Got an old Cisco enterprise modem/router. Anything fun I can use it for at home?

Comments

• navi@lemmy.tespia.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Depending on how old it is it may be a good space heater.

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  • NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Foot warmer for under your desk

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• slazer2au@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Anyone know if I can install some custom OS/firmware via the USB on the back?

  No, Cisco uses their own silicon in that unit which means things like Tomato or Wrtt(?) Won’t load onto it.

  Best you can do is take it to an ewaste or sell it to a second hand Cisco reseller for maybe €75 if you are lucky.

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  • tabular@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Damn. Does Cisco use their own silicon anymore or are many modern units able to run Tomato/Wrtt?

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    • slazer2au@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Cisco is an Enterprise/ISP/Government provider so no third party stuff will run. They have NIST and FIPS standards they must follow in order to be able to sell into those spaces.

      You may be able to get some of their old Linksys by Cisco stuff to run tomato but I think they sold that product line off to Belkin who killed it.

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    • nbailey@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      The modern stuff uses signed bootloaders, ie secureboot. Afaik there’s no custom OS’s for C9k or Nexus gear.

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  • exu@feditown.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    With enough time and motivation it’s probably possible, but that holds for many things.

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• krimson@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  See if you can find the chinese backdoor on it.

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• blueeggsandyam@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Unfortunately most of the features of their devices are only available through their licensing. Also you won’t be able to get updates to it without a support contract. Even if new it generally isn’t worth using at home.

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  • theolodger@feddit.uk ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    This model is old enough that it’s pretty easy to find firmware online, and is not recieving updates anymore.

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    • blueeggsandyam@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Not sure if using a network device with no security updates and a firmware that might be found online is worth it. Also, I would never flash a networking device with a firmware that is found on a random website. After all that, most of the features of Cisco devices are still locked behind a license key.

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• jelloeater85@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Yeah, it’s junk, sorry ❤️

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• EuroNutellaMan@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Rip out its flesh, destroy it in vengeance and replace it with some raspberry pi running pi-hole or turn it into a retro-gaming console

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  • sunbeam60@lemmy.one ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    To crush your hardware, see them driven before them, and to hear the lamentation of their routers.

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  • tabular@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    That I can get behind. I’ve been meaning to get a Pi or equivilent.

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• Blaster_M@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  It being a 100 Mbps (“Fast” Ethernet) switched router, it’s really only useful for devices that don’t need or use more than 100 Mbps network speed, so like PoE IoT devices perhaps.

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  • tabular@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    As far as I know that is still “fast” here in the UK 😅

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    • mhzawadi@lemmy.horwood.cloud ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      On my 40/10 line, it’s got way more bandwidth then the VDSL has

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    • Blaster_M@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      It does affect LAN speed, too. Unless ypu have ypur high-bandwidth devoces running on a gigabit switch to LAM to eachother at good speeds.

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• Psythik@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  If it doesn’t have Gigabit ports (minimum), it’s useless.

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  • astray@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Anything Cisco that says FE is 10/100mbit.

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    • exu@feditown.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      FE for FastEthernet, right?

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• scottmeme@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Well it says it’s PoE

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  • tabular@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    That’s neat, not had that before. All that comes to mind is a LAN security camera system.

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    • a4ng3l@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Security cameras with a central continuous recording system + alerts and automations… plenty of fun to be had. Also wifi access points on poe depending on the interface speed. Got those 2 at home and it has been a treat so far.

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    • nezbyte@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      You can get PoE to USB adapters as well which simplifies wiring to random IoT hubs you may have.

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• hperrin@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Modulating, demodulating, and routing. ;)

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• eutampieri@feddit.it ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  You can use it as a VDSL modem if you have FTTC internet

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