Upgrade the Firewalla Gold
So it looks pretty easy to upgrade the hard drive and upgrade the ram in the firewalla gold. will I see any benefit or is the software tuned to use only the 4gb and 32gb ssd. The more space and ram will allow for more dockers, like unifi, and pi-hole
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The 32GB is embedded in the system.
We have a write up and what's inside the unit, you can take a look https://help.firewalla.com/hc/en-us/articles/360050777594-Firewalla-Gold-Inside-The-Box
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We have not officially installed an additional HD. But, in theory, if you just did that, the onboard disk should boot first and then you probably can mount the HD as an additional storage device. Which means, you may not need to move data to the new HD.
Memory is the same, you should be able to upgrade. The N3160 is an embedded processor, so its memory is limited to 8GB.
//disclaimer, we do not encourage modifications to hardware, in case anything goes wrong, we are not responsible for that action.
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@Firewalla,
Cutting cost? Aren’t we at the end paying for the hardware? If there’s a possibility to make it better why the restrictions?
Firewalla Gold is a computer and it’s easy to upgrade like any laptop.. I wonder why laptop vendors doesn’t void warranties because their clients upgraded their RAMs..
I understand some people aren’t tech savvy, but some are they like to tinker and make their devices performs better.
I also understand, ppl could open tickets for incompatibility issue while upgrading their Rams for example. But you could ask them to put back the original RAM and resume with the troubleshooting..I wish if you consider, adding external devices like Wifi or allow to add an Ethernet over the USB to gain more ports.. Just thoughts 💭
You can look for hardwares that would be compatible and has a superb performance and sell it as add-ons for the FWG. -
Upgrading RAM to 8GB is simple and mine works like a charm. I’ve also installed a second internal HD, that requires a little more technical know how. There is a post on the the forums that explains how to do it. But I do understand Firewalla’s position about customers tinkering inside.
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Here’s the link
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Ran into this thread on a search, and I would like to add that the FTC states that a company voiding a warranty or stating they will void a warranty just by opening the device is prohibited by law (Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act).
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**I am not actually replacing the RAM module in my Firewalla, just in case that's not allowed. The below is simply a hypothetical situation....**
Well, I just bought the following: https://www.crucial.com/memory/ddr3/ct102464bf160b
Fingers crossed it works / it's the correct one. I'm going off a reddit article here.
I've been reading through the thread and would be perfectly fine paying an upcharge to get an 8gb model shipped. Personally, I would've paid up to $50 extra to avoid doing what I'm doing. Suggested marketing could be that the 4GB model is for home users and the 8gb model is for business, commercial, power user applications. Personally, I host a secure file transfer site using my firewalla, along with an entire household of internet devices (over 75) with a constant through-put.
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@Firewalla admins / moderators if you're watching, the following only happened in my dreams. I would never dare to breach or void a warranty by opening the box. Also, that image that you see -- yeah that's your imagination ;)
This model of RAM is the correct one. I purchased through Amazon, but you should buy directly from crucial if you can to avoid Amazon taking a 15% fee. https://www.crucial.com/memory/ddr3/ct102464bf160b
It took about 5 minutes, simply remove the screws from the bottom, gently push the two sprockets holding the ram in place to the side, allow the stick to slide upwards to about a 45 degree angle and remove it. Re-insert the new stick in the same, but reverse manner of course. DO NOT TOUCH THE GOLD PARTS. AND WASH YOUR HANDS FROM ANY OILS PRIOR TO TOUCHING ELECTONIC COMPONENTS IN GENERAL!
Put the screws back on, plug it back in, and off you go. I'm now able to maintain a constant throughput of about 700Mbps without it crashing or lagging. I also noticed the app load times are much quicker. Like I open the app and bam. I would like to see future Firewalla's come with an option to purchase a premium model. Personally, I would have been more than okay with paying an additional $50 for a premium Gold. Please remember to upvote this post if you found it helpful!
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Edit: You're using Htop... nice
@GamerZer0
What command did you use to get to that pretty display of memory?? I've been using 'free' and it displays as pure text....But you bring up some valid points. Although I notice what seem like "improvements" in performance, I have yet to see the Gold go above 3000000 units of memory
This is my usage under low stress, I'll have to look again when my secure file transfer servers spin up on Monday morning.
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I used the htop command... I remembered seeing it in one YouTube video... so I googled around and found it.
Some useful links below...
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/htop-command-in-linux-with-examples/
https://linuxtogether.org/htop-command-explanation/
https://www.linuxfordevices.com/tutorials/linux/htop-command-in-linux
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I also upgraded to 8GB. Quick photo guide for the curious techie.
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Just wanted to say I got a 16GB stick of DDR4 3200MHz C22 SODIMM working on the FWG plus. A single 16gb from a kit of https://www.bestbuy.com/site/crucial-32gb-kit-2x16gb-ddr4-3200mhz-c22-sodimm-laptop-memory-kit-green/6462508.p?skuId=6462508.
Full memory specs:
I wondered if the single 32gb would work, but I wasn't ready to sink that much money in if it didnt. But I suspect it would support it, I checked with
sudo dmidecode --type memory
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Perfect timing for this update post @Samuel Samford! Glad to see you got a 16GB chip to work - and I will know by tomorrow if a single 32GB works. Picked up a Corsair Vengeance one off Amazon. I'll post back here with an update once I have figured out if it works or not!
(also, Amazon does still offer free returns on RAM too, so no money lost if it doesn't work - since you mentioned not wanting to sink that much money into it if it didn't work)
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Can confirm the current generation FWG+ runs like a charm on a single 32GB DDR4 chip. The one I ended up getting is the Corsair Vengeance CMSX32GX4M1A3200C22
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I just installed 16GB CORSAIR Vengeance SODIMM DDR4 can confirm that it works as well on Firewalla gold plus with the J4125 cpu. only issue this ram is 3200MHz however its showing speed as 2400MT/s. I'm not sure if there is a way to get the full speed out of it, but definitely noticed the Firewalla app is a lot snappier. Transitioning from one page to another is almost immediate. I was utilizing 85% of the 4GB that came with the gold plus. I still have to put it through its paces but so far am extremely satisfied with my decision to upgrade the ram. only regret not going with the 32GB out of the gate but I doubt I will ever have to use more then 8GB in the near future.
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I haven’t used the software in a while so this might have changed, but if I remember correctly, didn’t they basically prevent any RAM upgrades from being useful by preallocating any additional ram to non-used RAM disks and also prevent reinstallation of the software for systems not matching the standard RAM size? It’s been a while but did want to inquire about this issue and let other know before they waste money on a RAM upgrade.
I think these were basically artificial software limitations to provide planned obsolescence to their device that would require purchase of a new device somewhere down the line.
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