How to Install pfSense on a Qotom Mini PC

Installing pfSense on Qotom Mini PC

Qotom multi-LAN Mini PCs are ideal platforms for pfSense, OPNsense, and other open-source firewall/router distributions. Here is a step-by-step guide:

Prerequisites

A Qotom multi-LAN Mini PC (4/6/8 port models recommended)
A USB flash drive (4GB or larger)
pfSense ISO image (download from pfsense.org)
Rufus, balenaEtcher, or dd to write the image

Step 1: Write the Image to USB

Download the AMD64 memstick installer image. Use Rufus (Windows) or dd (Linux/Mac) to write the .img file to your USB drive.

Step 2: Enter BIOS

Connect a monitor and keyboard to your Qotom Mini PC. Power on and press the Delete key to enter BIOS setup.

Step 3: Boot from USB

Press F11 during POST to open the boot menu, then select your USB drive. Alternatively, change the boot order in BIOS to prioritize USB.

Step 4: Install pfSense

Follow the pfSense installer prompts:

Accept the license agreement
Select Install pfSense
Choose the target disk (internal SSD/mSATA)
Select the appropriate partition scheme (GPT for UEFI boot)
Wait for installation to complete
Remove USB drive and reboot

Step 5: Configure Interfaces

After first boot, pfSense will ask you to assign WAN and LAN interfaces. Qotom Intel NICs typically appear as igc0, igc1, igc2, etc. Assign igc0 as WAN and igc1 as LAN.

Tips

Enable hardware crypto acceleration (AES-NI) in System → Advanced → Miscellaneous for VPN performance
All Intel i211/i225/i226 NICs are natively supported by FreeBSD/pfSense
For models with N5105/N100 processors, select UEFI boot mode in BIOS