How can a ccna(or any cisco cert really) help you understand non-cisco equipment?

StonedHitman

So far in my studies for a ccent/ccna I know how to configure and troubleshoot cisco equipment(routers, switches etc.). I'm no pro yet but I know what im doing when it comes to basic configurations and troubleshooting skills. But anyways, While I do know how to work with cisco equipment, I have no idea how I would go about configuring or troubleshooting my run of the mill home router( a motorola surfboard router/modem). I just plug it up and its ready to go. If it starts acting up or I wanted to change some configurations I don't know how I would apply my cisco networking knowledge to do that. I don't think there is a CLI so what can i do there? I don't wanna become ccna certified and not know how to configure a home router lol.

chopsticks

I believe at the very east you understand why you are using one of the 3 ranges of private IPs and not public IPs in your network, and that you know what is a NAT.. moreover, there are high-end routers, low-end routers or SOHO routers, different brands of routers from Cisco, Motorola, D-Link, etc, so, many commands are non universal.. but I believe if we know the basic networking concept, it's just a matter of time we know how to use the tool given.. have fun with your Motorola Router!

Reibe

Lots of brands of home routers only offer a web interface to configure/monitor them. If you want additional features or something more in-depth, you may look into 'upgrading' the firmware to something like dd-wrt.

Jon_Cisco

What you need to ask yourself is do you understand that task you need to accomplish.
Cisco CLI is not going to help you configure another brand but the same functions are probably be available.

Are you looking to use an ACL. Research that equipment on port access.
Do you want to use OSPF. Again search for how to configure for that brand.

I have wondered if it's worth buying at least one juniper router just to get a feel for it. I didn't want to spend the money now but maybe someday.

docrice

While you learn a lot of IOS commands when studying for the CCNA, ultimately you're learning about fundamental concepts related to networking: switching, routing, subnetting, NATs, ACLs, and so on. You must be able to see the forest from the trees.

Dieg0M

Commands are not important. I can train a monkey to type commands. The concepts are the ones you should be focusing on.

networker050184

Dieg0M is spot on. Most of the protocols are standards based so learning the concepts is much more important than knowing what command to type in. Once you have the theory down you can start applying it to any vendors equipment. Just google up a command document!