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Cisco router for home usage

Persuing a CCNA (and later CCNE) cert, I need some Cisco gear, at least to be able to work in IOS. I currently have an 827, connected through ATM to my ISP.

I'll be switching ISP (probably for ADSL2), and need a non-ATM thingy. Because of my cert quest, I'm thinking about obtaining a Cisco device reasonable geared towards those used in the industry.

. Being able to work on firewalling is a must. . Being able to work on cisco VPN setups (to be linked to OpenSwan) is desireable, but price may prevent me from having it this way. . Build-in routing to more interfaces may likewise be too expensive.

A device meeting those reqs is of cause most desireable, though in real life I may have to settle for less. A rack device is no problem.

It may seem a Bit funny considering power consumption, but for home use, I also have to consider this, combined with my 24/7 server soak. I'm not running online services worth mentioning WRT traffic, so maybe a feature-wise suitable device won't exibit too high a power load.

Any recommendations? Used devices are fine with me.

Reply to
Mogens V.
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Mogens,

If you're on a budget (which it sounds) and you only want to buy ONE piece of equipment, I suggest the 2621XM. That router isn't very expensive these days ($400 - $600 on eBay) because Cisco has ended it's life some time ago. If you max out the memory and flash and load up the most recent code, it will probably suffice for the purposes of gaining your CCNA. I'm not sure if ALL of the features you mentioned are available however, so some research is warranted.

If the price is too hight and you are willing to forgo some of the features you mentioned, you might try out the 1605-R. These run IOS and run between $20 and $100 on eBay.

Good luck JC

Reply to
J.Cottingim

ebay, tons of used cisco gear for ya take yer pick.

Reply to
smk

Thanks. Having worked with some Cisco's in the past (1600/2500/3500 series), I still don't know enough about series/models to choose. A quick look at the 2621 seems to render it usable for my needs.

2611/51's are in the same price neighbourhood, though I'm not yet sure of suitability. Well, I have a starting point...
Reply to
Mogens V.

The 2621XM (with the XM letters on the end) is a much more desirable router, especially if you are learning on it. It'll let you run much newer images than the previous gen 2621 router (without the XM letters).

It will most likely be more expensive, but as I stated, still take current images instead of code releases totally stopped for the older 2621..

There's not a huge difference betwen the 2621/2651 products, you aren't going to see any difference in a home lab. The 2621/51 will have FastEthernet interfaces, while the 2611 will be 10Mbps only. The higher model numbers can push more packets per second. Otherwise, no other difference.

Likewise, the 2611XM/2621XM/2651XM aren't all that different either.. These are all 10/100 ethers. Just difference in the packet-per-second rates.

The bigger factor here is your XM vs. non XM models, and to get something with dual ethernet for more choices in a lab setup.

Reply to
Doug McIntyre

If you are enrolled in the Cisco NetAcademy, try logging into your account.

They often make great deals on a Cisco SOHO router for a good price. Years back, I got a Cisco 831 router for $250.00 plus shipping. It included a year's SmartNet contract as well.

The hitch is that you agree never to sell it. They feel that would deprive them of a sale.

Good luck.

Fred

Reply to
Fred Atkinson

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