CCNA Blog

# 01 Abdul Quddoos

Is anyone please describe the CCNA Voice Lab equipment for me please. As I am preparing CCNA Voice at home and want to make my own Lab. I have complete CCNA Lab, will it help at all?

# 02 Edwin Matos

Before everything I have to say this is an expensive lab not like any CCNA lab.

The ideal lab will be using a Cisco UC520 with one FXs, and one FXO and at least 2 IP phones , and some others analog phone, and using you PSTN line at home.

But that will be somehow too expensive, this lab won’t be cheap no matter how you set it.

After reading the book CCNA Voice from Cisco press and watching the CBT Nuggets from the same author Jeremy my home lab was assembled like this.

Cisco 2801 plain (no bundles), no PVDM (DSP), no AIM-CUE installed the price was around $ 800.00 in a prety good condition it had the IOS with them CME installed with it ( ebay ), you could get it cheaper.

Cisco 2620XM ( to communicate with the 2801 with a SIP trunk ) I like this because this one will use the VIC-2FXS and VIC-2FXO which are needed for the analog communication and they are cheaper then the VIC2-2FXS with are used in the 2801. I pay $ 100.00 for it and came with the CME installed with an old version ( 3.2 ). About $30 box for each for each Vic and $65 for the Network Module that will support the VICs, and it will have the DSP need this for this VIC.

My old Catalyst 2950 from my previous CCNA lab did the job on connecting my IP phones I pay like $50.00 ( yes ebay again ). Note that if you have this Switch you won’t get POE which it can turn expensive to get switches with POE included. My solution was to get 4 Power adapters for $10 each one they came from Hong Kong I realized this after ordering them, took 15 days to arrive keep an eye on that.

I used and old analog phone and my analog fax to connect to the 2620XM and reach the CISCO 2801 with the IP phones through a SIP Trunk.

You can get crazy trying to get the VIC2, VWIC2, and the CUE for the 2801, but based on my experience you won’t need them if you read all the information that is provided in the book, in the CBT and look more information by you own you should be good to go.

# 03 Abdul Quddoos

I appreciate you for the answer. I hope thats the best option to go for. Anyway whats about the IP Phones; they can be any or any specific?

# 04 Edwin Matos

Oops,  I forgot my phone description of my home lab.

You will need at least one IP Phone this way you get the real feeling. 7961 Give you 6 Lines, 7941 Give 2 Lines more than enough for your lab, 7902 no display and two lines. My eBay deal went like this (1)7941 $54.00 new, (1)7961 new for $95.00, (1)7961 $60.00 used, (1)7902 $21.00 used.

I went a bit crazy with phones, but two 7941 should do the work for this lab + an analog phone.

Robin Lee :: Apr.23.2009 :: CCNA Q&As :: 1 Comment »

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