ciscokits.com --> UK Version?

surfthegecko

Hi,

Does anybody know of any sites similar to ciscokits.com for us Brits.
I want something which I can purchase locally at a similar cost if possible. I looked at Ebay but not sure I want to fork out a wedge of money for something that might not work, or be exactly as advertised.

Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks
Nick

CiscoNewb

Hi Surfthegecko.

I got my stuff from this place www.discount-cisco.com It was recommended by a Firewall/Network guy at an ISP we deal with.

The gear is good and all comes with a 3 year warranty. Might not be as cheap as ciscokits though.

I got 2621xm router 2620 router and 2 x 2950 switches. The 2621xm was £150, the 2620 was £50 and the switches were £100 each I think. Also the WIC-1T cards were £50 each.

Work paid for my gear so not an issue but as I said, not sure how these prices compare to ciscokits.

Hope this helps.

Ian.

Kaminsky

surfthegecko wrote: »

Hi,

Does anybody know of any sites similar to ciscokits.com for us Brits.
I want something which I can purchase locally at a similar cost if possible. I looked at Ebay but not sure I want to fork out a wedge of money for something that might not work, or be exactly as advertised.

Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks
Nick

I was very nervous about buying from EBay initially. I had read so many horror stories.
http://www.techexams.net/forums/off-topic/38217-selling-ebay.html
But a couple of sales and almost twenty purchases and I am yet to be let down by anyone. Obviously you have to use your judgement but a little homework on other auctions and looking up equipment on Cisco and Google helps research whether it's a good buy or not. This site is also good for that.

In the UK, there is a huge trade in used networking equipment on EBay and they cannot afford poor feedback or the buyer will simply go buy the same thing from one of their competitors. One thing to watch though, is how much they want for postage. In the UK, more than £10 is too much depending on the size and weight of the item.

I already had some nice kit to start with but I've added to it by picking up 3 2503's for about £25 each including postage. Wic-1Ts for about £15-£20 inc postage and a couple of WIC-2Ts for £30 all in and a nice 48 port cat 5e patch panel for £15 which stops my mrs moanng about the lab in our bedroom. The most expensive purchase was a 16u Skeletek rack for £60 with £20 postage but it was heavy. Fits perfectly under my desk too. (once I raised my desk by a foot and took the wheels off the skele) All equipment I have purchased has worked fine for my purposes. Slow compared to modern state of the art but I am only studying on them.

I've also purchase networking tools and picked up some great books for next to nothing. Postage on one was £8 and auction was £0.99. I put the only bid in at the last minute. That was for TCP/IP routing Prof Ref.

So far, touch wood, I am yet to be dissapointed by anything I have bought.

For those sorts of prices, it may be worth a look.

tiersten

You're fairly safe buying on eBay now assuming you're using Paypal and it is a verified seller with the Paypal protection. irp70 sells a lot of equipment on there and seemed okay when I bought off him a few times.

malcybood

Ebay is usually ok but watch out because there are some chancers.

I won an auction for a 3550 EMI 48 port switch a while back and the seller listed as accepting paypal. After the auction i sent the payment via paypal but the status of the payment was never accepted.

I emailed the seller as it said he didn't have a paypal account. He responded that he doesn't deal with paypal as their servers are not secure blah blah and he said I could pick up the kit and pay cash (120 mile drive for me) or send a cheque but would not accept paypal. He also said that he would not send via courier or recorded delivery, only by standard royal mail which was going to cost £15...(TNT courier was 14.95 but he went crazy when i suggesed this saying "if you are not prepared to pay the shipping do not bid")

Anyway I advised it was not the cost of shipping, it was the fact he wanted to take the transaction out of ebay then not use any kind of recorded delivery. To cut short we mutually agreed (eventually) that he re-listed the item and I bought a switch from someone else who was a great seller, hassle free.

The other joker was all pally pally after we sorted it out and gave me some great advice "if you want a good layer 3 switch get a 2950 with EMI image on it. Good alternative to a 3550 and cheap as chips"

This came from a guy who claimed he "was CCNP/SP certified" in one of his emails when he was on his high horse....ok then...

Anyway, moral of the story is, Ebay is usually pretty sound but watch out!

surfthegecko

Thanks for the advice, I will check out discount-cisco.com, and maybe reconsider ebay.

If I wanted 2 routers and a switch what would you recommend. Do I need Wic-xx is this what allows me to simulate WAN networks?

Thanks

surfthegecko

Hi,

If I was to buy this can anybody think of anything I couldnt cover in the CCNA (ICND1&2). Plus is this then easily upgradable for my CCNP.

Routers
Cisco 2610 Ethernet Serial Router 8F/32D Enhanced IP 12.3 IOS
Cisco 2501 Ethernet Dual Serial Router 16F/16D IP Plus 12.3 IOS
Cisco 2501 Ethernet Dual Serial Router 16F/16D IP Plus 12.3 IOS

Switches
Cisco 2900-XL Switch running Latest Enterprise IOS
Cisco 2900-XL Switch running Latest Enterprise IOS

Thanks
Nick

miller811

surfthegecko wrote: »

Hi,

If I was to buy this can anybody think of anything I couldnt cover in the CCNA (ICND1&2). Plus is this then easily upgradable for my CCNP.

Routers
Cisco 2610 Ethernet Serial Router 8F/32D Enhanced IP 12.3 IOS
Cisco 2501 Ethernet Dual Serial Router 16F/16D IP Plus 12.3 IOS
Cisco 2501 Ethernet Dual Serial Router 16F/16D IP Plus 12.3 IOS

Switches
Cisco 2900-XL Switch running Latest Enterprise IOS
Cisco 2900-XL Switch running Latest Enterprise IOS

Thanks
Nick

You will need at least 2950 switches for the CCNA. The 2900's listed are about useless.

surfthegecko

Thanks for the tip Miller.

Just out of curioisty whats wrong with the 2900-XL's. What extra features do the 2950's support.