Cisco is a leading manufacturer of networking devices, including routers that connect computer networks and direct traffic between them. Cisco offers a wide variety of routers suitable for home, small business, enterprise, data center, and service provider environments. This article provides an overview of the main types of Cisco routers available.
Routers are important devices that enable multiple computer networks to communicate with each other. They receive, analyze and forward data packets between networks using headers and routing tables to determine the best path. Without routers, isolated networks could not share data.
Cisco routers run the Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System) software. This Cisco licensed software provides extensive security, traffic management, application optimization and administration capabilities. Cisco IOS delivers robust performance, reliability, and flexibility for diverse network environments.
What Are Cisco Routers?
Cisco routers are hardware devices that use Cisco IOS software to:
- Connect LANs (local area networks) and WANs (wide area networks)
- Filter and forward data packets between networks
- Block unauthorized access and malicious traffic
- Prioritize time-sensitive traffic like video and voice
- Provide connectivity redundancy to mitigate outages
- Analyze IP traffic for capacity planning and monitoring
- With regular Cisco IOS software updates for new features and security enable organizations to cost-effectively scale their networks.
Types of Cisco Routers
Cisco offers over 200 router models optimized for different use cases. The main types of include:
Wired and Wireless Home/Office Routers
Cisco RV Series routers provide secure, high-performance connectivity for homes, small offices and remote workers. Models include:
Cisco RV160 – Entry-level wired VPN router ideal for basic networks. Offers dual Gigabit WAN/LAN ports.
Cisco RV260 – Budget-friendly wired router with an integrated four-port switch and firewall. Supports site-to-site VPN.
Cisco RV340 – Mid-range wireless access point and VPN router combo for low traffic networks.
Cisco Small Business RV routers run a Cisco IOS-based operating system designed to be easy to configure and manage with an intuitive web interface.
Edge Routers
Edge routers sit at the boundary between your network and the external networks it connects to, like an ISP or the public internet. Cisco edge routers include:
Cisco 1000 Series – Cisco’s lowest cost routers, designed for small sites and branch offices. Supports critical features like IPsec VPN, firewall, QoS, NAT and DHCP services.
Cisco 4000 Series – Integrated services routers suitable for distributed enterprises. Delivers high-performance routing, switching, security and application optimization. Supports modular WAN options.
Cisco ASR 1000 Series – Cisco’s Aggregation Services Routers provide carrier-grade edge routing. Ideal for high-bandwidth services up to 100 GE interfaces. Advanced traffic management and resilience capabilities.
Core Routers
Core routers form the backbone routers of a large network. Cisco core routing platforms include:
Cisco ASR 9000 Series – Cisco’s flagship core and edge routing platform. Massively scalable and reliable for the largest networks in the industry. Can forward up to 400 Gbps per slot.
Cisco CRS Series – The industry benchmark for carrier core routing. Delivers multi-terabit capacity with unmatched availability. Ideal for ISP and carrier networks.
Cisco NCS Series – An innovative line of “cloud-scale” core optimized for webscale networks and CDNs. Supports advanced 100/400GE density in incredibly compact form factors.
Data Center Routers
Data centers require high density, low latency routing. Cisco data center routers include:
Cisco Nexus 7000 – Modular data center switch and router designed for high performance cloud and virtualization environments.
Cisco Nexus 9000 – Cisco’s flagship fixed and modular data center switches. Offers high port density, low latency and ease of automation at scale.
Virtual Routers
Cisco also offers virtual routers as software packages, ideal for cloud and multi-tenant environments:
Cisco CSR 1000v – The Cisco Cloud Services Router virtual router supports full-featured Cisco IOS XE in leading hypervisors. Easy to spin up and manage
Cisco Nexus 1000v – A virtual switch and router for multi-hypervisor environments. Provides advanced traffic control, visibility and troubleshooting.
Top 5 Benefits of Cisco Routers
Powered by the Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System) software provide significant advantages for organizations of all sizes. Here are 5 top benefits of deploying Cisco routers:
Reliability and Performance
Leverage custom ASIC chipsets and optimized Cisco IOS software to deliver industry-leading performance and reliability. Advanced routing protocols, traffic control mechanisms, redundancy features and rigorous testing enable to provide high uptime and fast failover.
Network Security
Integrate comprehensive security capabilities, including firewall services, intrusion prevention, VPN connectivity, malware protection and more. Regular Cisco IOS updates ensure have protections against the latest threats. Cisco provides end-to-end network security.
Traffic Management
The Cisco IOS offers sophisticated traffic management, QoS (Quality of Service) and traffic shaping tools to optimize network performance. Time-sensitive voice and video can be prioritized while controlling bandwidth usage across applications.
Centralized Management
Cisco platforms can be managed centrally using tools like the Cisco DNA Center for simplified operations, configuration management and monitoring. Network automation capabilities help reduce errors and overhead.
Investment Protection
Cisco IOS software provides backward and forward compatibility between platforms. Enterprises can migrate to new routers while retaining existing Cisco IOS capabilities and training. Services can be migrated across platforms to protect investments.
Author: TechBlonHub
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