Cisco ISR 800 Series vs Cisco ISR 900 Series

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In the integrated services routers family, both of the Cisco ISR 800 and Cisco ISR 900 are designed for the enterprise small branch offices.

As two series in the same application, which is better?

Cisco 800 integrated services routers were released earlier than the Cisco 900 ISR. It means that 800 ISR is going to be the EOS or EOL series, but we will still like it, because of its good performance after the checking of the market.

In this article, we will introduce the features of ISR 800 and ISR 900, to help you choose the right one for your needs.

Cisco 800 Series Integrated Services Routers

Cisco 800 Series Integrated Services Routers support these features:

Concurrent services at broadband speed: Get the most from your broadband connection.
Strong security: Reduce business risks associated with viruses and other security threats.
VPN support: Give remote staff and teleworkers secure access to company assets over a highly secure connection.
Wireless networking: Enable employees to access applications and information even when they’re away from their desks.

Table 1 and Table 2 show the Cisco ISR 800 Compare Models.

Model	812	819	860VAE	881
Typical deployment	Integrated wireless solutions (cellular plus Wi-Fi) for service providers and enterprises	Machine to machine and ruggedized small form-factor cellular deployments	Enterprise teleworker or service provider managed CPE	Small branch, retail, or managed CPE
Performance positioning	Up to 15 Mbps	Up to 15 Mbps	Up to 10 Mbps	Up to 15 Mbps
Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000	Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000	Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000	Fast Ethernet 10/100
LAN Ports	–	4	5	4
802.11 wireless	Dual-band concurrent 2.4/5.0 GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi with DFS/CleanAir (Q4CY2012)	Dual-band concurrent 2.4/5.0 GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi with DFS/CleanAir (Q4CY2012)	Dual-band concurrent 2.4/5.0 GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi (Q1CY2013)	2.4 GHz 802.11n integrated antenna; dual-band concurrent 2.4/5.0 GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi with DFS/CleanAir (Q4CY2012)
PoE	–	–	–	2 port integrated PoE
Fanless	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Optional hardened form factor	No	Yes	No	No

Model	880VA	888	880G
Typical deployment	Small branch, retail, or managed CPE	Small branch, retail, or managed CPE	Small remote office or ATM with cellular backup WAN
Performance positioning	Up to 15 Mbps	Up to 15 Mbps	Up to 15 Mbps
Ethernet	–	–	Fast Ethernet 10/100
LAN Ports	4	4	4
802.11 wireless	2.4 GHz 802.11n integrated antenna; dual-band concurrent 2.4/5.0 GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi with DFS/CleanAir (Q4CY2012)	2.4 GHz 802.11n integrated antenna	Dual-band concurrent 2.4/5.0 GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi  with DFS/CleanAir (Q4CY2012)
PoE	2-port integrated PoE	2-port integrated PoE	2-port integrated PoE
Fanless	Yes	Yes	Yes
Optional hardened form factor	No	No	No

Cisco 900 Series Integrated Services Routers

Cisco 900 Series Integrated Services Routers support these features:

High availability and business continuity
Consistent, high application performance levels
Risk mitigation with multilevel security
Feature consolidation for real estate, Capital Expenditures (CapEx), and management savings
Unified control of wired and wireless networks from a common console for streamlined operations
Remote configuration and management to keep local IT staff lean

Table 3 shows the Cisco ISR 900 Compare Models.

Features	ISR 921	ISR 926	ISR 927	ISR 931
LAN Ports	4	4	4	4
Internal Power Supply	Yes	No	No	Yes
VDSL2, ADSL2/2+ support	No	Yes	Yes	No
DRAM	1 Gbps	1 Gbps	1 Gbps	1 Gbps
Flash	2 Gbps	2 Gbps	2 Gbps	2 Gbps
GETVPN Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
DMVPN	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
FlexVPN	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Stateful Firewall	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes