Cisco 5500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 5500) vs Cisco Routers

Likelihood to Recommend

The Cisco 5500 Series NCS appears to be well suited as a fairly simple core network device that doesn't require a lot of one-off configuration setup. It may have some restrictions if used as a peering and/or edge device due to control-plane protection design and QoS/TCAM memory and Forwarding capacity. The 5501 is well suited as a switch due to mature code and hardware capability.

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Verified User

Contributor in Information Technology

Information Technology and Services Company, 10,001+ employees

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One major drawback of Cisco Routers is that it is quite expensive. It may not be the perfect budget friendly item for most small companies. However, it is highly accessible and reliable. Security concerns are next to nil so it is something one can rely on, without fearing frauds and security breeches.

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Verified User

Manager in Marketing

Hospitality Company, 10,001+ employees

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Pros

Large bandwidth per blade at 36x100Gb.
IOS-XR for full functionality of automation and service provider experience.
Great price per port when looking at the scaling opportunity.

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Verified User

Engineer in Information Technology

Computer Software Company, 10,001+ employees

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Security. You can run VPN services on these routers along with core function of routing.
Rate limiting for DDOS or traffic on WAN links can help to prioritise the actual user traffic.
Routing. This is main feature of these devices and they do it really well.

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Verified User

Employee in Information Technology

Computer Networking Company, 1001-5000 employees

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Cons

When upgrading components of the NCS 5500 it can take a particularly long time and many steps to confirm additional components. Have all updates on the need basis instead of a one-step process.

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Carlos Bedia

Technical Operations Engineer I

Cox CommunicationsBroadcast Media, 10,001+ employees

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Firmware improvements as the routers (at least the models I used) can sometimes crash while setting up.
In two RV042 that I had to configure and monitor, I had problems where they stopped working properly (crashes, loss of settings, bug). In another model, the VPN did not connect and only after a router restart did it work.
Three WAN options on RV line.

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Verified User

Analyst in Information Technology

Law Practice Company, 51-200 employees

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Support Rating

Cisco 5500 Series Network Convergence System (NCS 5500) 8.0

Based on 2 answers

Cisco support is always informative and reliable. Depending on the level of support you subscribe to, the techs and Cisco TAC are well versed in hardware and operating system of the NCS series routers. You can receive 24x7 support and either Next Business Day or 4-hour part replacement from Cisco if required.

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Verified User

Contributor in Information Technology

Information Technology and Services Company, 10,001+ employees

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No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Alternatives Considered

We've always used Cisco, but from time to time we've interfaced with Juniper and Aerohive. Cisco has always performed better than Juniper, and seems on-par with Aerohive's most innovative features.

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Jorge Melo

Telecommunications Engineer

Carrilho EngineeringTelecommunications, 11-50 employees

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I haven't used other routers in my career. We evaluated Palo Alto but quickly realized we needed to stay with Cisco, as they never gave us a reason to change. Palo Alto also was a much greater financial investment we were not willing to take, along with the learning curve to support their hardware.

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Jacob Klein

Client Executive(CIO)/Executive Director of Information Technology

CareTech SolutionsHigher Education, 201-500 employees

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Return on Investment

Allows us to offer free WiFi for our visitors, patients, families, and staff on an equal performance plane.
Allows us to scale access and traffic based on usage, helping our staff maintain efficiency
This acts a major component to our mobile expansion strategy allowing development anytime anywhere

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Verified User

Professional in Information Technology

Hospital & Health Care Company, 1001-5000 employees

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It has helped increase IT productivity by making network management easier
The yearly subscription fee is too expensive and isn't worth it

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Verified User

Professional in Information Technology

Consumer Goods Company, 51-200 employees

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Pricing Details

General

Free Trial

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Free/Freemium Version

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Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Entry-level set up fee?

No

General

Free Trial

—

Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No