Tips on buying a CCNA / CCNP home lab kit

Buying a CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Kit is the best way to be fully prepared for your Cisco exams. Most home labs put together one router or switch at a time, but many prefer to purchase a CCNA/CCNP candidate kit where you find multiple routers and switches, plus all the cables and other connection devices you’ll need.

While this is a good idea, there are a few things to keep in mind when buying a Cisco home lab kit.

Don’t buy anything you don’t need. The problem is that when you’re first getting started with your Cisco home lab, you may not know everything you need. (I wasn’t sure!) Keep in mind that on a Cisco router you only need one transceiver per AUI port, so if you’re getting a router with two AUI ports, you don’t need five transceivers in the kit. It doesn’t hurt to have one extra, but three is a bit much.

More importantly, don’t buy a kit with an outdated CCNA or CCNP study guide. I have seen kits with books which were three years old and of no use to the candidate. If you see a kit that looks nice but includes books or manuals you don’t want, ask the seller for a price that doesn’t include the books. It never hurts to ask.

See iOS version. Unless you’ve got access to an iOS upgrade, you’ll be working with the iOS version that’s on the router and switch when you buy the kit for a while. You don’t necessarily need the latest and greatest iOS version for the CCNA study, but don’t buy routers with iOS versions starting with “10” unless you have iOS to upgrade them. (And make sure the routers have enough memory to handle the iOS you plan to put them on.)

Buying a Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab is one of the best investments in your career you will ever make. Take a little caution when purchasing your kit, and you’ll be on your way to true Cisco success in the test room and on your network!