Cisco CCNA Lab Options

All the physical and virtual options for your Cisco CCNA Lab explained

4.55 (831 reviews)
Udemy
platform
English
language
IT Certification
category
instructor
Cisco CCNA Lab Options
25,424
students
1 hour
content
Apr 2021
last update
FREE
regular price

What you will learn

The different options to create a Cisco CCNA lab and the advantages and disadvantages of each

Why take this course?

The Cisco Certified Network Associate certification is THE best qualification you can achieve to turbo charge your career in networking. Cisco are far and away the market leader in network infrastructure products, and passing the CCNA proves to employers that you have the necessary skills to design, build and maintain their enterprise networks.

Passing the exam requires you to understand the theory of a wide range of network technologies, and also have the practical skills to configure and troubleshoot them. This is where having a home lab comes in. It's absolutely essential that you have hands on practice on the network devices, not just for passing the exam but also so you develop real world skills you can use in the workplace.

The multitude of possible ways you can build a lab can be very confusing. There are physical labs, virtual labs, software simulators, and they all have their own benefits and drawbacks. Making the right choice is difficult when you don't know the implications of each option.

That's why I'm here to help. I use live demos to explain all the available options, break down the advantages and disadvantages of each, and tell you where you can find further information detailing how to put each one together.

Please note that I don't give step by step instructions about how to build each lab in this course. I do tell you where you can find this information, so there was no need to reinvent the wheel. Rather I explain what the different options are and help you make the decision on which one is best for you.

Thank you for taking the time to read about the course. I hope you now have enough motivation to get into the learning right away. If so, click the 'Enroll Now' button at the top of the page to get started!

Screenshots

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Reviews

Hartwig
March 20, 2022
Sehr gute Erklärung zu den einzelnen Möglichkeiten. Ich wurde gut informiert und kann es nur empfehlen, als Hilfestellung zu den einzelnen Möglichkeiten die man hat, um Konfigurationen zu üben.
Gary
March 12, 2022
This course gives you a good overview of all the different options for lab work and all well explained
Bob
August 14, 2021
Very clear and concise. The instructor went through all the options pro’s, con’s and rough costs. Just what I needed.
Shea
March 22, 2021
Thoroughly enjoy the teaching style. Logical and straightforward. His accent makes me miss being in Scotland ... and to be honest makes me want "a wee dram." Sláinte!
Pete
March 4, 2021
I purchased a physical lab several months ago and as I go through the CCNA course, I find it very useful in discovering little things that I would have not normally encountered using a virtual lab.
SERGEI
February 3, 2021
Neil, Thank you for your advice to purchase the real gear. I have been in IT for a decade and can say for sure - there are plenty of nuances with the equipment you will newer get with simulators, e.g. a reboot takes a while so, with Cisco device in mind you will allocate way more time for maintenance window then for a SOHO router. I started to build my lab a year ago (before Covid) and was patiently looking for bargains on a local platform (TradeMe). Eventually, I became an addicted collector, however, this my hobby is not an expensive one ))) My almost silent part of lab cost me about US$350 and consists of 24 pieces: 3x C1921 + EHWIC-D-8ESG 2x C1921 1x C4321 + 4G-LTA-LA 2x C881 3x C3560-12PC-S 1x WLC2504 1x WAP 1702i 1x WAP 2702i 1x WAP 3702e 1x WAP 1810w 2x WAP 1852i 4x PoE Injector POE30U-560(G) 1x IP Phone Cisco 7962 1x Cisco IP Conference Station 7937 Noisy one cost me US$100: 1x ISR4331 3x C2911 + SM-ES2-24-P + EHWIC-3G-HSPA-U + EHWIC-VA-DSL-A 1x C3560X-48PF + C3KX-NM-1G 1x C3750v2 Here are about 30 pretty modern devices and many are still have ongoing support. All my lab with cables and power strips cost me around US$500 which I consider a steal as it 21U stack + WiFi mesh of up to 6 WAP supporting WPA3. If you have the desire to build a real lab but have a limited budget just be patient and watch for bargain on your local e-market. Cheers, Serge
Catherine
March 16, 2018
Instructor explains the pros and cons of building a CCNA\CCNP labs with hardware, simulators and emulators very well. Ultimately this final decision is yours to make.
Dave
March 5, 2018
I appreciate the explanations regarding pros and cons of particular labs for gaining experience and familiarity with equipment and usage. This course was perfect in doing exactly that. Thanks!
Yves
February 21, 2018
Thanks a lot for sharing this knowledge with me. I learn a lot about this course. Thanks again Yves
John
February 19, 2018
I already knew about most of the options here but was nice to hear from someone who has worked with all of them. Thank you.
Daniel
January 3, 2018
It helped further ground my interest in network security as i now have a firm grip of the ccna-lab an would be pursuing my ccna certification immediately with ccnp to follow shortly after
James
November 1, 2017
I am looking to build a lab to study for the CCNA test. I have an ESXi environment setup and was looking to see how a virtual setup would compare to a physical setup. Each has a set of advantages/disadvantages, but that is obvious. Not being an experienced network guy, I needed a quick summary of what is available virtually and what hardware might be needed for a physical lab. This course was just what I needed to make the decision to go with a physical lab and at what level of switch/router combinations are sufficient to cover all topics in the CCNA course. Good work, Neil! Thank you.
Manuel
October 5, 2017
Very well explained, this is what I needed to make a decision and the physical lab is the option...if you invest in Cisco SIMS is never going to be as real as the boxes (routers/switches).....thx Neil
Peter
September 9, 2017
Well explained and very patient tutor, like the way he approaches each topic, cool and steady. Thank you!
Robert
July 10, 2017
Liked the breakdown. Neil understands the requirements for each LAB environments from the student's point of view. The course was right to the point and serves the student seeking clarity on the different CCNA hands on lab options. Will recommend.

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1279276
udemy ID
7/4/2017
course created date
11/22/2019
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