Router for neighbor 1

[silverhairbp]

Neighbor needs a router. They are using a 3Com that must be reset every few hours. Updates didn't fix reliability issues.

They are not technically agile and need something that is easy to set up and very reliable. They use three computers, a network printer and a Linksys wireless access point so they don't need a heavy duty router, just reliable. I'll help but I don't want anything complex since I'll have to support them.

They use a cable connection with an external cable modem. They will probably convert to DSL within the next six months or so, also with an external modem.

They are jealous of our 831 router up-time and reliability (100% since install 14 months ago - thanks Burt!!). I'd rather not set up an 831 again, they would certainly not be able to do so.

I took a look at eBay and they have a few 851s and 871s along with a couple of SOHO 91s. Don't know much about them but it looks like any of these would work.

Any suggestions would be appreciated?

TIA

 

[burtsbees]

For ADSL, an 837 would be perfect. SDM is okay with a dsl setup, so the GUI would be fairly straight-forward. Also, don't forget---you always have us!

Burt

 

[burtsbees]

More---the 837 has a built-in ATM port (RJ-11) for the phone cord. They usually come with K9 in the IOS image (crypto), so they can be easily set up as a VPN server, so your neighbors (or neighbours, if you're in the UK...lol) can get to their stuff securely from anywhere. I can't really think of a more secure way to remote into a network other than an IPSEC VPN with 3DES encryption for the tunnel. Like this one---this is a great deal, seller has 728 feedbacks, all positive, 100% positive feedback rating, which is VERY important on Ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Used-Cisco-837-...0|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

Burt

 

[silverhairbp]

Thanks, Burt.

Our next-door neighbour is plum smack-dab in the middle of the U.S. Old and retired. Not young and retired like me.

My thought was to get them a router with an ethernet WAN port since they are currently using an external "stand alone" modem. Using a router with an ethernet WAN port will make their transition from cable to DSL (sometime around mid-year 2009) relatively painless since they would be using an external DLS modem. At least it was for me a year ago.

Maybe an 837 is in the cards. But from a slightly different perspective. I could install that router in my system and "give" my router to our neighbor.

(Another secondary concern for my set-up is bandwidth. Isn't there a bandwidth limitation of 10mbs on e1 in an 831 router (WAN port is 10BaseT)? Is there a similar bandwidth limitation on the WAN side of an 837? 851? 871? At some point, I will probably want more than 10mbs WAN connection.)

I'm looking at the 837 documentation now. I know a little more about ethernet than I do ADSL, so I've got some learnin' to do.

Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[burtsbees]

Well, for an ethernet WAN port there is always the 1700 series, which are modular, or the 2600 series, which are also modular, and can have an ADSL card in them (both models). The 2621 has two fast ethernet ports, 2620 one, 2611 two ethernet, and 2610 one. The XM's are a different story. I have ADSL, and a 2620XM with Advanced Enterprise 12.4(10) IOS on it, with a WIC-1ADSL. A lil overkill for home...lol

Burt

 

[silverhairbp]

I'm thinking of giving them my router and getting another. I'm currently connected to a DSL modem running at 6mbs. Thinking of going to higher bandwidth in the not distant future.

Looking seriously at an 871 or 877 to handle the additional WAN bandwidth. Interesting that the router performance matrix seems to indicate that the 870 series has about the same performance as the 262X series (not XM). XM is a different animal. (I don't believe in overkill. I do believe in the point of diminishing returns.)

I don't plan on implementing any of the crypto features or ip inspect. Don't really need them and these can kill performance.