The Cisco 2800 Series is the replacement for the 2600 Series. In my opinion, the biggest advantage to the Cisco 2800 Series is its versatility; you can use a 2800 Series router in a small, midsize, or large organization. For most network administrators, I think the determining factor is the number and types of interfaces and not necessarily the throughput of the router.
There are four models in the Cisco 2800 Series:
2801: 2 DSP, 2FE, 2HWIC, 2VWIC/VIC, 0NME (Network Module Enhanced), 1Rack unit (RU)
2811: 2 DSP, 2FE, 2HWIC, 4 HWIC, 1NME, 1RU
2821: 3 DSP, 2GE, 2HWIC, 4 HWIC, 1NME or 1NME-X, 2RU
2851: 3 DSP, 2GE, 2HWIC, 4 HWIC, 1NME or NMD/NME-X/NME-XD, 2RU
he 2800 Series is the first router in the Cisco product line that supports network modules. This means that if there is a network module that you require for your topology or application, the 2800 Series is the least expensive Cisco router (that’s currently available) that you can install it into.
The 2800 Series supports a slew of Cisco interfaces and models. In a Cisco 2800 Series router, you can install a range of network modules, which include the following:
– 36 port Ethernet switch with PoE
– 32 port async
– 8 port voice/fax module
– Content engine with hard drive
– Cisco Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)
– Cisco Unity Express (voicemail)
– Cisco Network Analysis Module (NAM)
– 3G cellular WAN interface card
– Wireless LAN controller
– IP VSAT module
– 802.11a/b/g WLAN module
– 8 port HWIC module (to add 8 more HWIC cards)
The 2800 Series supports the Cisco IOS, which provides options security (like the integrated stateful firewall), the Cisco Security Device Manager (SDM), 1500 VPN tunnels, Gig Ethernet, and redundant power (except for the 2801 router).
At my company, we still have a lot of Cisco 2600 and 3600 series routers. Although not all of my sites need the power of these routers, we had to use a network module card, and these models were the first routers in the Cisco product line that supported the network modules. Specifically, it uses asynchronous modules NM-16A and NM-32A series to work with serial devices at each location. The Cisco 2600 Series does not have the CPU and RAM to support the latest IOS and manage the network traffic load current.
Cisco 2800 Series is the ideal replacement for almost all our routers. We have been buying 2811 series routers, the installation of a T1 HWIC card to MPLS WAN connectivity, and the replacement of the existing routers in remote sites. We’ve added a NM-16A or NM-32A modules to support the needs of our asynchronous devices. I have seen cases in which putting on a series of 2800 immediately improved the performance of the remote location.
Although it might be able to use a smaller router, like a 1800, I need the slot of New Mexico in the 2800 Series, and I like the flexibility and power than the 2800 series offers. Like the 2600 and 3600 series routers, Cisco 2800 Series has been very reliable so far, not a failed 2800 series.
Cisco 2800 Series is a package that offers dramatically improved: better performance, solid reliability, versatility, and a plethora of WAN interfaces and network modules that can be used to expand.