Strengths: Nice feature set for price, compact unit, familiar Cisco CLI. Excellent choice for remote branch offices requiring VPN/Firewall/Router capabilities.

Weaknesses: Requires SmartNet maintenance contract to obtain Cisco VPN client (limitation for ASA 5505 only), as to obtain latest copy of SSL VPN client. ASDM GUI doesn't always generate cleanest config; CLI is still the way to go if you know it and use the ASDM for stats and monitoring.

Summary: The Cisco ASA 5505 appliance is a good choice for remote branch offices that need any combination of VPN and Firewall capabilities. The routing capabilities of the device are adequate enough. Configuration can be achieved through the ASDM GUI or CLI; the latter is far more powerful if you know it, and the former is adequate but does not always generate the cleanest of configurations. For this model, the lowest end that Cisco has released in the 55XX ASA series, you will need to purchase a SmartNet maintenance contract to download the Cisco VPN client, and any updates to the SSL VPN client. It isn't clear that these pieces of software aren't included with your purchase, since all documentation mentions that up to 10 IPSEC VPNs and 2 SSL VPNs are supported. However, the limitation that the clients aren't included is buried on one page of the Cisco website, if you really dig. All in all, a good security appliance for the price.

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Summary: This item has performed wonderfully and no problems

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Strengths: It is faster than similar SOHO firewalls

Weaknesses: It requires expert knowledge of networking

Summary: Overall the ASA 5505 is a very good firewall/router that is fast, but it does require some networking knowledge to use some of the advanced features

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