Cheaper option for small networks
December 15, 2020

Cheaper option for small networks

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Small Business RV Series

We have a couple of older Cisco RV series units being used as a firewall and wireless access point for a remote location. It's nice to have the wireless built-in to the firewall because it only requires 1 unit to provide the internet rather than having a separate wireless module to have to manage.
  • It has the typical firewall functions you'd expect in an all in one unit.
  • GUI interface is easier to use by less technical users.
  • The extra features such as VLANs are nice to have.
  • Wireless is slower than a dedicated wireless module.
  • Some of the lower-end Cisco RV models can't handle high traffic load.
  • GUI interface is really slow sometimes.
  • It's a cheap all-in-one solution for firewall and wireless.
  • It has better uptime than most consumer routers.
The Cisco RV series can't begin to compare to the power of the Cisco ASA series. But you get what you pay for, so the cheaper Cisco RV series makes sense financially when dealing with small networks. The Cisco ASA series can handle multiple site-to-site VPNs whereas I'm not sure the Cisco RV series would be able to handle more than 1.

Do you think Cisco Small Business RV Series delivers good value for the price?

Not sure

Are you happy with Cisco Small Business RV Series's feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco Small Business RV Series live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco Small Business RV Series go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco Small Business RV Series again?

No

It's great for an all-in-one device that can be deployed to smaller locations. Some of the lower-end units can't support high-traffic load or a lot of users, so only use those for small offices. It's a cheaper Cisco option compared to their ASA firewalls, plus some of the Cisco RV models include wireless functionality. I think some of the higher-end consumer routers can provide similar functionality at a lower cost, although Cisco RV models include VLAN functionality which most/all consumer routers don't have.