End-of-Sale Announcement for M290

We’re excited to announce the availability of the new Firebox High-Performance Rackmount series, introducing three new models: M4850, M5850, and M6850.

This new generation of Firebox appliances extends WatchGuard’s network security platform into high‑performance environments, helping organizations and partners address increasing demands for throughput, encrypted traffic inspection, and reliability.

What’s New

The Firebox High-Performance Rackmount series is designed for environments where security is no longer limited to the network edge, but must operate at the core of the organization.

These new appliances deliver:

• Higher performance for modern, high‑traffic environments
• Built-in high-speed connectivity (25G and 100G)
• Consistent throughput with full security services enabled
• Enterprise‑class resilience for critical infrastructure deployments

With these capabilities, organizations can support growing traffic volumes and more demanding use cases without introducing additional complexity.

Designed for Growth and Scale

As networks expand and encrypted traffic continues to grow, traditional firewall deployments often face performance and scalability limitations. This can force organizations to either extend existing platforms beyond their intended use or move to more complex solutions.

The Firebox High-Performance Rackmount series provides a clear path forward by extending the Firebox platform into high-capacity deployments, allowing organizations to scale without changing their operational model.

Platform Consistency, Simplified Operations

A key advantage of the Firebox High-Performance Rackmount series is its seamless integration with the broader WatchGuard platform.

Organizations benefit from:

• Centralized management through WatchGuard Cloud
• Consistent policy enforcement across environments
• Streamlined deployment and configuration

This ensures that scaling infrastructure does not introduce additional operational burden.

Flexible Model Options

The new series includes three models to support different performance and scalability requirements:

• M4850 → Entry to high-performance, ideal for upgrading from midrange deployments
• M5850 → Designed for sustained performance in campus and core environments
• M6850 → Provides maximum headroom for high‑growth and data center edge deployments

Datasheets

To support your deployments and customer conversations, the following datasheets are available:

• Firebox M4850
• Firebox M5850
• Firebox M6850

Summary

The Firebox High-Performance Rackmount series represents the next step in the evolution of Firebox, delivering higher performance, greater scalability, and enterprise‑ready reliability, while maintaining the simplicity and consistency of the WatchGuard platform.

End-of-Sale Announcement: Firebox M590/M690

WatchGuard Technologies is announcing the end-of-sale (EOS) date for the Firebox M590 and M690 models. The M590 model will be replaced by the M495, and the M690 model will be replaced by the M595 or M695.

Effective June 1, 2026, the Firebox M590 and M690 will no longer be available for purchase and will be removed from our price list.

For more information about WatchGuard’s End-of-Life policy, please visit:
WatchGuard End-of-Life Policy

EOS and EOL Milestones for Firebox M590/M690

Migration Options

Please refer to the Firebox datasheets available at watchguard.com for the appropriate replacement models. There were significant performance increases with the new rackmount models announced on October 1st, 2025.  However, network port requirements may require a specific Firebox model.  Please note that the new Firebox rackmount models do not include power cords. The country-specific power cord should be purchased separately.

Affected Products

This announcement applies to M590 and M690 hardware and service licenses associated with new installations. However, renewals will still be available for previously purchased hardware.

Impacted SKUs

Contact Us

WatchGuard is dedicated to providing industry-leading solutions that keep our customers secure. If you have any questions regarding this announcement, please contact your WatchGuard account manager.

For details on WatchGuard’s Global End-of-Life Policy, visit:
WatchGuard Global EOL Policy

For more information on our standard End-of-Life policy, visit:
WatchGuard Standard EOL Policy

We’re pleased to announce the availability of Fireware v2026.2 and Fireware 12.12, the latest feature releases for WatchGuard Firebox appliances, FireboxV, and Firebox Cloud. We are also releasing Fireware 12.5.18 for some legacy models to provide critical fixes for these appliances.

These releases introduce new secure connectivity capabilities, along with operational improvements and fixes designed to enhance reliability and simplify ongoing management.

What’s New in Fireware v2026.2 and 12.12

Firebox Gateway Support for FireCloud

The primary new feature in these releases is WireGuard® VPN-based Firebox Gateway support for FireCloud.

With this capability, a Firebox can act as a private resource gateway, allowing FireCloud‑connected users to securely access on‑premises or private network resources through the Firebox—without requiring additional servers or infrastructure.

This feature enables organizations to:

• Extend secure access to internal applications
• Leverage existing Firebox deployments
• Support modern zero‑trust and hybrid networking use cases

Note: Firebox Gateway support is available on select Firebox models. Please review the supported model list below before upgrading.

Additional Enhancements

In addition to FireCloud integration, these releases include:

• Removal of legacy software dependencies
  The Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable dependency has been removed from WatchGuard System Manager (WSM), reducing reliance on outdated components and improving overall system security.
• Updated IPSec Mobile VPN Client
  A new 64‑bit IPSec Mobile VPN Client (NCP version 15.33) is included, improving compatibility with modern operating systems and enhancing user experience.
• Bug fixes and stability improvements
  These releases address several known issues to improve reliability, upgrade quality, and day‑to‑day operation.

For a complete list of fixes and enhancements, please review the official Fireware Release Notes.

Supported Models

Fireware v2026.2 Supported Models

• T115‑W, T125 / T125‑W, T145 / T145‑W, T185
• M295, M395, M495, M595, M695

Fireware 12.12 Supported Models

• T20 / T20‑W, T40 / T40‑W, T80
• T25 / T25‑W, T45 family, T85‑PoE
• M270, M370, M470, M570, M670
• M290, M390, M590, M690
• M4600, M5600, M4800, M5800
• FireboxV
• Firebox Cloud

Fireware 12.5.18 Supported Models

• T15 / T15-W, T35-R, T35-DW

Firebox Gateway for FireCloud (12.12)

Firebox Gateway is supported on the following models running Fireware 12.12:

• T25 / T25‑W, T45 family, T85‑PoE
• M290, M390, M590, M690
• M4800, M5800
• FireboxV
• Firebox Cloud

Some older models running 12.12 do not support Firebox Gateway functionality. Fireware 12.5.18 does not support Firebox Gateway functionality.

WatchGuard System Manager Compatibility

WSM v2026.2 supports managing Firebox devices running:

• Fireware 2026.x (up to 2026.2)
• Fireware 2025.x
• Fireware 12.5 and later

Should You Upgrade?

These are feature releases, and customers should plan upgrades carefully to minimize service disruption.

You should consider upgrading if you want to take advantage of the features listed above.

As always, we recommend reviewing the release notes and scheduling upgrades during a planned maintenance window.