Brand

Used Cisco networking gear

Cisco was founded in 1984 and didn't buy another company for its first seven years. When it did, on September 24, 1993, it bought Crescendo Communications, a LAN switching firm whose technology became the first Catalyst 5000 and 6000 switches. Kalpana followed in 1994 and Grand Junction in 1995, and the Catalyst name has covered Cisco's switches ever since. In 2005 Cisco announced the ASA 5500 firewalls to replace its PIX line, and in 2009 the second-generation Integrated Services Routers, including the 2900 series. That's why so much retired Cisco gear ends up in home labs. CCNA courses teach on the Cisco command line, and a decade-old Catalyst or ISR still runs it. The catch is licensing. Cisco ties licenses to the original buyer and the serial number, so read the feature set in the listing, not the part number alone.

6 models we cover.