New network setup - Used Cisco stuff

[drinkmorejava]

Apartment with 7 guys at school
I'm sick of the wireless sucking, and I'm looking at getting some higher quality gear for when I move out.

This is what I was thinking for the new setup

*RV082 as the router. VPN access would be great.
*Aironet 1200 for wireless
*wrt54g v1 with ddwrt (already have) B only w/ wep on separate VLAN. The only real reason for this is an old wireless printer server.
*generic gigabit switch (already have) for all of our wired computers

Definitely overkill for 7 people, but it will keep me entertained. Let me know if you think there are any better options. I?m planning on the AP and router each being about $150.

 

[melchoir]

RV802 is Linksys, throwing a Cisco name on a Linksys product doesn't change it's internal capabilities or OS AFAIK.

Get on ebay and buy a 2600 series router with 2 100mb interfaces if you want the real Cisco experience.
Or, get a Cisco 871 Integrated Services Router. This would probably be your best bet IMO. You can also get an 871W which includes wireless.

 

[reicherb]

A 2600 won't do VPN will it? I've got a few RV082s that I support and they work fine in a small environment. A better option for VPN might be a PIX501 if you want to get away from Linksys.

 

[Crusty]

If you're going to need VPN's take a look at the Cisco ASA, it can do all sorts of IPSEC and SSL VPNs.

 

[drebo]

Almost all Cisco routers that run IOS 12.3 or higher will do VPNs. On some of the older ones, setting it up can be a pain because you won't have the SDM wizard to help you.

If you need VPN, I'd suggest the ASA5505, like Crusty said.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Another option for VPN is setting up a VPN server such as openVPN. A pita to setup, but cheaper then a good vpn router. The consumer grade VPN routers aren't even worth it. They are very crappy. At least the ones I've dealt with (mostly netgear. Maybe linksys is better). The real enterprise grade Cisco VPN is not too bad, but I've even seen that crap out for no reason. I VPN into our office every day from a client that I'm stationed at, and every day it will crap out at least once. Could be a config issue though, I don't have access to see those settings. I've never seen openVPN crap out. A connection can stay online for WEEKS. But it's way harder to setup then appliance based VPN.

 

[drinkmorejava]

Thanks for your help guys.

The PIX and ASA devices are good ideas, but I would need a router too.
openVPN seems interesting, however, I really do not want to deal with more services running on my desktop.

The 871W looks nice, but it's a little more than I want to pay. Would it really provide any benefit over a 2600 and the aironet? I suppose configuration would probably be easier.
The rv082 looks great on paper, and seems to work for a lot of people, but there is still a large minority with problems. However, most issues seem to be related to 24/7 PTP links, which are beyond my needs.

reicherb, do you have any other input on the rv082? I realize that it might not really be cisco, but I?ll live.

 

[Cooky]

Config for the wireless portion on an 871W is exactly the same as an autonomous Aironet AP.
The 2600 could be too loud for your home setup, depending on where you put it.
I have a company assigned 871W at home and it's been solid.

 

[drebo]

Originally posted by: drinkmorejava
The PIX and ASA devices are good ideas, but I would need a router too.

The PIX and the ASA both do the same thing as the consumer-grade "routers" do (namely, NAT).

 

[drinkmorejava]

Originally posted by: drebo

Originally posted by: drinkmorejava
The PIX and ASA devices are good ideas, but I would need a router too.

The PIX and the ASA both do the same thing as the consumer-grade "routers" do (namely, NAT).

DHCP?

 

[Crusty]

Yep, it can do DHCP.

 

[ccbadd]

Run pfsense on an Alix 2d2 or 2d3 board with enclosure and get all the features plus some of the Cisco at a fraction of the price with the added benefit of easy future upgrades. Get a DLink DIR-655 or Linksys WRT-310N for wifi and your golden.