Best place to buy lab packs?

snakeuptilit

Hi Guys

Has anyone ever bought from Cisco Lab Certification Kits ??

It seems like they have some decent lab setups for sale.

Thanks.

FloOz

To my understanding the kits on sale at that site are overpriced and it is better to just go and buy your hardware on ebay. You can use that site as a reference to see what gear you would want.

sratakhin

I quickly browsed through several kits. It looks like the same stuff can be bought for two times cheaper on Ebay. And yes, it's more fun.
I recently bought a 1721 Router without realizing that it needs extra memory to run 12.4. Guess what, the memory is only $7 on Ebay. Price paid? $40, including 1 year warranty and a useless DSU WIC.
The kit with 2 same routers is $180 on that site.

Ltat42a

Check out my Blog, I have all kinds of lab info on there, hardware, software, free, paid.....etc...etc...
In my Sig below..

Vik210

Its very expensive on that site. Buy it from eBay. Check new 'buy-it-now' listing - this works better than auctions for me.

Roguetadhg

Because of this thread, I just spent some money on a switch. Here's to hoping my first equipment won't be a dud >.>

snokerpoker

I recommend purchasing this stuff on Ebay. I bought some switches and routers on Ebay for quite a bit cheaper than any of the kits I saw.

JustFred

pretty much what everyone has said.

get it on ebay the experience usually worthwhile. You learn so much just by discovering all sorts of stuff you actually need and do not need. Whats the fun in buying something that expensive when you can get it cheaper and even use the rest of your cash for an extra router or switch?

astrogeek

Just make sure you aren't buying lab kits on e-bay, there are many kits on e-bay far more overpriced than the website you linked to. If you don't know what to buy you are probably going to buy something you don't need, so make sure you know what you need or want before buying anything.

Everyone will have different opinions on what equipment to buy, but personally I think the most popular and cost effective way is to use GNS3 to emulate your routers, and 3 or 4 2950 switches. You could also get two 2950 switches and two 3550 switches if you have the money, but for CCNA you only really need 2950s, (3550's are layer 3 which you will get into CCNP, but not CCNA).

If you want to buy some routers 2600XM routers are pretty good. They should run you around $150-200 each, depending on how much memory or what cards are included.

Also keep in mind that most Cisco equipment seem to hold their value pretty well. The first router I bought for $220 could probably still be sold for about that much, or maybe a little less. So don't think you need to break the bank, you can always buy cheaper stuff, sell it when your done with it and upgrade along the way.

NotHackingYou

IMO for a beginner with no experience about which equipment to buy, $300 isn't out of the question. When I started on my CCNA I had neither time nor money to roam all over Oz trying to collect all the equipment that would hopefully work together. I bought an eBay kit for $250 to my door. Could I have maybe saved $100 (or more) by buying a bunch of different auctions separately? Yes, probably. But I also could have wasted money (and time) buying the wrong equipment, bad equipment or the wrong parts.

IMO $300 for a setup that will just work and allow you to work on what you are trying to learn is a no brainier. Chump change when you consider the value of a CCNA.

Vik210

astrogeek wrote: »

If you want to buy some routers 2600XM routers are pretty good. They should run you around $150-200 each, depending on how much memory or what cards are included.

$150-200 for 2600XM – is this normal price?
In UK, I have never purchased a 2600XM for over £50. First time I got a 2811 for little over £100, I thought I was lucky but later (Feb 2012) I bought 8x2811 for £800 (total). The seller was happy with the sale and gave me free shipping!
Anyway, it’s all sold now and am not doing CCNP ;(

astrogeek

It looks like the 2600XMs have come down in price a bit, I guess $130-150 would be a more realistic price range depending on the amount of memory. Maybe it's because the dollar has lost its value against the pound, or I'm just not looking hard enough, but I don't think it's likely one could find a 2811 for $160, (£100), here in the states. A quick search on e-bay is turning up price ranges in the $250-300 range (£160-190).

dead_p00l

Fortunately i get most of my lab equipment through work. I do pick up some odds and ends at this site though and have never had any problems. The pricing is pretty standard and they have a good assortment of gear as well as cables, optics, rack parts, etc.

CablesAndKits.com

mikeybikes

My advice is to look on Craigslist. In Denver here, the prices on CL are better than on eBay. I got a 2621XM for $40.

Also, I think 1760s are good value for the CCNA.