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triker
Premium Member
join:2003-12-23
Indianapolis, IN

triker

Premium Member

2800 series routers

I am looking into purchasing a 2800 series router for home/business use (big-time overkill, I know). My eventual plans are to use this in a lab-type setup when I attempt to get my CCNA and hopefully further. I have been closely looking at the 2801 and 2811. Does anyone know the major differences between these two routers? Maybe I've not looked hard enough, but it doesn't seem Cisco wants to put this comparison data out in plain sight. I suppose my question is which would be a better bang for the buck? If I'm going to spend $1400 on a 2801 then I might as well spend the extra money and go for a 2811 if there are enough expanded features to warrant it.

As far as usage is concerned, I will definitely connect it to an Ethernet WAN (Verizon DSL bridged through their Westell modem--though I wouldn't mind trying out a Cisco ADSL card) and my internal network. Having more than one switch port would be nice so I can play with VLANs without purchasing additional equipment. Maybe I'm imagining it (I am tired at the moment), but did I read somewhere I can buy an add-on card to support Cisco LWAPs on the 2811? That would be a nice feature to have if I wanted to experiment with Cisco APs.

I have to admit, I am a complete noob when it comes to Cisco gear, but it is something that I have always wanted to learn and now that I have the resources, I've set out to do so. I would greatly appreciate the advice anyone can offer!

Todd

Da Geek Kid
join:2003-10-11
::1

Da Geek Kid

Member

»www.cisco.com/en/US/prod ··· son.html
triker
Premium Member
join:2003-12-23
Indianapolis, IN

triker

Premium Member

Thank you for the link! I don't know why I missed it. Does anyone have an opinion on the 2800 series?

Da Geek Kid
join:2003-10-11
::1

Da Geek Kid

Member

one werd! Excellent!

tubbynet
reminds me of the danse russe
MVM
join:2008-01-16
Gilbert, AZ

tubbynet to triker

MVM

to triker
if you *really* intend on using this router as a "learning" tool, i would suggest going with the 2811 or higher. the expandability of the modular routers is a very nice feature. it is true that you can get a wlc for the 2811 (though i have the standalone unit). i do have a 2811 at home and love it.

the nice thing about the 2811+ is that it has enough cpu cycles to handle anything that you really need.
i have been able to have it function as my internet connection and then through the use additional purchased wics to support a simulated wan connection for voip calls over a site to site vpn and through a typical pstn. my internet never flickered.

however, i genenerally get pretty tired of hooking stuff up and down, so unless i have a need for voice, i generally use gns3 as it will handle all of my poc stuff and demos.

great routers though.

q.

caedmon
@qwest.net

caedmon to triker

Anon

to triker
I have used a 2811 for my home router since they were first introduced. I have an ADSL WIC and a 16 port layer2/layer3 switch in mine. Never had a problem. It is an excellent router. The only drawback is the fan noise. Luckily I can put it in the garage. When I first got it the fan noise in the house was a real problem.
triker
Premium Member
join:2003-12-23
Indianapolis, IN

triker

Premium Member

Thank you for the tip! I planned to use this in my apartment until the end of the school semester, so I'll have to find another place to put it. Something tells me my roommate won't like living with a hair dryer in the living room too well.

Unfortunately my DSL connection terminates in my living room (the design of the apartment isn't the best), so I'll have to get a long telephone cable and place the modem and router someplace else.

On the note of DSL, caedmon, did you have any problems getting the DSL WIC to sync with your telephone company's DSLAM? I would like to dump my junk Westell modem from Verizon and go with Cisco's WICs, but I was wondering about compatibility between Verizon and Cisco's equipment.
aryoba
MVM
join:2002-08-22

aryoba

MVM

In general, configuring the DSL WIC should not be a problem. Assuming there are no Layer-1 or Layer-2 issues, you only need to know the VPI/VCI values your local Verizon uses.

You can check out this forum's FAQ for sample configurations of configuring DSL WIC or integrated DSL modem/router.
triker
Premium Member
join:2003-12-23
Indianapolis, IN

triker

Premium Member

I think I can get the VPI/VCI info from my existing Westell and transfer that to the WIC. Thanks for the info.

Todd

caedmon
@qwest.net

caedmon to triker

Anon

to triker
quote:
On the note of DSL, caedmon, did you have any problems getting the DSL WIC to sync with your telephone company's DSLAM
No problem syncing. However Cisco aDSL WICs and routers all have slight problem syncing at full speed with some DSLAMs. Qwest uses a lot of the specific DSLAMs which Cisco doesn't support at full speed. It is a well known incompatibility between the Alcatel chip sets Cisco uses and the DLSAMs (Lucent I think) Qwest often uses. No one that I am aware of has come up with a solution. For me I sync at 6.9 mbps instead of 7.1mbps like other devices do (not a big difference so I don't worry about it). I have seen the same behavior at various sites using Qwest from an 827, 837, 877, 180x and the WIC in the 2811
triker
Premium Member
join:2003-12-23
Indianapolis, IN

triker

Premium Member

That is an interesting problem. The difference doesn't seem to be too dramatic, so if I experience those issues I don't think I'll worry about it too much. I suppose there isn't much I can do anyway other than go back to the God-forsaken Westell 6100. Hopefully Verizon uses a more compatible brand/model.

On a related side-note, is there a way to find out what hardware is on the other end of a DSL line? I know for sure I won't be able to find anyone at Verizon's customer service numbers that could or would tell me. The only route (no pun intended) I know of is to track down one of the local techs I see running around town and get him to divulge the info. Come to think of it, when a tech was troubleshooting my line when it was installed, I did see him using a Harris brand tester, if that helps anyone.

TomS_
Git-r-done
MVM
join:2002-07-19
London, UK

2 edits

TomS_

MVM

If you can get some detailed statistics out of your current modem you should be able to find the remote manufacturers code or vendor ID.

e.g. on an 877 I look after:


lenx-bdr1#show dsl int atm0
ATM0
Alcatel 20190 chipset information
ATU-R (DS) ATU-C (US)
Modem Status: Showtime (DMTDSL_SHOWTIME)
DSL Mode: ITU G.992.1 (G.DMT) Annex A
ITU STD NUM: 0x01 0x1
Vendor ID: 'STMI' 'GSPN'
Vendor Specific: 0x0000 0x0008
Vendor Country: 0x0F 0xFF


STMI = ST Micro (me)
GSPN = Globespan I believe (DSLAM)

Others you may see include:

BDCM = Broadcom
ALCB = Alcatel

And theres probably a couple of others. You may not be able to get these from the web interface, which means you may have to dig around on the CLI. You may not be able to find this information at all, depending on how technical your modems manufacturer wanted to be with their firmware.

But compatability should not be an on/off type thing, where it works or it doesnt (except perhaps in some very rare cases, in which case the manufacturers in question need a very good spanking). ADSL is a standardised specification, and 99% of the time you should not have any compatability issues.
triker
Premium Member
join:2003-12-23
Indianapolis, IN

triker

Premium Member

I'll poke around my modem's web interface and see if I can glean anything off of it. Hopefully my router will arrive on Tuesday, so we'll see how things go.

At the time I ordered it, I didn't think about getting an ADSL WIC. I ordered my router from CDW. Does anyone have any other vendors they like for Cisco equipment? I would like to get the WIC and was curious if anyone had a company they would recommend purchasing from for that sort of thing.

On another note, I didn't get the SmartNet contract (bad oversight on my part) when I ordered it. How long do I have to purchase that before Cisco won't recognize it, or can I now that I already ordered my router?

I want to thank everyone that has helped me! This Cisco noob certainly appreciates the serious help that you guys have offered.