Hi everyone 👋 I'm just starting to build out my own lab to practice for cloud security and networking certs. I've been looking at FortiGate firewalls, but new ones are way out of my budget.
I found a vendor online selling refurbished FortiGate 60E units for a really good price. It seems perfect for hands-on learning. But I'm a bit nervous as a beginner.
Does anyone have experience buying refurbished gear from a vendor for lab use? Are there specific things I should check or ask the seller about before buying? Mainly worried about licensing, firmware updates, or hidden issues. Thanks for any advice!
I got a used 60D for my homelab last year. Definitely ask the vendor if the unit is still registered to the original owner, that can block firmware downloads from Fortinet. My unit came unregistered, so I could at least get the base firmware.
For a lab, the license isn't usually a dealbreaker since you're just learning the core config. The 60E is still a solid unit to learn on.
Which vendor are you looking at? Some have better reputations than others.