Sophos XGS 118w XW118Z00ZZPCUS firewall appliance 9×2.5GbE Wi-Fi 6 8GB LPDDR5 64GB

Desktop firewall with Wi-Fi 6

The Sophos XGS 118w is a desktop network security appliance designed for small offices and branch locations that need wired and wireless protection in one unit. It combines nine 2.5GBase-T ports, one SFP uplink and an integrated Wi-Fi 6 radio with 8 GB LPDDR5 memory and 64 GB UFS 2.1 storage. The fanless chassis suits noise-sensitive environments while delivering up to 15.14 Gbit/s firewall throughput.

Installation and common issues

The appliance ships with a COM RJ45 cable and a COM Micro-USB cable for initial console access, plus front USB 2.0 and rear USB 3.0 ports for auxiliary devices. Because the unit is fanless, ensure the 44 mm height clearance allows passive airflow; obstructed vents are the main cause of thermal throttling. Licenses for threat protection, TLS 1.3 inspection and SD-WAN orchestration must be activated before the corresponding throughput figures apply.

Throughput limits of 2.5G and Wi-Fi 6

Each copper port caps at 2.5 Gbit/s, so aggregate LAN traffic cannot exceed that per link. Wi-Fi 6 performance depends on client capability and RF conditions; the radio follows IEEE 802.11ax but real-world rates will be lower. Inspection-heavy features such as TLS 1.3 decryption and IPS reduce usable throughput to the published 1 100 Mbps and 3 500 Mbps respectively, so plan capacity around those numbers.