The 1120s and 1160s are here to stay
In 1993, Cisco launched a series of branch routers – The Cisco 2500 - that redefined networking for its time and laid the foundation for things to come. Back then a router did what it was labelled to do – “Routing.” But in 2021, that’s not going to cut it.
Take a look at your mobile phone for example. It’s not just a phone anymore is it? – It’s a music system, alarm clock, light switch, television remote, and a navigation system just to name a few. If I could fit a router in it, I would!
Similarly, the expectations of a router today surpass that of “connecting to the internet”. Keeping this in mind, the 1120/1160 integrated services routers provide the perfect bang for your buck to accomplish your small branch office and/or home office routing needs. Additionally, it is continuously evolving from its predecessors with greater performance and faster processing speeds.
The Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) architecture allows enterprises to leverage any combination of transport services – including MPLS, LTE and broadband internet services – to securely connect users to applications in the cloud. These routers are built with a fanless design and small form-factor that can employ the same SD-WAN technology to secure the branch/remote office and integrate it into the enterprise fabric.
Features & Flexibility
To start us off on the journey of unique features, these 4-port and 8-port variant routers provide Power over Ethernet (PoE) on their switchports, allowing up to 30 W (PoE+) of electrical power to pass through ethernet cables. They support end devices with higher power requirements – surveillance cameras, VOIP phones, printers, etc.
Apart from PoE/PoE+, these routers also come with a wireless access point integrated into the device hardware. Meaning, not only does it have built-in switchports, but also a built-in 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi module to connect laptops, mobile phones, tablets wirelessly across the network.
Traditionally, routers perform minimal security features on-box. For enhanced security, it is usually redirected to a cloud portal like Cisco Umbrella. With the new ISR 1120/1160 series, we can leverage the entire enhanced security-stack directly on the router in your branch before sending any data out to the cloud. For detailed information on enhanced security stack refer: SD-WAN Security At-A-Glance
Now, to the eagle-eyed reader/Cisco enthusiast, there may be a natural question crop up – “What’s new? The previous ISR 1000 routers provided me with all these features.”
Great question! In previous ISR models you had to pick and choose which features and model best suited your enterprise needs. For example, if embedded security is a primary requirement, you may be sacrificing the advantages of integrated Wi-Fi or LTE connectivity to the WAN.
The ISR 1120 & 1160 has an answer for all your needs –
Security + LTE: We got you covered.
LTE + WiFi only: No problem
Add PoE to the mix: You bet.
Want a box with all the works: This article would be pointless if we didn’t have that!
In Conclusion,
The ISR 1120 and 1160 series routers are purpose-built serve our customers for the foreseeable future. The wide-variety of features integrated into this counter-top, fanless device are done so keeping one thing in mind, “I can use this if I want, or go the traditional route for now and switch over in the future” to provide investment protection and an easy migration to newer technologies, without the need to replace the entire router.
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