I seems like the more and more popular these SOHO wireless routers get, the more powerful, full featured and attention they get from not only the market but the developers. Asus' RT series being a great example of what open source can do for a routers performance, security and longevity. Previously a manufacturer would drop a unit on the market and 6 months later there was no word on updates. Now it seems that these SOHO routers are getting monthly updates in addition to 'Anti-Virus' definitions on a regular basis too.
So for a small business of say under 10 users/computers, does going the 500+ route for something like a SonicWall, really make any sense? I'm not talking about financial groups, or customers required to handle PHI in a HIPPA compliant office. I feel like I see very little benefit to these expensive units that also require expensive contracts to be kept running or getting updates like Cisco's equipment. Does something like the Asus RT-AC3200 with all of it's 'Pro' features, integrated AV, VPN, ect really cut it for this type of environment? My feeling as of late is YES, absolutely, so long as you don't have any special networking requirements. Most of these networks are going to be using a 24+ port switch with MAC tables anyhow, so unless you're calling outside of the network it's wasted hardware.
I guess that would depend on what your definition of 'regular' router is. SOHO stands for SMall Office Home Office. The standard consumer grade routers, Linksys, Netgear, SMC, etc. Are what I would consider regular routers for routing Cable/dsl connections and could also be considered SOHO routers.
Anyone else feel this way, or feel that I'm way of base? If so, how?
The new Cisco 900 series Integrated Services Routers are the SOHO routers that offer unmatched throughput levels.
- The 900 Series ISRs are available in fixed form factors.
- The Cisco 900 series is best suited for small and midsize businesses, enterprise branches and as customer premises equipment in managed services environments.
- The Cisco 900 Series ISRs deliver integrated security and threat defense, protecting networks from both known and new Internet vulnerabilities and attacks. These powerful, fixed-configuration routers provide secure broadband and Metro Ethernet connectivity. Service providers offering managed Ethernet WAN services can deploy them in customer locations as CPE. Centralized and remote management capabilities are available through web-based tools and Cisco IOS Software for full visibility and control of network configurations at the remote site.
- The 900 Series ISRs simplify the deployment of Ethernet WAN services, with end-to-end Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OA&M), Service-Level Agreement (SLA) monitoring and verification, and configuration management.
- The Cisco 900 Series ISRs come with a 4-port managed switch, providing LAN ports to connect multiple devices.
Cisco 900 Series Integrated Services Routers-Hardware, Software, Security Features
Base models of the Cisco 900 series ISRs
Model | Switch Ports | WAN Ports | Console Ports | DSL |
C921-4P | 4 | 2 | 1 | None |
C921J-4P | 4 | 2 | 1 | None |
C931-4P | 4 | 2 | 1 | None |
Cisco 900 Series–Hardware Features
The 900 Series ISRs are fixed-configuration, integrated services routers. These routers offer numerous variants for different WAN (Ethernet, DSL, LTE) and LAN (Ethernet) connectivity options. You must carefully consider your requirements to support a network deployment before you place an order.
- The 900 Series ISRs are fixed-configuration, integrated services routers that do not have hardware upgrade options.
- The 900 Series ISRs have two GE WAN ports. The DSL variants have one GE WAN port.
- The 900 Series has four Gigabit Ethernet switch ports.
- A Single USB 2.0 port is available on the 900 Series ISRs for flash storage.
- The reset button is used to restore the router to factory default settings if pressed within five seconds of router power up.
- The 900 Series does not have an auxiliary port, It has a single RJ45 console port.
- The 900 Series is fanless. It is passively cooled and is noiseless.
- All 900 Series routers have two GB of Flash and one GB of DRAM. They cannot be upgraded.
The platform power specifications for the ISR 900 Series
Cisco 900 Series-Software Features
- The 900 Series ISRs support Cisco IOS Software Release 15.8(3) Mb.
- The 900 Series ISRs support a single universal image. A universal image includes all features supported by a given platform.
Three major technology licenses are available on the 900 Series. These licenses can be activated through the Cisco software activation process. The following licenses are available:
- IP Base-this technology package is available as the default.
- Application Experience (APP)-this license includes data and application performance features.
- Security (SEC) or Security with No Payload Encryption (SEC-NPE)-this license includes features for securing network infrastructure.zz
During the router reload process, the 900 Series ISR automatically searches for a bootable Cisco IOS Software image on the USB flash memory f no bootable image is available on the onboard flash memory.
- A Cisco IOS Software configuration file can be booted from the USB flash memory only if the Cisco IOS Software command--boot configusbflash0:—is part of the router startup configuration stored in NVRAM.
- You can configure and manage the 900 Series ISRs with Cisco Configuration Professional.
- The performance with services for the 900 Series ISRs is 250 Mbps.
- The 900 Series ISRs support Cisco Virtual Office. Support is on the roadmap.
- The 900 Series ISRs DO NOT support Cisco Wide Area Application Service Express (Cisco WAAS Express).
- The 900 Series ISRs DO NOT support Cisco ScanSafe.
Cisco 900 Series-Security Features
The hardware-based encryption is available on the 900 Series ISRs. Hardware-assisted IP security (IPsec) Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption is available on the 900 Series ISRs; 128-, 192-, and 256-bit keys are supported for AES.
- The 900 Series ISRs support 100 IPsec tunnels.
- The 900 Series ISR support basic security features such as site-tosite VPN, Easy VPN, DMVPN, Group Encrypted Transport VPN, and application inspection and control with Cisco IOS Firewall.
- The 900 Series ISRs provide un-throttled performance for unencrypted traffic.
Check Table1 for the maximum crypto throughput.
Table1. Platforms and throughput
Platform | Maximum crypto throughput (bit-rate policed) |
C921 | 150 Mbps |
C931 | 250 Mbps |
C926 | 150 Mbps |
C927 | 150 Mbps |
Cisco 900 Series-DSL Features
The 900 Series ISR platforms support DSL technologies listed in Table2.
Table2. DSL Technologies supported by the 900 Series
Model | DSL technology | Minimum Cisco IOS software release requirement |
C926 | Multi-mode xDSL Annex B/J (ADSL1/2/2+ Annex B, less-optimized Annex2/2+ J[1], VDSL2 over ISDN band plans) | 15.8(3)M1 |
C927 | Multi-mode xDSL Annex A, (ADSL1/2/2+ Annex A, lessoptimized ADSL2/2+ Annex M, VDSL2 over POTS band plans) | 15.8(3)M1 |
C927-4PM | Multi-mode xDSL Annex M (ADSL2/2+ Annex M, lessoptimized ADSL/ ADSL2/2+ Annex A, VDSL2 over POTS band plans) | 15.8(3)M1 |
The 900 Series ISRs support both ATM and Ethernet Packet Transport Mode (PTM).
The 900 Series can support:
Table3. VDSL profiles and throughput
Table4. ADSL profiles and throughput
Version | Standard name | Common name | Downstream rate | Upstream rate |
ADSL | ANSI T1.413- 1998 Issue 2 | ADSL | 8.0 Mbps | 1.0 Mbit/s |
ITU G.992.1 Annex A | ADSL over POTS | 12.0 Mbps | 1.3 Mbit/s | |
ITU G.992.1 Annex B | ADSL over ISDN | 12.0 Mbit/s | 1.8 Mbit/s | |
ADSL2 | ITU G.992.3 Annex L | RE-ADSL2 | 5.0 Mbit/s | 0.8 Mbit/s |
ITU G.992.3 | ADSL2 | 12.0 Mbit/s | 1.3 Mbit/s | |
ITU G.992.3 Annex J | ADSL2 | 12.0 Mbit/s | 3.5 Mbit/s | |
ADSL2+ | ITU G.992.5 | ADSL2+ | 24.0 Mbit/s | 1.4 Mbit/s |
ITU G.992.5 Annex M | ADSL2+M | 24.0 Mbit/s | 3.3 Mbit/s |
Yesor No?
Q: Does the Cisco 927-4PM ISR support the Persistent Storage Device (PSD) mask required to comply with the Annex M standards in the United Kingdom?
A: Yes.
Q: Do the 900 Series ISRs support extended Impulse Noise Protection (INP) functions?
A: Yes.
Q: Is Ethernet First Mile (EFM) bonding supported?
A: No.
Q: Does the 900 Series support both ATM and EFM?
A: Yes.
Q: Is dying gasp supported?
A: Yes, the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) can send a message to the central office equipment managed by an Internet service provider or Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) to indicate that the CPE has lost power.
Q: Can DSL modem firmware be upgraded on the 900 Series?
A:Yes, DSL modem firmware can be independently upgraded on the 900 Series ISRs. Instructions to upgrade modem firmware can be found in the software configuration guide.
For more information on the features and specifications of Cisco 900 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISRs), refer to the Cisco 900 Series Integrated Services Routers datasheet.
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