Tested: Cisco ISR 2821 router adds voice and video

Cisco's ISR 2821 lets offices with basic IT skills configure multimedia IP communications.

Cisco’s ISR family of products is designed to deliver a single system for data, security and wireless services, and the 2800 and 3800 models add voice and video to the menu. A key feature is that the entire range runs the same code, leaving the customer to choose the model that provides the required expansion options.

The 2821 reviewed here is a 2U rackmount chassis offering a pair of fixed copper gigabit ports and a selection of expansion slots that accept over 90 different modules. IP telephony is supported and the 2821 can handle up to 96 IP phones.

The four smaller slots are used for Cisco’s high-speed WAN interface cards (HWICs) with options including ADSL, ISDN, E1 and T1, plus the latest module that combines an ADSL2/2+ modem and ISDN TA backup. The larger slot underneath accepts a range of networking modules offering Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing and PoE comes into the picture once the standard power supply has been upgraded. Along with analogue and digital voice and fax, administrators can add H.323 and SIP support for IP telephony and this is managed with Cisco’s Unified CallManager Express tools.

As we have seen with new Catalyst 500 switches, installation and configuration of ISR products does not require an expert knowledge of Cisco’s IOS software. Non-specialist IT staff can simply point a web browser at the unit that transports them to Cisco’s Security Device Manager (SDM) Express interface.

Wizards assist with initial LAN and WAN configuration and help to set up basic features such as the firewall and routing. The next step is to install the full SDM utility on a PC that also loads the SDR firmware onto a CompactFlash card in the 2821. Even a quick glance shows how hard Cisco has been working to make its products easier to use as every function is easily accessible from the well designed management interface. It also offers an abundance of wizards, making functions such firewall, VPN, IPS and QoS easy to set up.

So far so good, but bear in mind that antivirus and anti-spam measures are not integral. Instead, the 2821 has an option in the SDM interface for integration with Cisco’s network admission control (NAC) technology, which is used to query end-points about their security posture on the network. This also requires a connection via Radius to a Cisco Secure ACS (access control server) that maintains NAC policies.

IP telephony features are extensive and with the relevant modules installed, all voice-related services can be managed from the new Unified CallManager Express (UCE). This is a separate web interface to SDM but is just as well designed and provides full access to all call activities and IP phones.

IT administrators can easily manage call plans, hunt groups and call blocking and configure dial tones and system messages. Yet another expansion module with an integral hard disk delivers voice mail. This is managed by Cisco’s Unity Express VoiceMail, which integrates with the main UCE interface and provides easy access to voice mailboxes, distribution lists and call-handling functions.

The ISR 2821 can support up to 96 IP phones, with all voice-related services easily managed and configured via the device’s Unified Call-Manager Express web interface.