CiscoKits Suggestion

So I am planning on getting my CCNA obviously. I was looking to set up my home lab and saw this site on the FAQ. I was thinking about getting Dual Cisco 2503 Router & 1912 Switch CCNA Kit for 249.99. Any suggestions or feedback on this kit? Am I getting a good deal? I know I could probably get it cheaper on ebay or something but this also comes with the software and practice exams. To me it seems like a nice little setup that will get the job done. I am in college so I am kinda limited in terms of space. I was also considering the Dual Cisco 2503 Router CCNA Kit for 219.99, but I figured the other might be more worth it since it has a switch. Any feedback would be great. Thanks.

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Comments

markzab

jrmcent wrote:

So I am planning on getting my CCNA obviously. I was looking to set up my home lab and saw this site on the FAQ. I was thinking about getting Dual Cisco 2503 Router & 1912 Switch CCNA Kit for 249.99. Any suggestions or feedback on this kit? Am I getting a good deal? I know I could probably get it cheaper on ebay or something but this also comes with the software and practice exams. To me it seems like a nice little setup that will get the job done. I am in college so I am kinda limited in terms of space. I was also considering the Dual Cisco 2503 Router CCNA Kit for 219.99, but I figured the other might be more worth it since it has a switch. Any feedback would be great. Thanks.

I guess I'll say it before someone else does. There is a whole section in the FAQ on what kind of lab you should set up that'd be perfect for your NA. On top of that, I was looking at the same kit, but someone told me that I'd be better of without those 2 switches and getting the 2950's instead because they would be much more practicle for future certification/use.

jrmcent

Yeah I saw the FAQ, I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with either of these kits and what they thought of them. Thanks for the info, ill check those out as well.

Deadmaster200

Hey man,

Don't buy any kit that includes 1900-series switches. They are set-based switches, not Cisco IOS. They are no longer tested on the CCNA. Therefore they do not apply to the CCNA.

Which brings me to something that has been bugging me for awhile. Why are these companies still advertising "CCNA KITS" that include only 1 or 2 1900s? Either these people don't have a clue what is needed for the actual tests, or they are just trying to rip people off. Either way, as soon as I see "CCNA KIT" with a 1900 in it, I immediately dismiss them as legitimate.

As they are no longer tested on the CCNA, they are DIRT cheap. So if you wanted to get one just to familiarize yourself with set-based IOS, just buy one off Ebay.

jrmcent

Hey, thanks for the info. Yeah I was just reading up on it and saw that those switches were pretty pointless. I guess I'll just get some routers and maybe a switch later on. Thanks!

markzab

You might have to search for a good deal but you should try to get 1 or 2 2950's for now AND later. That's what I plan on doing. The only issue I'm having is deciding on which routers to buy. The FAQ lists a few different types off. I was thinking about going with the 2610's and then saw a 2610XM. It's a little more money but I'm not sure what the added technology is and wether I need it or not.

Never-the-less, 2 routers and maybe a switch or 2 should be perfect for you and will even be scalable for the future.

jrmcent

Well I just found a Dual Cisco 2503 Router & 1912 Switch on ebay for 165, best deal I can find for 2 routers with or without a switch. Should I just get that? Looked for 2 separate 2610's, but I figure after getting all the accessories I need, its going to be more.

EdTheLad

The prices you have been mentioning are very high so i decided to go to ebay.com and try cisco 2500 , first hit was 2 x 2501 $43 so looking at the deal above you are paying $122 for the 1912 and thats the best deal you can find? I dont know your location but these 2500 are cheap as, the 1900 should be thrown in free as an extra incentive to buy as they are pretty worthless.
Now the question is what you want the actual routers for? Have you planned to pass traffic through them and check QoS features? and you planning to play around with multicast video ? Or do you just want to get a feel for the commands? I'm sure there is a section in the FAX that mentions "Dynamips" this is an emulator that can run on your pc,it is far more valuable and useful than a couple of 2500's , this can run the lastest ios version and you can build various topologies depending on how powerful your pc is.You can even buy extra nic cards for your pc and connect your virtual routers to some switch you might buy.So for now since your only a beginner stick with dynamips, any cash you have invest in a more powerful machine, ideally a dual core with 4 gb ram.I never had a switch when i did the ccna but you want to buy some buy the 2950 or just use the limited switch functionality that dynamips can provide.
Dynamips is not a simulator its an emulator you need to get your hands on a real cisco Ios image, not too difficult to find one on the web.Search this forum and the net for details and you will be amazed.Stay away from Boson,Netsim etc.. those simulators are garbage, dynamips is a must.

jrmcent

Also, because of the limited space available in my dorm I only have one desktop here right now. How limited am I going to be in what I can do? I have an ibook g4, but not really sure if that is going to help at all.