Fortinet FortiGate 1800F-LENC Firewall, Hardware Only, Low Encryption (FG-1800F-LENC)

The FortiGate 1800F-LENC exists for one reason: some government and public-sector buyers are legally restricted from importing full-strength cryptography. The FG-1800F-LENC carries the same 2RU chassis, NP7/CP9 acceleration, and 198 Gbps firewall throughput as the standard FortiGate 1800F, but ships under a Low Encryption license that caps VPN and SSL cryptography to meet those import controls.

What’s in the Box

The FG-1800F-LENC ships as hardware only, license not included. The package includes the appliance, dual hot-swappable AC power supplies, and two SFP+ SR transceivers. Add FortiGuard subscriptions separately once the deployment’s encryption posture is confirmed; the Low Encryption restriction applies at the hardware/firmware level regardless of which FortiGuard services are layered on afterward.

Where the LENC Variant Fits

Firewall throughput, IPS performance, and port density on the FG-1800F-LENC match the standard FG-1800F exactly, since it is the identical chassis running under a restricted cryptography license. What changes is what the box is permitted to encrypt. Typical fits:

• Government agencies and public-sector networks in countries where import controls prohibit full-strength commercial cryptography
• Deployments where firewalling, IPS, and application control run at full 1800F performance, but VPN and SSL inspection stay outside the appliance
• Procurement processes that specifically require an LENC-licensed SKU as a compliance condition of the tender
• Organizations planning to apply for a Fortinet strong-encryption upgrade license once local import approval is granted

Hardware Alone vs. a Bundle

The FG-1800F-LENC ships without a FortiGuard subscription attached, which matches how most LENC orders are procured: hardware and licensing are frequently approved through separate compliance and budget cycles for regulated buyers. FortiGuard security services for this platform use the same FC-10-F18HF-… SKU family as the standard FG-1800F; the Low Encryption restriction lives in the appliance’s firmware license, not in the FortiGuard subscription itself.

Who Buys the LENC SKU

Buyers are almost always public-sector or government network teams operating under national cryptography import regulations, plus the systems integrators and resellers who fulfill those tenders. Because the underlying hardware is identical to the standard 1800F, the same 2 x 960 GB NVMe onboard storage, dual 10GE SFP+ HA ports, and 4,096 FortiAP capacity apply. A holder of an FG-1800F-LENC can request Fortinet’s strong-encryption upgrade license once local regulations permit it, converting the unit to full AES/3DES and SSL inspection capability without a hardware swap.

Moving Up

For higher throughput within the same Low Encryption requirement, check with your Fortinet Select Partner on current LENC availability at the next chassis tier; not every model in the FortiGate line ships an LENC SKU at a given time. Where an LENC variant isn’t available at a larger platform, the standard FortiGate 2600F remains the direct next step in this product family for organizations whose encryption import restriction has been lifted or does not apply to that deployment.

Buying from DataCenter360.ca

DataCenter360.ca ships the FG-1800F-LENC free within Canada, typically in 0 to 1 business day, and as an authorized Fortinet Select Partner we can help confirm which encryption license level a given tender or import approval actually requires before you order. Reach out through the quote form for volume pricing, government purchase order handling, or a side-by-side comparison against the standard FG-1800F.