FortiGate sizing guide
Which FortiGate do I need? 30G, 50G, 70G and 90G compared on threat-protection throughput, ports, PoE and sessions, plus the sizing rules we use.
Resources
Network and FortiGate guides for people who run networks.
Sourced guides written by Jeff Johnson, the Cisco-, Fortinet- and CompTIA-certified engineer who does the work. They answer the questions we get on calls: which FortiGate to buy and what it costs, what a managed firewall should cost, what to do before a firewall stops getting security fixes, how to move off SSL-VPN, how FortiGate compares with Sophos, SonicWall and Meraki, and what Cambium Networks owners do now. No email address required. Read them, keep them, send them to your IT provider.
FortiGate planning and buying
Start here if you are buying or replacing a FortiGate: which model fits your office, what it costs by part number, what a managed firewall should cost per month, and what to do before Fortinet stops fixing security holes in your model.
Managed firewall cost
Managed firewall cost in 2026: $325 to $1,475 per appliance per month, with sources. Our published plans: $695, $1,295 and $1,795 per site per month.
FortiGate models and pricing
FortiGate price list, 30G to 3800G: Fortinet list prices by part number, datasheet specs and which model fits a small office, campus or data center.
FortiGate end-of-life replacement
FortiGate end of life dates from Fortinet's notices: 60E support ends Dec. 29, 2026, 100E has ended, 60F end of order Jan. 13, 2027, support to 2032.
SSL-VPN and ZTNA migration guides
FortiOS 7.6.3 removed SSL VPN tunnel mode from every FortiGate. These guides cover moving remote access to IPsec or ZTNA, which checks who and what device for every app instead of handing over the whole network. The work is quoted after a short review of your users, rules and applications.
SSL-VPN migration guide
FortiOS 7.6.3 removed FortiGate SSL VPN tunnel mode. Moving remote users to IPsec IKEv2, Agentless VPN or ZTNA, with SAML/MFA kept. Sacramento, Bay Area.
VPN to ZTNA migration guide
Step-by-step VPN to ZTNA migration on FortiGate: inventory, SAML and MFA, EMS posture tags, per-app rules, pilot, cutover. Plan four to six weeks.
Firewall and SD-WAN comparisons
How FortiGate compares with Sophos, SonicWall and Meraki when an appliance reaches end of life or a license lapses, what converts, and what a fixed-fee migration from $6,500 covers. The SD-WAN comparison puts Fortinet, Cisco Catalyst, HPE Aruba EdgeConnect, Palo Alto Prisma and Meraki side by side, checked against vendor documentation.
Sophos alternative
Sophos UTM alternative: SG hit end of life 2026-06-30. FortiGate vs Sophos XGS, what converts, and a fixed-fee migration from $6,500 with rollback.
SonicWall alternative
SonicWall alternative: Gen 6 lost support 2026-08-01 and 2026-10-01. FortiGate vs SonicWall Gen 7 for SMBs, and a fixed-fee migration from $6,500.
Meraki alternative
On co-term or per-device licensing, Meraki MX stops passing traffic 30 days after a lapse; MX64/MX65 are end of life. FortiGate vs MX, migration from $6,500.
Fortinet vs Meraki
FortiGate vs Meraki MX: management, licensing, what happens at license expiry, security inspection, SD-WAN and which fits a small or multi-site business.
SD-WAN comparison: five vendors side by side
Fortinet, Cisco Catalyst, HPE Aruba EdgeConnect, Palo Alto Prisma and Meraki MX SD-WAN compared: security, licensing, per-packet, cloud dependency.
Cambium Networks owners
Cambium Networks Ltd is in UK administration. These guides cover who owns each product line now, what still works, what to archive before the portals change, and how to move cnMaestro on-premises.
Independent Cambium support
Can you still open a Cambium ticket, RMA or renew Cambium Care? Official routes, Airspan vs Univastu-owned lines, and independent help from $225/hr.
Who owns each Cambium product line
Who bought Cambium Networks? Airspan took PMP 450, PTP 670/700, cnWave; Univastu bought ePMP, Enterprise Wi-Fi/switching and cnMaestro on 2026-10-14.
Cambium firmware and licenses: what to save
Where to download Cambium firmware today, and how to save ePMP, PMP and cnPilot license keys, LINKPlanner projects and warranty records. Dated checklist.
cnMaestro On-Premises migration runbook
Step-by-step cnMaestro On-Premises 6.0 migration: Cloud Anchor, 90-day X trial, re-pointing APs, ‘Waiting for subscription’ fixes, what does not migrate.
Cambium Networks administration: what owners do now
Cambium Networks Ltd is in UK administration. Who bought which product lines, what still works, and what ePMP, PMP, cnPilot and cnMaestro owners do now.
cnMaestro Cloud after October 31: four options
cnMaestro Cloud after October 31, 2026: stay on cloud, go On-Premises, use a hosted provider, or replace hardware. Costs, gotchas, what to export now.
When a guide is not enough
Want us to look at your network instead?
A Network Risk Assessment is $3,500 for a single small site; larger networks are priced on the assessment pricing page. You get a report, a network diagram and a 30/60/90-day roadmap. It is yours to keep. See a sample report (PDF). Firewall migration is a fixed fee from $6,500. If you want the network run for you afterwards, managed plans start at $695 per site per month as a Sacramento Fortinet MSP or Fortinet MSP in San Francisco. Cambium owners: start on the Cambium network rescue page.