Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 1000) vs. Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 1000)
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 1000) provides software-defined WAN and integrated security features.N/A
Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500)
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
The Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500) is a highly secure and highly available access-routing platform for service providers.N/A
Pricing
Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 1000)Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 1000)Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500)
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 1000)Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500)
Considered Both Products
Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 1000)

No answer on this topic

Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500)
Chose Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500)
Cisco NCS is smaller and for us newer. Better cost with similar capabilities.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 1000)Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500)
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

No answers on this topic

Medium-sized Companies
Cisco Routers
Cisco Routers
Score 8.4 out of 10
Cisco Routers
Cisco Routers
Score 8.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Routers
Cisco Routers
Score 8.4 out of 10
Cisco Routers
Cisco Routers
Score 8.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 1000)Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500)
Likelihood to Recommend
9.9
(21 ratings)
8.1
(3 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.4
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.4
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.6
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 1000)Cisco 500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 500)
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
This is effective for businesses who need a network solution that works more or less out of the box, without having to coordinate multiple additional devices in the configuration process. Correspondingly, users with needs for more advanced functionality or configurability, or modification may benefit from a different model or different product line.
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Cisco
Well suited for10G aggregation at network edge. Small managed networks such as school districts or distributed enterprise campus. Not well suited to RPHY aggregation at network core — queuing in NCS540 results in jitter and poor RPHY performance. Allow port license purchases in smaller units. Better support for SLA performance monitoring capabilities would allow use as a box for 10G aggregation for Carrier Ethernet NNI handoff.
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Pros
Cisco
  • Seem to be well made and quality hardware and software
  • Setup is simple and has a great wizard for initial config
  • Well priced for a product in its category
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Cisco
  • Switching.
  • Routing.
  • Access.
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Cons
Cisco
  • Right now in the ASR nine twenties, we're having an issue with its shooting out power adapter errors when there really isn't any. And we're not really sure we're working with Cisco Tex to see if it's a bug and if there's a bug fix.
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Cisco
  • MPLS feature set on NCS520
  • Full support for RFC2544, Y.1564 across the product line
  • Greater clarity of the impact of smaller buffers on NCS540 when compared to other Qumran chipsets — some use cases like RPHY aggregation at network core are not a good fit.
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Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
Based on the Cisco brand reliability and outstanding support
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Usability
Cisco
I would rate these routers useability as 9/10 - I've designed and deployed Cisco solutions for the last 20 or so years, so, therefore, know what I am buying and try to get an understanding of the capabilities before deploying. The Cisco 1000 series Integrated Service Router is a rock-solid investment with great throughput "out of the box".
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Cisco
We found it always available with limited to no downtime
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Performance
Cisco
Excellent performance, no reported issue by the users
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Cisco
With any Cisco product, you are very well supported by the Technical Assistance Centre (TAC). This is one of the major plus points when selecting Cisco networking products - working in IT for the last 20years you soon appreciate that it is impossible to know everything and that there are people within Cisco you can lean-on when you need assistance.
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Cisco
It was very helpful
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Cisco
The implementation basically works, you configure it and it's easy to use, the problem with implementation using this kind of products is the fact that complex things require very complex configurations and the troubleshooting is too complicated due to a missing web interface or missing integrations that simplify that part. troubleshooting consist only in debugging via CLI.
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Cisco
These devices are still supported unlike most ISR800's, faster and cheaper than ISR 4000's. They are a true all in one box solutions. The IR1800 and IR1100 are great for DC power solutions, but are costly if environmentally hardened devices are not required. Coupled with a low cost, what is not to love.
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Cisco
Cisco NCS is smaller and for us newer. Better cost with similar capabilities.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Cisco
Very Fair
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Cisco
We found it reliable and on par with what we expected
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Cisco
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Cisco
  • Once they are installed they just work. Even when a device enters EOL/EOS they keep chugging along.
  • Good lifetime - they don't retire models so often that you can't keep up.
  • Good extended support, this allows us to keep them in place as long as possible (or practical) and increases our ROI.
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Cisco
  • Relatively low cost access layer device.
  • Very cost effective means of getting 10G interfaces.
  • Some features available on other devices out of the box are more complex or absent on the NCS without licensing or assistance.
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