ISR1100X-4G Cisco ISR 1100 Series 4 Ports Wireless Integrated Services Router

Cisco ISR1100X-4G ISR 4 Ports Integrated Services Router

The Cisco 1100 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR) represent a transformative approach to branch and small office networking. Designed for the cloud era, these routers consolidate advanced routing, security, wireless, and application services into a single, compact platform. The specific model, the Cisco ISR1100X-4G, epitomizes this convergence, offering a feature-rich, all-in-one solution that delivers secure, high-performance connectivity for distributed enterprises.

Cisco ISR1100X-4G: The Wireless 4G LTE-A Ready Router

The Cisco ISR1100X-4G model is a specific, feature-rich variant within the ISR 1100 family, distinguished by its integrated wireless 4G LTE-Advanced capabilities. This router is purpose-built for sites requiring primary or failover broadband connectivity via cellular networks, eliminating dependency on fixed-line infrastructure. It is an ideal solution for temporary sites, retail pop-ups, vehicles, or locations where traditional broadband is unavailable, costly, or unreliable. The device maintains all the core routing, security, and SD-WAN competencies of the series while adding the flexibility and resilience of always-on cellular connectivity. Its compact, desktop form factor allows for easy deployment in virtually any environment.

Core Architecture and Performance Specifications

At the heart of the ISR1100X-4G is a powerful multicore processor architecture optimized for integrated services. This enables the concurrent operation of advanced routing, full-featured stateful firewall, VPN termination, and traffic analysis without performance degradation. The router is engineered to handle the increased encryption demands of modern security protocols and the deep packet inspection required for application-aware policies. Its memory and storage are sized not just for today's workloads but for future software updates and feature enhancements, protecting your investment.

Processing Power and Memory Configuration

The ISR1100X-4G is equipped with a high-performance ARM-based multicore CPU, meticulously balanced to deliver optimal throughput for both data plane and control plane functions. It includes substantial DDR4 RAM for session handling and operating system operations, alongside embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) flash storage for the IOS XE operating system, licenses, and logs. This configuration ensures swift boot times, responsive management, and the capacity to run containerized applications and services directly on the router platform, a key feature for edge computing initiatives.

Form Factor and Physical Build

Encased in a sleek, durable, and compact desktop chassis, the ISR1100X-4G is designed for deployment flexibility. It can be placed on a shelf, mounted on a wall, or even secured in a vehicle. The fanless design not only contributes to its ruggedness but also makes it suitable for environments where noise is a concern, such as retail floors, clinics, or quiet offices. Robust metal construction provides effective heat dissipation and protection against everyday physical stressors, ensuring continuous operation in varied conditions.

Comprehensive Wired Connectivity: 4x Gigabit Ethernet Ports

The router features four integrated 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports, providing versatile and high-speed LAN and WAN connectivity options. These ports are highly configurable through the Cisco IOS XE software, allowing network administrators to designate them as needed for specific network functions.

Port Flexibility

Each of the four Gigabit Ethernet ports can be software-configured to serve as a WAN port for primary internet connectivity (e.g., connecting to a cable or DSL modem), as a LAN port for connecting switches, access points, and end-user devices, or even in dedicated modes for specific management or service purposes. This flexibility eliminates the need for hardware variants for different scenarios, simplifying inventory and deployment. All ports support auto-MDIX, automatically detecting the cable type (straight-through or crossover), further easing installation.

Advanced Switching Capabilities

When configured for LAN use, the ports can operate as a switched group. They support essential Layer 2 features such as VLAN (802.1Q) tagging, Access Control Lists (ACLs) for basic traffic filtering, and Link Aggregation (LACP) to combine ports for higher bandwidth uplinks to a switch. This integrated switching capability can often eliminate the need for an external switch in very small branch deployments, consolidating functions and reducing hardware costs.

Integrated 4G LTE-Advanced Wireless WAN

The hallmark of the ISR1100X-4G model is its embedded 4G LTE-Advanced modem. This isn't an add-on module; it's a fully integrated, factory-certified cellular component designed for global deployment. LTE-A provides significant advantages over standard 4G LTE, including higher peak data rates, lower latency, and improved performance at cell edges through carrier aggregation.

Deployment Scenarios for Cellular Connectivity

The 4G LTE capability unlocks several critical deployment models. It can serve as the primary WAN link for sites without wired broadband. It is perfectly suited as a guaranteed backup WAN link, automatically taking over if the primary wired connection fails, ensuring business continuity. Furthermore, it can be used in load-balancing scenarios, sharing traffic across wired and wireless WAN connections to maximize available bandwidth and optimize costs. For mobile deployments, such as in emergency response vehicles or mobile retail units, it provides persistent, secure networking on the move.

Security Capabilities

The Cisco ISR 1100 Series, including the ISR1100X-4G, is born for SD-WAN. It runs Cisco's mature, feature-rich IOS XE operating system, which natively includes the foundational components for Cisco SD-WAN (formerly Viptela). This allows the router to operate as a full-featured SD-WAN edge device, either managed through the vManage cloud-based controller or configured traditionally.

Cisco SD-WAN Integration

When enrolled in a Cisco SD-WAN fabric, the ISR1100X-4G enables intelligent, application-aware routing across multiple WAN transports (including its 4G LTE and Gigabit Ethernet links). It can dynamically steer application traffic based on business policies, real-time network conditions, and security requirements. This simplifies WAN management, improves application performance—especially for cloud services like Office 365 or Salesforce—and reduces costs by efficiently using broadband internet links alongside traditional MPLS.

Integrated Security Suite

Security is not an add-on; it's integrated into the core functionality of the router. The ISR1100X-4G provides a multi-layered security perimeter for the branch office.

Stateful Firewall and VPN

The router includes a robust, stateful inspection firewall that monitors the state of active connections and filters traffic based on state, port, and protocol. It supports a high number of concurrent sessions to accommodate numerous users and devices. For secure site-to-site and remote access connectivity, it supports industry-standard IPsec VPNs with high-performance encryption (AES-256) and is fully compatible with Cisco FlexVPN and Easy VPN solutions. When acting as an SD-WAN edge, it can also establish secure, policy-based Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) or IPsec tunnels to other SD-WAN nodes.

Advanced Security Features and Threat Defense

Beyond basic firewall and VPN, optional security licenses unlock Cisco's advanced threat defense capabilities. This includes application visibility and control (AVC) to identify and shape thousands of applications, URL filtering based on category and reputation, and integration with Cisco Umbrella for cloud-delivered security to block threats before they ever reach the network. This layered approach ensures protection from malware, ransomware, and other cyber threats targeting the branch edge.

Network Essentials and Network Advantage

The Network Essentials tier provides the foundational feature set, including basic routing, static and dynamic routing (RIP, EIGRP, OSPF), stateful firewall, IPsec VPN, and basic QoS. The Network Advantage tier unlocks the full power of the platform, adding advanced routing (BGP), advanced security (AVC, URL Filtering, Umbrella integration), full SD-WAN capabilities, and programmable APIs. Additionally, separate Security and DNA Premier subscription add-ons are available for layered threat defense and DNA Center management, respectively.

4G LTE Data Service

It is critical to note that the router itself requires a data plan from a compatible mobile network operator (MNO) or mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) for the 4G LTE functionality to provide connectivity. Customers must procure a SIM card and a suitable data plan separately from their chosen cellular service provider.