CertificationKits Blog

What is an Access Server or Terminal Server in my CCNA or Cisco Certification Lab?

There are a lot of different pieces that are involved in building a CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) 200-301, CCNA Security, CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Security, or other home lab for Cisco Certification. You will have routers, switches, serial cards, Ethernet straight-through patch cables, Ethernet crossover cables, serial crossover cables, console cables, usb to serial adapters

Packet Tracer, GNS3, VIRL, Etc vs a Real CCNA Lab

So virtualization has come a long way...right?  Sure it absolutely has.  But what about in helping you prepare for your Cisco CCNA exam?  Well you have heard the saying that there is nothing like the real thing...right?  Well I have to agree with it for those of you who are preparing for your CCNA exams.

What is the best Cisco CCNA 200-301 Lab Switch?

We get asked quite often what is the best Cisco switch I can get for my CCNA lab.  That can be somewhat of a tricky question as there are a lot of variables that can come into play.  At the surface it seems like an easy, very straightforward question.  But as you dig into it,

Distance Learning and The Increased Importance of Home Labs

As we all work together through COVID-19, schools slowly start to reopen and progress is made to get things back to being as close to normal as possible, the classroom environments will unquestionably be adapting as well.  Some institutions are setting distance learning in place until we can all safely come directly back to the

How to build a Cisco CCNA Voice 640-461 Lab

Once students pass their Cisco CCNA R&S exam, generally the next question is what is the next Cisco certification that you will tackle?  Do I want to proceed to obtain my Cisco CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CCNA Wireless or CCNP certification?  For each person the answer may be a little bit different.  Ultimately you should

DIY CCNA Lab Kit Video

Hi, welcome to the Certification Kits presentation on how to build your very own CCENT/ CCNA home lab. A common question we get is, how many routers to I really need in my lab? As you can see on the slide on the screen, one router will give you the ability to run the commands

What is the salary for a Cisco CCNA?

Are you in the IT field as an entry level help desk associate or a junior LAN administrator and you want to work your way up the corporate ladder to a better paying job?  You already have your CompTIA A+ or one of the lower level Microsoft certifications and you are wondering how do you

What is the Best CCENT & CCNA Lab Router?

We have written before on what is the best CCENT or CCNA lab router and you know what?  To a certain extent it changes over time as better models come down in price and give you a better bang for the buck!  So being that it has been about 8 months since we wrote a

Cisco CCENT & CCNA Lab Cables Explained!

Today we are going to review some of the common cables you may find in your Cisco Certified Network Associate 200-125 (CCNA) or Cisco  Certified Entry Networking Technician 100-105 (CCENT) home lab so you can connect to your Cisco router or Cisco switch.  Straight-through, crossover, rollover, console, and many more terms can be pretty confusing

CCST – Cisco Certified Support Technician

CCST - Cisco Certified Support Technician Cisco Just Announced Brand New Entry-Level Networking and Security Certs! CCST Networking CCST Cybersecurity   With a focus on entry-level job seekers, the new CCST Networking and/or CCST Cybersecurity certs might be a perfect fit for you.  These new certs would be a great resume builder to get your

Counterfeit Cisco, What the Heck?

Counterfeit Cisco, what the heck? As the premiere provider of Cisco Lab Kits, we have obviously been a part of the networking world for quite some time.   Twenty plus years have flown by quick!  A few articles have been a buzz lately concerning counterfeit Cisco devices and we feel it is important to bring this

CCNA 200-301 Detailed Subnetting Exam Question!

In today’s CCNA blog posting, we are going to look at a pretty complex subnetting question that is pretty typical of what you would see on the CCNA 200-301 exam. What you will see here is a networking topology diagram that Cisco will provide to you on the exam with a base scenario of requirements

CCNA 200-301 Exam Troubleshooting Questions!

In both the new CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate Routing & Switching 200-301 certifications, there has been a great deal more of emphasis put on the candidate’s ability to be able to properly troubleshoot a network environment.  This actually makes a lot of sense as when you are in the real world, you are really

CCENT & CCNA Lab Cables – When to use patch vs crossover cables!

In today’s CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) 200-120 and CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician) 100-101 blog posting; we are going to follow-up on our last CCNA blog post about cables in a CCNA home lab.  The prior post covered the different types of cables required to connect to your Cisco router or Cisco switch