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The Cisco 700 series, which is designed for telecommuters, is an inexpensive, easy-to-
manage, multiprotocol ISDN router. Originally created by a company called Combinet, it
has a different IOS than most other routers. Because it supports standards, it can connect
to any network that supports ISDN and IP/IPX routing.

The Cisco 800 series routers are Cisco's cheapest routers that operate using the regular
Cisco IOS software. The 800 series is popular as ISDN access routers because it offers
secure, manageable, high-performance solutions for Internet and corporate LAN access.
This series is usually used by SOHOs and telecommuters.

The Cisco 900 series comes in several varieties:

-- The Cisco UBR900 series products are commonly referred to as cable modems.

They are designed to let cable companies expand their service to customers.

-- The Cisco UBR924 cable access router is an integrated cable modem and Cisco

IOS router all in one box. It offers Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and Virtual Private
Networks (VPNs).

-- Cisco UBR914 cable access routers are finding their way into malls. Malls use

these devices to connect to the outside world using the cable broadband network
instead of traditional telco-based WAN connectivity options such as leased lines.
Then mall management sells bandwidth to the stores in the mall by providing
them an Ethernet connection to the network, thereby making a profit.

The Cisco 1000 series is designed for remote-office networking where there is a need for
Cisco IOS software, high performance, and WAN options. This is an early version of the
1600 router. It is hard to upgrade because the internal components, such as memory, are
unique and hard to find.

Branch Office Routers

Cisco provides many options when it comes to selecting branch office router equipment. One
of the first available routers for branch offices is the popular 2500 series router, known as the
"bread and butter" router because it was very successful for Cisco. The 2500 series routers can
have fixed configurations with permanent fixed interfaces. There is no way to add WAN
interface cards or network modules, as compared to the modular models. If you choose a fixed-
configuration router, you receive the router with preset interfaces on the hardware.

Typical branch office router solutions include the following:

Cisco 1600 series

The Cisco 1600 series has become very popular for small branch offices and
small businesses. The Cisco 1600 series routers have functionality similar to the
Cisco 1000 series routers, but they also have a slot for a WAN interface card. The

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