Cisco WIC-2B-S/T Full Official Technical Specification Document

1. Product Overview

Official Full Designation

Core Definition

SKU Naming Breakdown

1. WIC: WAN Interface Card, modular expansion slot adapter for Cisco Integrated Services Routers
2. 2: Two fully independent integrated ISDN BRI ports on a single expansion card
3. B: BRI, ISDN Basic Rate Interface standard
4. S/T: S/T bus two-wire user-side ISDN interface (each port requires dedicated external NT1 termination hardware)
5. =: Optional suffix for standalone spare-only WIC spare kits (WIC-2B-S/T=)

Product Lifecycle Notice

• Official Global Release Year: 2003
• End-of-Sale (EoS) Status: Discontinued; Cisco permanently halted production of brand-new WIC-2B-S/T hardware units
• Direct Upgrade Replacement Models: WIC-2B-S/T-V2, WIC-2B-S/T-V3 enhanced dual-port ISDN BRI S/T WICs
• Minimum Supported IOS Software Version: Cisco IOS Release 12.2(4)XB, 12.2(8)T and all subsequent 12.2T, 12.3 mainline IOS releases
• Software Maintenance Status: Only critical security vulnerability patches are released for customers holding active Cisco DNA service contracts; no new feature enhancements will be developed
• Legacy Status: End-of-sale legacy hardware; certified refurbished spare modules, validated legacy IOS firmware images and 24×7 Cisco TAC engineering technical support remain available through authorized Cisco distribution partners

Supported Router Platform Compatibility

1. Cisco 1700 Series (1721, 1751, 1760)
2. Cisco 2600 Series (2610, 2611, 2620, 2621, 2650, 2651, 2600XM, 2691)
3. Cisco 3600 Series Multiservice Routers (3620, 3640, 3660, 3631)
4. Cisco 3700 Series (3725, 3745)

Deployment Restrictions

1. No certified hot-swap capability: Power cycling the entire router chassis is mandatory for safe installation or replacement; live removal causes immediate dual ISDN interface outages and persistent IOS logging errors.
2. Mandatory external NT1 per port: Each of the two independent S/T bus ports requires its own separate standalone NT1 termination unit; cannot share one NT1 device for both BRI ports.
3. Network module slot compatibility only: May only be installed into W0 or W1 WIC sub-slots of mixed-media Ethernet/WIC network modules (NM-1E2W, NM-1FE2W, NM-2FE2W). Cannot coexist with WIC36-series ISDN cards within the same network module, though separate network modules in one chassis may each carry one WIC-2B-S/T card.
4. Low-end router exclusion: Not supported on any Cisco 1600-series routers due to hardware controller limitations.

Standard Factory Complete Bundle Contents

1. WIC-2B-S/T base dual-port ISDN BRI S/T WAN interface card with two independent front-panel RJ-48C/RJ-45 ISDN ports and dedicated per-channel status LED indicators for each BRI port
2. Anti-static ESD handling storage bag
3. Quick-start hardware installation guide covering WIC slot insertion, removal, dual-circuit ISDN wiring layout, external NT1 device connection procedures, ISDN BRI cabling pinouts and basic IOS dual-port ISDN dialer backup configuration examples
4. Global regulatory compliance, safety, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) certification documentation packet

Core Integrated Functional Capabilities

• Dual fully independent ISDN BRI S/T two-wire user-side interfaces; every individual port operates in complete isolation with separate signaling controllers and RJ-48C physical ports, each requiring a dedicated external NT1 termination hardware unit
• Standard BRI channel architecture per port: 2×64 kbps bearer (B) channels for bidirectional user voice/data transmission, 1×16 kbps data (D) channel for ISDN Q.921 Layer 2 framing and Q.931 Layer 3 call signaling
• Full ISDN protocol stack support for each independent port: Q.921, Q.931, ETSI ISDN switch types, AT&T, Nortel, National ISDN variants; link layer encapsulations include HDLC, PPP, Multilink PPP (ML-PPP), Frame Relay over ISDN
• Per-port multilink PPP bandwidth aggregation: The two 64 kbps B-channels on each individual BRI port support ML-PPP bundling to combine bandwidth up to 128 kbps bidirectional throughput for higher-speed inter-site data transmission
• Converged voice-data workload support on each port: Simultaneous VoIP voice trunking (ISDN voice dial) and IP data routing over the same BRI circuit, compatible with Cisco IOS Voice feature sets for branch PBX interconnection
• Dual-line redundant ISDN dial backup core functionality: IOS dialer watch, backup interface and floating static routing mechanisms to automatically activate ISDN dial connectivity over two separate independent ISDN circuits when primary Ethernet, DSL or serial leased-line WAN links experience failure, eliminating single-circuit backup failure risks
• Multi-line out-of-band remote router management: Establish separate independent dial-in IP sessions via Telnet, SSH or reverse SSH over each of the two ISDN circuits to remotely configure, troubleshoot or reboot branch routers during complete LAN/WAN primary link outages, with redundant out-of-band management paths
• Low-density multi-user dial-in remote access server (RAS) capability: Each BRI port supports dual-B-channel simultaneous dial-in user sessions, enabling up to four concurrent remote employee access connections to branch internal IP subnets via PPP / PAP / CHAP authentication
• Full IOS feature integration: Static/dynamic routing (RIP, EIGRP, OSPF), IOS zone-based firewall, NAT/PAT, IPSec VPN tunneling, AAA identity authentication (PAP/CHAP/MS-CHAP, RADIUS/TACACS+), dialer ACL traffic filtering, QoS traffic classification and marking
• Permanent ISDN leased-line mode support per port: Operate in always-on ISDN leased-line mode for continuous low-bandwidth inter-site data connectivity, alongside switched dial-on-demand routing (DDR) for backup and remote access

2. Hardware & Performance Specifications

Core ISDN BRI Transmission Performance

• Interface Standard per Port: ITU-T ISDN BRI S/T bus two-wire user-side interface
• Channel Composition per Independent Port: 2×64 kbps B-channels, 1×16 kbps D-channel
• Maximum Aggregate Throughput per Port: 128 kbps bidirectional when both B-channels are bundled via ML-PPP multilink
• Supported ISDN Signaling Protocols: Q.921, Q.931, ETSI ISDN switch types, AT&T, Nortel, National ISDN variants
• Link Layer Encapsulations: HDLC, PPP, Multilink PPP (ML-PPP), Frame Relay over ISDN
• Physical Port Connectors: Dual independent RJ-48C/RJ-45 front-panel ports (one dedicated connector per BRI port)

Front Panel LED Indicator Definitions (Per Individual BRI Port)

1. B1 LED: Solid green = B-channel 1 active physical layer link established; blinking green = bidirectional data transmit/receive activity on B1
2. B2 LED: Solid green = B-channel 2 active physical layer link established; blinking green = bidirectional data transmit/receive activity on B2
3. D LED: Solid green = D-channel signaling layer synchronized with ISDN central office switch; blinking green = active call signaling traffic transmitted/received over the D-channel

Electrical & Thermal Specifications

Power Consumption

• Typical operating power draw under dual-port idle standby mode: ~12 Watts
• Maximum full-load power consumption under dual-port continuous dual-B-channel data transmission: ~18 Watts
• Power Delivery: Powered exclusively through the router chassis network module WIC slot backplane; no external power supply connectors mounted on the WIC card

Thermal & Environmental Operating Parameters

• Certified Continuous Operating Temperature Range: 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F) standard data center equipment room environment
• Extended Validated Short-Term Operating Temperature: 0°C to 55°C (32°F to 131°F)
• Storage & Transport Temperature Range: -40°C to 70°C (-40°F to 158°F)
• Operating Relative Humidity: 10% to 90% RH, non-condensing
• Storage Relative Humidity: 5% to 95% RH, non-condensing
• Operating Altitude: Certified operational range -150 m to 2,000 m (-500 ft to 6,500 ft); extended validated range up to 3,000 m (10,000 ft)
• Cooling Design: Fanless passive heat dissipation architecture without onboard cooling fans; cooling airflow supplied by the host router’s internal chassis fan assembly
• Airflow Direction: Horizontal cross airflow passing through the router chassis expansion slot bay

Physical Form Factor & Weight

• Form Factor: Standard low-profile single-wide WIC modular expansion card form factor compatible with W0/W1 sub-slots of supported mixed-media network modules
• Bare WIC Net Weight (without ISDN line cords, NT1 devices and accessory hardware): Approximately 85 grams

3. Regulatory & Compliance Certifications

1. Safety Standards: UL 1950, UL 60950-1, CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1, EN 60950-1, IEC 60950-1, GB 4943 Chinese national safety standard
2. EMC & EMI Standards: FCC CFR Title 47 Part 15 Class B, VCCI Class A, EN55022 Class A, CISPR 22 Class A, ICES003 Class A
3. ISDN Telecommunications Compliance: FCC Part 68, ETSI TBR3, global country-specific ISDN loop interface certification standards
4. Environmental Directive: EU RoHS hazardous substance restriction compliance

4. Core Deployment Advantages

1. Ultra-High-Density Dual Independent ISDN BRI Port Design: Two fully isolated ISDN BRI S/T bus ports integrated within a single WIC expansion slot, eliminating the need to deploy two separate WIC-1B-S/T single-port cards for multi-circuit ISDN deployments. This design drastically reduces router WIC slot occupation and overall hardware capital expenditure for dual-backup and multi-access branch network deployments.
2. Fully Isolated Per-Port Independent Configuration Flexibility: Each S/T bus port operates with completely separated hardware signaling controllers, supporting different external NT1 devices, distinct ISDN switch types, independent D-channel signaling profiles, and separate WAN encapsulation protocols running simultaneously without cross-port resource contention. Network administrators can connect two distinct ISDN carrier circuits, or mix one ISDN backup line and a second dedicated out-of-band management ISDN circuit on a single expansion card.
3. Dual Redundant ISDN Dial Backup Paths for Mission-Critical Branch Uptime: Each independent BRI port connects to a separate ISDN service provider circuit, enabling fully redundant out-of-band backup connectivity. If one ISDN circuit fails or the primary WAN link drops, the router can automatically establish dial connectivity over the second separate ISDN telephone circuit, eliminating single-circuit backup failure risks for critical branch business systems.
4. Converged Voice-and-Data Multi-Service Single-Circuit Operation Per Port: Each ISDN BRI interface simultaneously supports real-time VoIP PBX trunking and IP routing data services over a single ISDN line, eliminating the need for separate telephone and data circuits for each ISDN link and reducing monthly telecom subscription costs for remote unmanned branch sites.
5. Independent Dual-Line ISDN Out-of-Band Remote Router Troubleshooting and Administration: The two isolated ISDN dial-up interfaces provide redundant out-of-band management access fully separated from the primary data network. Network engineers can dial into the router remotely via SSH/Telnet over either ISDN circuit to diagnose faults, adjust configurations or reboot unresponsive branch devices even when all primary LAN and WAN connectivity is completely lost.
6. Fanless Passive Cooling High-Reliability Low-Maintenance Architecture: The card utilizes a fanless passive heat dissipation design with zero moving mechanical fan components, eliminating mechanical failure risks and enabling stable 24/7 continuous unattended operation in remote unmanned equipment closets with minimal long-term maintenance requirements. Low power consumption reduces overall router energy draw and site cooling operational costs.

Supplementary Product Specification Notes

UNSPSC Classification Code

K9 Security Compliance Note

Factory Hardware Warranty Terms