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Perhaps you don't want to pay full retail for a router. A used router might be your best bet, as long as you can purchase one (or several) from a reliable source. Online auctions are the most obvious source for used routers, but there are a few companies that specialize in used routing equipment. So what is used, really? In 95% of cases, used is nothing more than a unit that still works, and hopefully the shipper will verify this before shipping it to you. (Ask for a 30-day warranty) In the other 5% of cases, a button, knob, power cord, or something else in this category may have been replaced which may classify it as refurbished. Refurbished is still "used" and should be considered to be so. Refurbished can also mean that you might find, say, a Cisco 2800 series router for $800 that works perfectly well. There is a bit of luck required in getting really good deals in the refurbished marketplace. Items to Consider. In general, when you purchase a refurbished router, or for that matter, any piece of used equipment, you're buying a device that has a portion of its expected life already used-up. What that means to you, the consumer, is that if it was designed to work for 10 years, and its 3 years old, you can only hope it has 7 years left. (Not a big deal in the IT Hardware market) You'll also likely not have the benefit of any warranty leftover, you may or may not get the documentation and manual that originally came with the unit, and for commercial-grade routers, you may not get the console cable either. For SOHO (Small Office Home Office) installations, router configuration is all web browser-based, using Internet Explorer, Mozilla's Firefox, or equivalent, no special cabling is needed. For enterprise-grade equipment, like the Cisco line, a console cable is required to make at least initial configuration settings so that it can be accessed remotely. (Cisco routers don't come out of the box with initial IP settings) Another area to ponder carefully is that since you're buying a refurbished router, and someone else has already decided that it is either too slow, lacks enhanced security, lacks enhanced routing capabilities, or the like, how long will it serve your needs for the discount you'll end up paying? If it is a wireless router, great deals can be found on new and used 802.11b models, since their 11Mb wireless capacity has been outdone by the likes of 802.11g, Super G, 802.11a, and shortly to be introduced, WIMAX formats. If your application is simply to take a single laptop at home, and enjoy the portability of wireless access to your DSL or Cable connection, then go ahead and get a $5 router on closeout. Since 802.11b is still 10x faster than your Internet connection speed, it will pose no reduction on your connection. Plan Ahead! Most users end up starting with one device and figure out that adding a second, third, or more, then possibly Network Attached Storage (NAS), a server, etc. is easy, and it is. Remember the 802.11b (11Mb) decision? Now you're stuck with an 11Mb connection on your in-house backups, or NAS access, where an extra 50 bucks today would have given you 54Mb for that home backup. The bottom line is plan now for at least the next 18 months of use, so whether it is the latest technology on the market, last year's newest (now refurbished), or closeout specials, make sure your investment will be in place for at least 18 months without having to replace it with a newer model. |
Used Routers
