Cisco C896-K9 Full Product Description

1. Short Overview

Suffix Definition

• C896: ISR G2 DSL hardware platform optimized for ISDN Annex B copper loops
• VA: VDSL2 + ADSL2+ multi-standard enhanced DSL chipset compliant with ITU G.993.2 and G.992.5
• -K9: Permanent built-in cryptographic license suite supporting AES-128/192/256, 3DES, DES, SHA-1/SHA-2, IKEv1/IKEv2 with dedicated crypto hardware offload

Key Differentiators

1. vs C897VA-K9: C896-K9 supports ISDN Annex B DSL; C897VA-K9 runs on analog POTS Annex A telephone circuits.
2. vs wireless C896VA-W-K9: C896-K9 has no integrated dual-band 802.11n WLAN radio; wireless variants add built-in AP for on-site mobile clients.
3. vs Ethernet-only C891F / expandable C892FSP: These models lack built-in DSL modems; C896-K9 provides native ISDN DSL primary uplink plus combo SFP/GE fiber backup.
4. vs low-end C886VA-K9: C886VA uses Fast Ethernet LAN and smaller memory; C896-K9 upgrades to full Gigabit PoE switching, larger DRAM, native inline IPS, DMVPN and complete EIGRP/BGP routing stack.
5. vs industrial C819HG series: C896-K9 is commercial indoor desktop chassis with standard temperature range, not hardened for vehicle, railway or extreme outdoor shock environments.

2. Hardware Interface & Performance Specifications

Dual Primary/Backup WAN Interfaces (Automatic Failover Supported)

1. Integrated Multimode VDSL2/ADSL2+ ISDN Port (Annex B)
   Auto-negotiates VDSL2 or ADSL2+ line profiles, fully compatible with ISDN copper infrastructure. Supports G.INP noise protection, seamless rate adaptation (SRA), bitswap, TR069 remote DSLAM management, real-time line quality monitoring and Dying Gasp fault detection.
2. Combo GE/SFP Hot-Swappable Gigabit WAN Slot
   Dual-function port supporting either copper RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet or hot-pluggable GE SFP transceivers (SX/LX/ZX), serving as independent high-bandwidth fiber/copper redundant backup link.

Tertiary ISDN BRI Dial Backup Port

8-Port Full Gigabit Managed LAN Switch

• Ports 1–4: IEEE 802.3af PoE enabled (requires optional 125W high-power AC adapter to output 15.4W per port for IP cameras, VoIP phones and external wireless APs)
• Ports 5–8: Standard non-PoE Gigabit Ethernet
• Switch features: 802.1Q VLAN tagging, port isolation, static MAC security, DMZ port assignment, broadcast storm control, SPAN monitoring, LACP link aggregation, Smartport macros and per-port CoS marking

Management & Auxiliary Ports

1. Separate RJ45 Console port: Dedicated local CLI access via rollover cable, physically separated from AUX port
2. Independent RJ45 AUX port: Secondary serial out-of-band management interface
3. Single USB 2.0 Type-A host port: For external flash storage to store logs, offline config backups and EEM automation scripts
4. Hardware reset button, Kensington anti-theft lock slot
5. Onboard RTC for accurate timestamping of logs, certificates and network events

Memory & Storage

• DRAM: 512 MB base memory, capable of processing dozens of concurrent VPN tunnels, dual-stack routing, inline IPS, PoE forwarding and DSL traffic
• Flash: 256 MB onboard flash, preloaded withc890-universalk9-mzAdvanced Security IOS image; minimum supported firmware release 15.4(2)T

Front Panel LED Indicators

Physical & Power Parameters

• Form factor: Fanless all-metal compact desktop chassis, optional wall-mount bracket available
• Dimensions (H × W × D): 44 mm × 438 mm × 302 mm (1.75 × 17.25 × 12 inches) with anti-slip rubber feet
• Weight: ~2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) without power supply
• Power supply options:
  1. 60W universal AC adapter (for non-PoE deployments, 12 VDC output)
  2. 125W high-power AC adapter (mandatory if PoE ports are utilized)
• Max typical power draw: 26 W under full DSL + SFP fiber + all 8 PoE LAN ports load
• Ingress rating: IP20, only for dry indoor commercial office environments

Environmental Specifications

• Operating temperature: 0°C ~ +40°C (32°F ~ 104°F); performance degrades 1.5°C per 1000 m altitude above 3000 m
• Storage temperature: -20°C ~ +65°C (-4°F ~ 149°F)
• Relative humidity: 10%–85% non-condensing
• Max operating altitude: 3,000 m (10,000 ft)

3. Hardware Acceleration & Security Engine

• Dedicated onboard crypto co-processor fully offloads IPsec VPN encryption, eliminating CPU bottlenecks under up to 50 concurrent site-to-site and remote access VPN tunnels
• Permanent K9 crypto license unlocks full enterprise encryption suite: DES, 3DES, AES-128/192/256, SHA-1/SHA-2 hash algorithms, IKEv1/IKEv2 static tunnels, Easy VPN remote access and DMVPN hub-spoke dynamic tunnels
• Built-in DSL traffic isolation filters to segregate ISDN copper loop traffic and protect internal corporate LAN via independent VLAN segmentation

4. Cisco IOS Advanced Security Feature Suite

Multi-Tier WAN Routing & Redundancy (ISDN DSL + Combo Fiber/GE)

• Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF), static routing, RIPv1/v2, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, GRE/MGRE tunneling, complete IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack support
• Policy-based automatic failover between primary ISDN VDSL2/ADSL2+ Annex B DSL and secondary combo SFP/GE fiber-copper link
• ISDN BRI tertiary dial backup triggered upon total failure of both main WAN links
• Policy-Based Routing (PBR), multi-NAT pools, PAT overload for logical segmentation of PoE devices and standard wired LAN endpoints
• DHCP server/relay/client, DNS proxy, dynamic DNS, Ethernet OAM / 802.3ah for fiber/copper link health monitoring; dedicated DSL OAM for ISDN copper loop diagnostics

Enterprise Security Toolkit

• Zone-Based Stateful Firewall (ZBFW) to isolate internal corporate LAN, PoE camera/VoIP subnet, DMZ and untrusted internet zones
• Dynamic Multipoint VPN (DMVPN), Easy VPN Server & Client, IKEv2 IPsec encrypted inter-branch tunnels operable over DSL, copper GE or SFP fiber transport
• Signature-based inline Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), Cisco ScanSafe cloud URL filtering, deep NBAR application control for HTTP, FTP, IM and mainstream business applications
• AAA authentication via TACACS+ / RADIUS, 802.1X port authentication available on all 8 Gigabit LAN ports
• Secure management only: SSHv2, HTTPS; plaintext Telnet disabled by factory default
• Granular ACLs, static MAC address port lockdown on Gigabit switch ports

QoS & Bandwidth Optimization for DSL & Gigabit Fiber

• WFQ, CBWFQ, LLQ queuing mechanisms for low-latency prioritization of voice, video surveillance, SCADA and POS real-time traffic
• NBAR deep packet inspection to classify and prioritize business-critical high-bandwidth traffic over metered DSL and fiber uplinks
• RTP/TCP header compression, DSL traffic shaping and policing to control metered xDSL bandwidth consumption and avoid overage charges
• PoE QoS scheduling to guarantee stable power and bandwidth priority for critical IP cameras and VoIP handsets

Remote Management & Automation

• Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP) for mass standardized deployment of enterprise branches and ISP ISDN CPE
• Cisco IOS Embedded Event Manager (EEM): Scriptable triggers for DSL line drop, fiber link loss and automatic ISDN dial backup activation with alert notifications
• SNMP v2c/v3, remote syslog, IP SLA end-to-end link performance monitoring, dedicated MIBs for SFP fiber diagnostics and DSL copper loop telemetry
• Compatible with Cisco Configuration Professional (CCP) web GUI for simplified CLI-free deployment and daily monitoring of routing, security, PoE, fiber and DSL subsystems
• GOLD non-disruptive onboard diagnostics for continuous remote hardware health checks of DSL modem, SFP fiber, copper Ethernet and PoE subsystems

5. Typical Deployment Scenarios

1. ISDN Copper Retail Multi-Redundant Secure Gateway with PoE
   Primary Annex B VDSL2/ADSL2+ ISDN DSL handles daily retail traffic, combo SFP fiber/GE copper serves as high-speed redundant backup. The 8-port Gigabit PoE LAN switch powers POS terminals, office PCs, VoIP phones and multi-camera surveillance systems. VLAN segmentation separates sensitive payment infrastructure from staff LAN and public internet threats. Persistent IPsec DMVPN tunnels transmit transaction and video data securely back to corporate headquarters, while zone firewall + inline IPS block external intrusion risks.
2. Mission-Critical ISDN Enterprise Satellite Office
   Three-layer WAN redundancy (DSL primary, fiber/GE secondary, ISDN BRI tertiary dial backup) meets strict business continuity requirements. Full Gigabit PoE switching eliminates separate power injectors for cameras and VoIP devices, with full EIGRP/BGP support for seamless integration into the corporate core routing domain.
3. Service Provider Managed ISDN Business CPE
   Uniform hardware platform enables ISPs to deliver either ISDN Annex B VDSL2/ADSL2+ DSL or SFP fiber/copper Metro Ethernet services to enterprise subscribers. Centralized ZTP mass deployment and remote SNMP/TR069 monitoring support managed security, PoE and high-bandwidth networking service packages.
4. Campus Remote Building PoE IoT & Surveillance Edge Router
   PoE ports connect IP cameras, access control hardware and environmental sensors; combo SFP fiber uplink provides high-throughput backhaul to the campus core. Automatic copper GE failover ensures uninterrupted video and sensor data transmission during fiber outages, while ISDN DSL acts as primary connectivity for locations without full fiber coverage.
5. ISDN-Line Teleworker Small Office VPN Gateway
   Deployed at remote employee residences with ISDN Annex B copper circuits, multimode DSL delivers stable primary transport for encrypted Easy VPN tunnels to corporate headquarters. PoE ports power home IP cameras and VoIP equipment, and integrated security services defend all wired Gigabit endpoints against malware and unauthorized access.

6. Standard Package Contents of C896-K9

Separately Sold Optional Accessories

• RJ45 rollover console cable for local CLI configuration
• GE SFP fiber transceivers (SX/LX/ZX) for combo fiber WAN uplink
• ISDN DSL copper line cord, ISDN BRI telephone line cord for dial backup
• 60W non-PoE AC power supply / 125W high-power PoE AC power supply
• Spare replacement universal AC power adapter
• USB flash drives for log archiving and offline configuration backup
• CAT5e/CAT6 Ethernet patch cords for LAN and copper GE WAN connections

Software Licensing Information

• The-K9suffix includes a permanent built-in cryptographic license; no extra purchase required for IPsec, AES encryption and secure management protocols
• All core routing, multi-layer DSL/fiber failover, xDSL OAM management, PoE power control, firewall, inline IPS, QoS, ZTP and Gigabit managed switch features are fully included in the base Advanced Security IOS image; no additional paid feature licenses needed
• No wireless AP or cellular modem licenses apply (corresponding hardware is omitted from this wired ISDN DSL SKU)

Short Commercial Catalog Summary for Quotation