A little different lab question

So I have been following this board for awhile and have read a bunch of lab posts. I have also been buying some gear. I have kept an eye out for deals and have bought more than I needed assuming some of it would be junk. I am not taking any classes this summer so I will be starting CCENT/CCNA in late April and I have more than enough gear for that. I enjoy the eBay game and I am cleaning out the shop so I have some cash.

My question is I am seeing some of the advanced labs using 1841s and the voice labs using 2811/2821s and my question is what value do these add below CCIE if any? My impression, as a n00b, is that it is the IOS that is really the issue, but I assume at some point some of the more advanced gear adds some value. Same goes for switches I understand the need for a layer 3 switch (3550 is on the shelf) but is there any value going with a 3560 below the CCIE level?

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Comments

alan2308

There's a couple of different ways to look at this. If you go with the 1800/2800 routers and the 3560 switches then you're future proofing your lab. There will really be nothing that you can't do, and sooner or later the exams will be updated with topics that aren't possible with lesser equipment (such as the 2600XM's and 3550's we're buying up now).

On the other hand, for what the ISR's and 3560's cost, the ROI leaves a lot to be desired. The 2600XM, 3600, 1700, and 3700 routers will do everything you need today at the Associate and Professional cert level, and the 3550 does nearly everything (PVLAN's comes to mind right away, but I'm sure there's a few other things missing too). To put it another way, how many 2600XM's or 1760's can you buy for the price of a single 2811 that goes for $500 and up?

Buy gear for what you're doing now and in the very near future. The CCIE is far enough ahead that there's no telling what gear you'll need for it then. The 2811's will most likely be a lot cheaper then anyway.

geek4god

alan2308 wrote: »

There's a couple of different ways to look at this. If you go with the 1800/2800 routers and the 3560 switches then you're future proofing your lab. There will really be nothing that you can't do, and sooner or later the exams will be updated with topics that aren't possible with lesser equipment (such as the 2600XM's and 3550's we're buying up now).

On the other hand, for what the ISR's and 3560's cost, the ROI leaves a lot to be desired. The 2600XM, 3600, 1700, and 3700 routers will do everything you need today at the Associate and Professional cert level, and the 3550 does nearly everything (PVLAN's comes to mind right away, but I'm sure there's a few other things missing too). To put it another way, how many 2600XM's or 1760's can you buy for the price of a single 2811 that goes for $500 and up?

Buy gear for what you're doing now and in the very near future. The CCIE is far enough ahead that there's no telling what gear you'll need for it then. The 2811's will most likely be a lot cheaper then anyway.

That is what I needed! I have already seen the prices on the newer stuff come down from when some have posted on here. Heck, I have seen a few posts talking about paying $250 for a 2600XM back in the day. I will keep my eyes open for a deal or two, but looks like it is time to rack what I got and get ready for the summer..