Newbie need help selecting WIC

lionheart73

I need some help figuring out the WIC's that I need for my home lab setup.

Right now I have 1-1760 and 1-2610xm for the routers. I plan on adding another 1760 or two. I have 1-2950 switch and I will add two more or one 2950 and 1 2924. I will be studying for CCNA. Can someone give me some advice on what WIC's I will need. Thanks

alan2308

For WIC's to be used in your lab, you have a few options:

WIC-1T - one interface per module, middle of the road price, uses same connector as the NM-4a/s or NM-8a/s commonly used for frame relay switches so cabling remains simple.

WIC-2T - 2 interfaces per module, different connectors than the NM-4a/s or NM-8a/s's. Costs more per module, but it's usually cheaper than 2 WIC-1T's.

WIC-1DSU-T1 - Normally the cheapest of the options. These are T1 modules which can be connected using a T1 crossover cable (not to be confused with a Ethernet crossover cable). The T1 crossovers can be bought or you can make them yourself real cheap.

NM-4a/s or NM-8a/s - Normally used for frame relay switches. High port density per module, but your 1760 does not have an NM slot.


One thing to consider when choosing is cabling. The NM's and the WIC-1T's use the same connectors. The WIC-2T uses different connectors as the WIC-1T's and NM's, but you can buy cables to connect these different connectors. The WIC-1DSU-T1's use their own connectors and cannot be connected to anything else. Personally, I've standardized on the WIC-1T's so I only have to buy one type of cable.

Corndork2

WIC-2T's or WIC-1T's will suit you fine. You can do it with T1 cards as well if you are on a budget.

NM-4A/s and NM-8A/s are good high density Serial modules, but are limited to 128K per serial port.

If you end up with a 3000 series router like a 3640, 3725, 3825, etc NM-4T and NM-8T modules are available, which are cheaper than the A/S counter parts, and do not have the speed limitations. However, they can only be used in 3000 series models or higher.

lionheart73

Thanks for the info. This is what I needed to know.