Used Cisco 1604, any good for CCNA practise?

So I'm thinking about pursuing CCNA and CCNP certification tracks now, and have been offered a used 1604 in exchange for services previously rendered as a "bonus" (basically, they don't need it and are giving it to me free). Would it be any good for playing around with IOS and whatnot? Any thoughts? Thanks in advance, folks!

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Webmaster

Surely a 1604 is good practice, a 1605 would be better, but it's still a great 'bonus'. Since you only have 1 Ethernet connection (assuming they didn't include any WICs) you cannot connect two LANs, but if you can find a live ISDN connection for the ISDN bri interface, you can practice an important part of CCNA (ppp, ISDN, multilink), but apart from that, you can practice all the basics (setting passwords, managing IOS and config files, etc.,etc.,etc.) and get used to the CLI (command line interface).

My first job configuring a cisco router involved a 1604 router for an Internet connection for e-mail... I learned a lot from it

(in case you were wondering... a WIC is typically more expensive than a use 1604/1605 router...

)

mikey_b

Thanks for the reply! The 1604 has been stripped of it's WIC, but does come with two power adapters, two manuals, and two copies of software in box in like-new condition. I did a contract stint configuring some client PCs, the netadmin offered it to me as an extra "perk" as they were moving to newer 1700's for whatever reason. Free routers are a good thing! ISDN might be hard to come by around here, but I think I'm going to scour E-Bay for a WIC to goof around with. Should I aim for ISDN, T1, or serial? Thanks again!

Webmaster

Free routers are a good thing!

Absolutely!

but I think I'm going to scour E-Bay for a WIC to goof around with. Should I aim for ISDN, T1, or serial?

Buying a used router is usually cheaper than a used WIC. A serial connection would only be useful if you have another router with a serial interface... ( www.techexams.net/technotes/ccna/lab_hardware.shtml ), ISDN you already have (

), you may want to look for an ISDN emulator (I'm actually not sure what it is called exactly, it simulates an ISDN service provider. Great to have for a Cisco lab, also for possible future CCNP exams such as the BCRAN exam). And I would not go for a T1 WIC unless I had a T1 connection at home.

The 160x routers are typical access routers, used to provide WAN access to a single remote LAN. With the exception being the 1605 which has two ethernet interfaces allowing you to route between to LANs. But one of the main concepts to practice is exchanging and controlling routing information between at least two cisco routers, making two routers the minimum for a CCNA lab. Nevertheless, like I said before, a free 1604 is great for practicing the basics.

As you can see at the following page, it is usually better to buy a used router with the desired interfaces instead of buying used WICs, which are ridiculously expensive compared to a complete router:

www.usedrouter.com/Cisco_wic_modules.htm

mikey_b

Well, turns out I can get a WIC-1T (1 serial port) for a steal right now. I'm thinking if I buy it, then I can work on getting another 1600 (or higher) router with serial connection, then connect them together via serial to have my "mini"-lab with my desktop and laptop. Does this sound good? Would that actually work?

Webmaster

Yes, that would work just fine. Check the link in my previous post for the required cabling for the serial connection.

mikey_b

Good deal, I printed a copy of your lab paper out and I'm off to scour E-bay for the cables. I picked up a serial WIC-1T for $40, so I've just got to find another router and then I'm good to go.

Thanks much for your help!

EDIT: Will a DTE/DCE crossover suffice? There seems to be quite a few available.