Cisco Routers

About Cisco Routers

Cisco has built routers for every size of network for three decades, and the result is a
catalogue in which half the difficulty is simply working out which family you need. A
branch router, a service-provider edge router and a virtualised SD-WAN appliance are all sold
as "Cisco routers", but they share very little: different chassis, different software, and
different buying logic.

This page is the index. Rather than list several thousand part numbers, it groups the Cisco
router families we stock by the job they do, and links to the page for each one — where you
will find the models, the specifications and current pricing. Everything listed here is held
or sourced as new factory-sealed equipment.

Branch and Small-Office Routers

This is the classic integrated services router (ISR) line: modular chassis that run data,
voice, security and WAN optimisation on one box. The family has evolved through five
generations, and all five still appear in the second-hand and grey-market supply chain, so it
pays to know which generation a requirement actually calls for.

• Cisco ISR 900 Series —
  compact fixed-configuration routers with built-in DSL and wireless options, aimed at
  the very small office and retail site where a single integrated device has to do
  everything.


• Cisco ISR 1100 Series —
  the entry point to Cisco's SD-WAN portfolio. Fixed-configuration platforms with LTE,
  DSL and multi-Gigabit Ethernet variants, deployable from a zero-touch template.


• Cisco ISR 1900 Series —
  the 1905, 1921 and 1941: modular small-branch routers with EHWIC slots, still widely
  used where the branch needs flexible WAN card options rather than fixed ports.


• Cisco ISR 2800 Series —
  the 2801, 2811, 2821 and 2851. The generation that made the ISR name, with HWIC and
  network-module expansion.


• Cisco ISR 2900 Series —
  the 2901, 2911, 2921 and 2951. Four EHWIC slots, service-module slots, PVDM3 voice DSP
  slots, and the widest range of service bundles in the family — voice, security, WAN
  optimisation, or all three on one chassis.


• Cisco ISR 4000 Series —
  the current-generation branch platform, built for SD-WAN from the start, with a much
  higher forwarding capacity than the 2900 and 3900 generations it succeeds.

Cloud-Edge and Virtual Platforms

Where the branch routers above are physical chassis, this group covers the edge platforms
that run network functions as software — the uCPE and virtualised-edge category that has grown
as WAN connectivity moved to the cloud.

• Cisco
  Catalyst 8200 Series — compact universal CPE edge platforms for running
  virtualised network functions at a small site.


• Cisco
  Catalyst 8300 Series — the mid-range edge platform, for branch and
  campus-edge aggregation where more throughput and service capacity is required.


• Cisco
  Catalyst 8500 Series — the high-end member of the same family, for aggregation
  positions with heavy encrypted traffic.


• Cisco vEdge 5000 —
  the Viptela-family virtual edge, for SD-WAN overlay deployments.

Service Provider and High-Capacity Routers

These are the carrier-class platforms: provider edge, aggregation and core routers with the
build quality, redundancy and interface density that service providers and large data centres
require. They are a different purchase from a branch router in almost every respect,
including power and cooling.

• Cisco ASR 900 Series —
  compact carrier Ethernet aggregation, with variants for cell-site and metro
  deployment.


• Cisco ASR 1000 Series —
  the workhorse service-provider and large-enterprise edge router, combining hardware
  forwarding with service-module flexibility.


• Cisco ASR 9000 Series —
  high-capacity edge and aggregation chassis for provider networks, with 100G and 400G
  line cards.


• Cisco ASR 5000 Series —
  the mobile packet core platform, for mobile data and mobile voice gateways.


• Cisco NCS 6000 Series —
  the large-scale core routing platform for converged packet-optical transport.


• Cisco 8000 Series —
  the current-generation high-density routing platform, built around 400G interfaces and
  silicon-level programmability.


• Cisco 10000 Series
  and 12000 Series —
  earlier-generation provider edge and core chassis that remain in service in many
  networks, and are maintained by replacing line cards rather than whole systems.

Industrial and Rugged Routers

• Cisco Industrial
  Routers — DIN-rail mounted routers built for extended temperature ranges,
  vibration and the electrical environment of a plant floor, substation or transportation
  cabinet. These are specified by environmental compliance first and port count second,
  which is the opposite of how a branch router is chosen.

We also carry the routers of other vendors where a network is mixed — see the
all-brand routers index for Huawei AR, H3C, Juniper
MX and MikroTik CCR families alongside the Cisco range.

How to Choose the Right Cisco Router Family

Work in this order; each step removes most of the remaining candidates:

1. Where does the router sit? A single small site (branch router), a provider or
   campus edge (ASR / Catalyst 8xxx), a network core (NCS / 8000), or a plant floor
   (industrial). This one question eliminates about three quarters of the catalogue.


2. Data only, or voice and security as well? If the router has to terminate IP
   telephony or run an IPSec / firewall role locally, you are in the ISR families, and the
   bundle suffix on the part number becomes the deciding factor. If it is pure forwarding,
   you are paying for capacity.


3. Modular or fixed? A modular chassis costs more up front but lets you change the
   WAN interface mix later. Fixed platforms are cheaper and simpler but lock the port
   layout at order time.


4. Physical or virtual? If the WAN design is an SD-WAN overlay, the Catalyst 8000
   family and the virtual edges are the relevant line, not the traditional ISRs.


5. Then pick the platform within the family by port count, slot count and
   throughput — that is what the individual family pages below are for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Cisco router series is current?

For branch routing the ISR 4000 and the Catalyst 8000 family are the current
lines, with the ISR 1100 covering entry-level SD-WAN. For provider and data-centre
routing the current platforms are the ASR 9000, NCS 6000 and Cisco 8000.
Older generations — ISR 1900/2800/2900/3900, ASR 1000, 10000 and 12000 — are still widely
deployed and remain available.

What is the difference between an ISR and an ASR?

They are aimed at different networks. ISR platforms are branch routers: they
integrate voice, security and WAN services into one chassis for a single site. ASR
platforms are carrier-class edge and aggregation routers, designed for high interface density,
redundancy and subscriber scale on a service provider network. Choosing between them is a
question about where the router sits, not about how much throughput it has.

Can I still buy the older ISR generations new?

The generations listed on this page remain in supply as new factory-sealed equipment. If a
model you need is not shown on a family page, ask us — the fact that it is not listed does not
mean it is unavailable.

Do you supply the interface cards and modules for these routers?

Yes. Network modules, WAN interface cards, voice DSP modules, power supplies and
transceivers are all available alongside the chassis. Send us the router model and the
interface mix and we will quote a complete configuration.

How do I find the router for a specific part number?

Paste the part number into the search box at the top of the page. If it returns nothing,
send it to us directly — with several thousand line items in the catalogue, not every one is
indexed on a category page.