Cisco ISR EOL Replacement Options

Cisco ISR 1100

Cisco ISR 1100 is a series of enterprise branch routers, though we’re only discussing the 11xx models that support SD-WAN here. Some of these (namely the 112x-80 line and the 1161x-8P model) are modular in design, with optional NIMs for additional terminal server capabilities. However, most ISR 1100s are fixed form-factor, which means they’re best suited to branch office deployments and as customer premises equipment (CPE) in small, provider-managed edge data centers.

	ISR 111x-4P/8P	ISR 1100-4G/4G LTE/6G	ISR 1161X-8P	ISR 112x-8P	ISR 1111X-8P
WAN Interfaces	1 x RJ-45/SFP 1 x RJ-45	4 x RJ-45 1100-4G: 1 x LTE (CAT4) 1100-6G: 2 x SFP	1 x RJ-45/SFP 1 x RJ-45	1 x RJ-45/SFP 1 x RJ-45 3G/4G LTE VDSL2/ADSL2+	1 x RJ-45/SFP 1 x RJ-45
LAN Interfaces	111x-4P: –  4 x Gigabit Ethernet –  (Optional) 2 x PoE/1 x PoE+ –  (Optional) Wireless 802.11ac WAVE 2 –  (Optional) 4G LTE-Advanced (CAT6) with carrier aggregation –  (Optional) VDSL2 and ADSL2/2+ 111x-8P: –  8 x Gigabit Ethernet –  (Optional) 4 x PoE/2 x PoE+ –  (Optional) Wireless 802.11ac WAVE 2 –  (Optional) 4G LTE-Advanced (CAT6) with carrier aggregation –  (Optional) G.FAST, VDSL2 and ADSL2/2+	1100-4G 4 x Ethernet 1100-6G –  4 x Ethernet –  2 x Gigabit Ethernet –  (Optional) 4 x PoE	8 x Gigabit Ethernet 4 x PoE 2 x PoE+	8 x Gigabit Ethernet 4 x PoE 2 x PoE+	8 x Gigabit Ethernet 4 x PoE 2 x PoE+
Hardware Services	Console port USB port	Console port USB port	USB port Container services Voice functionality	USB port Container services Voice functionality	Console port USB port
Networking	Cisco SD-WAN software AppNAV Application visibility and control IOS high availability Multicast IPv6 support	Viptela OS SD-WAN software Application visibility and control Multicast IPv6 support	Cisco SD-WAN software WAN optimization AppNAV Application visibility and control Multicast Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV) Ethernet VPN (EVPNoMPLS) IPv6 support	Cisco SD-WAN software WAN optimization AppNAV Application visibility and control Multicast Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV) Ethernet VPN (EVPNoMPLS) IPv6 support	Cisco SD-WAN software AppNAV Application visibility and control IOS high availabiltiy Multicast IPv6 support
Security	Cisco Umbrella Branch Encrypted Traffic Analytics IPSec tunnels DMVPN FlexVPN GETVPN NAT Zone-based firewall	IPSec tunnels NAT Zone-based firewall	Intrusion prevention Cisco Umbrella Branch Cisco Cloud Web Security Encrypted Traffic Analytics IPSec tunnels DMVPN FlexVPN GETVPN Content filtering NAT Zone-based firewall	Intrusion prevention Cisco Umbrella Branch Cisco Cloud Web Security Encrypted Traffic Analytics IPSec tunnels DMVPN FlexVPN GETVPN Content filtering NAT Zone-based firewall	Intrusion prevention Cisco Umbrella Branch Cisco Cloud Web Security Encrypted Traffic Analytics IPSec tunnels DMVPN FlexVPN GETVPN Content filtering NAT Zone-based firewall
Power	External AC power supply 60W PoE support	External AC power supply	External AC power supply PoE support DC power	External AC power supply PoE support DC power	External AC power supply 80W PoE support
Form Factor	Fixed Rack or desktop	Fixed Rack or desktop	Modular Rack or desktop	Modular Rack or desktop	Fixed Rack or desktop

Cisco ISR 4000

The Cisco ISR 4000 series consists of 7 models of SD-WAN-enabled enterprise branch routers. Every 4000 series router is modular in design and supports the use of at least one (and up to three) NIMs. That means the ISR 4000 can be adapted to multiple edge and branch networking use cases, including data center, branch office, and CPE deployments.

Though the ISR 4000 series launch pre-dates the 1100 series, the 4000 is Cisco’s current flagship ISR line with the most up-to-date features and capabilities. However, both the ISR 1100 series and the ISR 4000 series fall into generation 2 (or 2nd generation), a category of solutions, that provide out-of-band access and some automation support but fall short of true end-to-end automation orchestration.

Cisco ISRs integrate with some of Cisco’s third-party partners, such as ThousandEyes, but are not vendor neutral. This limits your automation orchestration capabilities to what’s provided by Cisco’s software. This also means your Cisco ISR may not be able to reach its hooks into all the hardware and software components of your branch network infrastructure.

For true end-to-end automation orchestration of branch networks, you need a gen 3 branch gateway router like Nodegrid.

Nodegrid Services Router

Nodegrid Services Routers are branch networking solutions that deliver remote out-of-band, SD-WAN, and SD-Branch capabilities all in one box. Nodegrid SRs come in five models so you can choose the right device for your use case. For example, the Nodegrid Net Services Router (or NSR) has a modular design (similar to the Cisco ISR 4000) so you can add terminal server capabilities for data center or large branch deployments. Or, if you need a consolidated, small form-factor branch gateway router for your distributed branch and edge networks, the Hive SR is the perfect branch-in-a-box solution, since it enables out-of-band, SD-WAN, security, and has a gateway profile to enable in-band traffic

Plus, all Nodegrid SRs run on the Linux-based Nodegrid OS, an open architecture that enables multi-vendor freedom and your choice of third party or custom integrations. The Nodegrid SR supports integrations with orchestration tools like Puppet, Chef, Ansible, and RESTful in addition to providing Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) for fast, automatic device deployments over the WAN. The Nodegrid SR’s open architecture also means you can monitor and control all your connected branch solutions regardless of vendor. That’s how Nodegrid delivers true end-to-end automation in a gen 3 branch gateway router.

Replacing your Cisco ISR EOL products

The Cisco ISR 2900, 3900, and 1900 series of SD-WAN branch gateway routers are all end-of-sale, and Cisco will be ending support soon. Their recommended replacement models come from the 1100 series and 4000 series. However, neither of these replacements provides end-to-end automation for 3rd generation branch networking.

Suppose you’re looking to replace your Cisco ISR EOL model with a branch routing and network management solution that delivers vendor-neutral automation orchestration. In that case, you should consider Nodegrid’s line of data center, branch, and edge routers.

Only Nodegrid Services Routers deliver true end-to-end automation for branch and edge networking. Plus, the Nodegrid Net Services Router (NSR) is more than just a branch gateway—it’s an infrastructure multi-tool that combines an entire edge networking stack into one streamlined device. Get routing & switching, out-of-band, NetDevOps, guest OS (including Docker), and more in a single box, then use your choice of network automation and orchestration solutions for true 3rd generation branch networking with Nodegrid.