Cisco today lowered the entry point of its IOS-based devices with a new router line for the small office/home (SOHO) office market.
The Cisco 800 series routers are the lowest priced products on the market running Cisco's IOS routing software, Cisco officials say. As such, the 800 series is designed to extend the features of IOS to a much broader market base.
Previously, Cisco offered the Cisco 700 series as its SOHO router. But the 700 did not run IOS software. Cisco's entry point into IOS, therefore, was the Cisco 1600 series, which costs $1,495.
The 700 is now being positioned as a low-cost ISDN router for price-sensitive home users and telecommuters who do not need - or can't afford - the IOS feature set, said Troy Trenchard, Cisco senior product line manager. The 1600 is now positioned as Cisco's entry-level modular offering.
The 800 is a fixed-configuration router and comes in four flavors: the 801 and 802 feature one Ethernet port and an ISDN S/T and U Basic Rate Interface, respectively. The 803 and 804 feature the same, plus a four-port Ethernet hub and two analog ports.
Cisco IOS features on the 800 include security, such as encryption, authentication and access control lists; network management and monitoring via CiscoWorks2000 and CiscoView; and Cisco IOS investment protection through the use of the IOS command line interface.
For virtual private networks, Cisco will add firewall capabilities and the IP Security tunneling protocol to the 800 series next year, Trenchard said.
The IOS features of the 800 series hit home with users.
"The main problem was that the 700 series did not run the full Cisco IOS," said Reid Fishler, president of Lightning Internet Services in Mineola, N.Y. "It gives you the availability to do the things you expect a Cisco router to do."
One of the things it does not allow you to do, Fishler said, is 56K bit/sec dial access. "Technically, it would be nice to have," he said. "I know 3Com/USR has a product out that allows for 56K bit/sec modem access over (ISDN) BRI on a one-port basis."
Fishler also said he'd like Cisco to extend analog ports to the 1600 and 3600 series remote access routers.
The 801 and 802 each cost $799. The 803 and 804 are priced at $899 apiece. They are available now. Pricing for the Cisco 700 series has been reduced by $100 to $499.
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