1801 vs 857w

Hey all,

I'm debating whether to get a 857w or a 1801 for studies and an ADSL connection at home.

I've moved house and decided to upgrade from a 6yo ADSL router. I decided to combine my need of an adsl router with my other need of a home lab.

Quick background: Studying CCNA at TAFE(AUS) and completed the first quarter of the curriculum and I'm starting the second part in a week. I'm loving every bit of the class and my studies.

I think it would be better to get a 1801 for a home lab than a 857w. A few points to back that theory up.

The 1801 will provide a hands on approach to learning protocols out of class.
It has 8 port managed switch compared to 4 ports unmanaged(only a 877w with an updated IOS can use vlans to manage each port).
The 1801 supports numerous routing protocols whereas the 857w only supports RIP v1/v2.

I've been reading about different router series (1700, 1800, 2600, 2800), searched ebay for prices and been through comparison charts to narrow down my choices but would like some more input. Thanks in advance for your suggestions/advice.

Regards,

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Comments

tiersten

Any reason why you prefer the 857W to the 877W?

Is your ADSL router going to be somewhere which you want minimal noise? If the 1801 is anything like the 1841 then there will be a fan inside it which is still reasonably loud. The 857W doesn't look like it has one. This is all purely speculation as I've not actually seen a 1801 or 857W in real life.

If your choices are between an 1801 and a 857W and you don't mind the 1801 being larger and noisier then get the 1801. If its a 857W and a 877W then get the 877W with the advanced software license.

An 1841 with a WIC-1ADSL and a HWIC-AP or a standalone AP would be the great but obviously significantly more expensive.

Project2501

Thanks tiersten I hadn't thought about the noise factor. I checked to find out that the 800 series don't have a built in fan like the 1800 series which can run at 37 - 42 db. I've opted for a cheaper option of the 800 series and will get some other routers to practice the routing protocols I'm learning.