higher firewall and threat throughput, 2 million sessions, higher new-connection rates, and up to 3,000 VPN peers. It is the safer pick for growing sites or heavier remote-access loads.
Verdict
The 3105 and 3110 share identical interfaces and software, so this is a capacity decision. The 3105 covers most mid-size Internet-edge use cases at the lowest 3100-Series price, while the 3110 buys substantial throughput and VPN headroom for growth. If your traffic is near 10G today, step up to the 3110 to avoid an early forklift.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the Secure Firewall 3105 and 3110?
The 3110 offers higher performance: 18G firewall and 17G threat throughput versus 10G on the 3105, plus 2 million sessions, 130,000 new connections/sec, and up to 3,000 VPN peers. Interfaces and software are otherwise the same.
Do the 3105 and 3110 support VPN offload?
Yes. With VPN offload on supported FTD/ASA releases the 3110's projected IPsec VPN throughput rises to about 11 Gbps. The 3105's listed IPsec VPN throughput is 5.5 Gbps.
Can the 3100 Series run ASA software?
Yes. Every 3100 Series model, including the 3105 and 3110, can run either Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) or the ASA image, which eases migration from older ASA platforms.
How many remote-access VPN users does each support?
The 3105 supports up to 2,000 VPN peers and the 3110 up to 3,000. For larger remote workforces, the 3120, 3130, and 3140 scale to 7,000, 15,000, and 20,000 respectively.
More Security comparisons
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