How To Avoid Purchasing Counterfeit Cisco Equipment

09

May
2014
Posted By : Melissa Bardello 0 Comment
Categories :Uncategorized

Cisco Systems is one of the top brands in the Network Equipment world, and rightfully so, their products are top of the line.  Unfortunately, high demand for their products and steep prices have made Cisco the perfect target for counterfeiters.  Counterfeit Cisco Hardware, known in the tech community as “Chisco” is generally manufactured in China and has become a major problem.

Don't be scammed by fake cisco productsThe Issue of Chisco Counterfeit Gear is not just a problem for Cisco Systems. Resellers on the Secondary Market, like Data Networks International, and unsuspecting buyers are also effected. A customer that unknowingly purchases a piece of fake Cisco equipment, will have major issues when the cheaply made unit breaks down. After dealing with the misfortune of buying fake Cisco Equipment, most customers tend to avoid purchasing from sources other than Cisco, which in turn affects the Reputable Cisco Resellers who deal in the Secondary Cisco Market.

 

The FBI is perpetually trying to crack down on the manufacturers and distributers of Fake Cisco Gear, however, new  counterfeit equipment is being produced every day,  making it impossible to catch them all.  While there is not sure fire way to completely eliminate Chisco products from the Network Equipment Market, there are ways to avoid purchasing them.

 

Avoid Buying Directly from China : This one is a given.  The majority of counterfeit Cisco units are manufactured in China, hence the nickname “Chisco”.  Therefore, if you decide to purchase something directly from China, and you do not have an established relationship with the seller, you are much more likely to be purchasing fake equipment.

 

Cisco Serial Number Pictures Ask for Serial Numbers and Pictures:  : Any Reputable Cisco Dealer will be more than happy to provide you with pictures and serial numbers for units that you are potentially looking to purchase.  Pictures of the units, especially if they are detailed will allow you to visually inspect for indicators that the unit is counterfeit.  If you are still unsure, or you do not have pictures, you can check the serial number with Cisco to make sure that the product is legitimate and registered to them.

 

Avoid Prices that Are Insanely Low :It is important to trust your instincts.   If a deal seams way too good to be true, is probably is.  There is no possible way that you can buy a $2800 Cisco Switch for $300 unless it is damaged beyond repair or a complete and total knock off.   Both of which you most certainly do not want.   Do some research on the cost of the Switch, Router, or Firewall that you are looking to purchase, so that you know ahead of time what a reasonable price would be.

 

Check the Sellers Feedback : Although I do not recommend purchasing solely through Ebay, sometimes it is the only way to 5 benefits of buying refurbget what you are looking for. If you decide to purchase any Networking Equipment through Ebay, check the feedback for the seller you are looking to buy from. It is important to not only look at their rating number, but to also go through their profile and actually read their Feedback. This will help you to determine if the seller is legitimate or not.

 

Buy From a Reputable Cisco Reseller : One sure fire way to prevent yourself from purchasing Counterfeit Hardware is to buy directly from a Reputable Reseller. Most Resellers on the Secondary Market uphold the highest standards when it comes to the equipment that they sell. Meaning, most Network Equipment Resellers purchase their equipment from legitimate sources and put all of their equipment through extensive testing to ensure that everything they sell is 100 percent Genuine.

 

 

Have a Piece of equipment that you think could be Counterfeit.  Don’t Fret!  
There are some easy  to spot, physical characteristics that the majority of Fake Cisco Gear always has.
Want to know what they are?
Counterfeit Checklist2

How To Choose The Right CATV Broadband Equipment For Your Headend

04

May
2014
Posted By : Melissa Bardello 0 Comment
Categories :Uncategorized

Broad Band Equipment purchasing adviceAnyone who has been tasked with building or upgrading a Headend knows that Broad band Equipment is expensive and you need a good deal of different units from Modulators, and  Satellite Receivers to Transcoders and Encoders, to build out a fully functioning Head-End.

Once you determine how many Transcoders and Satellite Receivers you need, then you have to decide which of the top CATV Equipment brands will work for you.   Will it be Scientific Atlanta, or Motorola, or maybe Blonder Tongue?   I know, it’s a tough choice.  The truth is, only you can decide which brand is right for your Head-End.

 

Here are some things to keep in mind that will help you to determine what Digital Broadband Equipment is right for you.

Availability:

First and For most, it is important to determine how many of each unit you need to complete your Head-End, and check the Availability with your supplier.   If you need 25 Scientific Atlanta D9850 Satellite Receivers and Cisco only has 5, then you may need to go with a Cisco Scientific Atlanta D9850 Power Vu Program Receiverdifferent kind of Satellite Receiver    Keep in mind, that a Broadband Equipment Reseller like DNI, may be able to get you equipment that has been discontinued.

 

Reliability:

It is important that all of the CATV Equipment that you choose is reliable.  Keeping in mind that all of your satellite receivers, modulators and demodulators must work flawlessly 24/7 – 365, it is important to do some research and decide which units are the most reliable.  Do not just pick a product or product line because it is less expensive.  Chances are, you will spend more money in the long run replacing bad units, then you would if you spent a little more on a more reliable product in the first place.

Cost:

This is a biggie! Digital Broadband Equipment can be expensive and if you do not have a limitless budget, as most people do not, then you have to be conscious of the cost of every unit that you buy. For many Headend Equipment buyers, cost is the ultimate deciding factor. However, it is important for you to know that Equipment Resellers, like DNI, who carry Broadband Equipment may be able to provide you with the equipment that you need at a fraction of the cost.

 

Budget for Extra:

No matter how great your CATV Equipment is or how much you spent on it, there is always a chance that a unit can malfunction. Malfunctions are typical, especially with HeadEnd Equipment that is perpetually running. That is why, the team at DNI, always recommends Keeping Spare Headend On Hand. I am not saying you have to buy and extra of every piece of CATV equipment that you buy, but I do recommend purchasing one or two spares for your most essential receivers and transponders.

 

In short, buying equipment to build a Head-End is a tough job, but not an impossible one.  It is important to know exactly what your CATV needs are and determine the best equipment for you based upon research.  You should also never let price alone, be the determining factor when you are buying Digital Broadband Equipment.  If you have any questions about a specific type of HeadEnd Equipment or you are looking to start pricing out equipment, feel free to contact one of our knowledgeable HeadEnd Reps.

Broadband rep consult CTA

What your Cisco Rep Doesn’t want you to know

30

Apr
2014
Posted By : Melissa Bardello 0 Comment
Categories :Uncategorized

Find out the truth about cisco equipment  that your rep doesn't want you to knowLet’s face it, being an IT Buyer can be a real challenge. Not only is it expensive to buy Networking Equipment, but it is also time consuming.    Many Technology Purchasing managers look to their Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Sales Representative to guide their decision making process.  The problem with this?  Most Sales reps are interested in making a sale and not concerned with the well fair of your budget or business.

 

It is your Cisco Sales Representatives job to sell you the latest and greatest Cisco equipment will all of the maintenance packages and upgrades that you can afford.  Keeping you as a Cisco customer, and only a Cisco customer, is their number 1 priority, which is understandable.  In order to do this, many reps lead you to believe that you have very limited options, outside of the ones that they can provide. The team at DNI believes that you have the right to know, there are other, better options out there for you.

 

Today I am going to share with you some of the most crucial things that your Cisco Rep doesn’t want you to know about!

un-necessary network equipment upgrades are a huge waste of moneyUpgrading Every 3 years is Unnecessary:Not only that… it is a huge waste of money.   Most OEM Reps will tell you that you need to upgrade your system every 3 years, or even sooner depending on the new tech that they have developed. The truth is that most equipment is relevant for at least 5 years.   In fact, many of the cisco routers, firewalls, and cisco switches that you are currently running in your network were designed to adapt to new technologies and allow for network growth.

End of Life Announcements are not the End of the World: When Cisco announces an EoL on a product or product line, they lead to you believe that the product will just disappear. In addition, an End of Life announcement always goes hand in hand with a discontinuation of support for the product, leaving many customers feeling the pressure to upgrade the EoL products to a newer unit that Cisco will support. Allow me to ease your mind on this one. An EoL announcement is not the end of the world! Many products that have been “discontinued”, are still available on the Secondary Network Equipment Market, in both New or Used Condition and they are still eligible for maintenance through a third party Maintenance provider.

You Do Not Have to Use Their Maintenance Programs: Many OEM’s like Cisco lead their customers to believe that their Maintenance Programs are your only option. When in reality, there are a number of Third Party Maintenance providers that you can trust to support your Network, that provide the same support services at a fraction of the cost. In fact, many IT Hardware Manufacturers hire third party maintenance providers to fulfill the repair and support needs of their Smartnet Customers.

Buy New Sealed Cisco From Used Cisco DealersThey are not the only ones who sell New Equipment: It is your OEM Reps job to keep you as far away from the Secondary Equipment Market as possible. After all, if you knew the benefits of purchasing all of your cisco equipment from a trustworthy network equipment reseller, your rep would be out of a job. One of the major things that your Cisco rep doesn’t want you to know… you can buy Brand New Cisco Equipment from a reputable Reseller at a fraction of the OEM Price.

Your Used Network Equipment has Value: Again, it is your Cisco Reps job to keep you away from the Secondary Market, so of course they don’t want you to know learn more about used Cisco and save!that you can sell your pre-owned cisco routers, switches and firewalls to a Reseller. A Used Equipment Broker, Like DNI, will purchase your decommissioned Cisco equipment, and arrange and cover the cost of shipping all of the equipment from your facility to theirs. Selling your used IT hardware to a reseller will help you offset the cost of any new equipment you are looking to purchase while saving you the time and money it would take for you to dispose of the equipment yourself.

 

In Short, the most important thing for you to know is that YOU HAVE OPTIONS! So the next time you are faced with a Network Hardware Upgrade, do a little research into the unknown before you make your decisions. What you find might surprise you!

 

Ready to Explore some of your Options?

Why not start your research now?

6 things about secondary market

5 Things You Need To Know About Cisco Compatible Optics

15

Apr
2014
Posted By : Melissa Bardello 0 Comment
Categories :Uncategorized

5 things to know about cisco compatible opticWith the prices of technology and networking equipment steadily rising and Tech budgets struggling to keep up, it is obvious why every network admin, Purchasing Clerk and IT buyer out there, are looking for ways to balance their budgets.   There are a number of ways to help reduce your costs on your network equipment, and buying cisco compatible optics is a major one.

The reason why most people shy away from 3rd party optics is due to the many misconceptions surrounding compatible optics in the market place.  The fact of the matter is, most of the negative things that you hear about 3rd party optics are just plain not true.  Here at Data Networks International, we understand that you may have concerns.  It is our ultimate goal to put your mind at ease and assure our customers that any product that they purchase from us, be it a cisco compatible optic or a refurbished cisco switch, will be top quality.

 

 

Here are 5 important things you need to know about 3rd Party Compatible Optics:

Continue reading “5 Things You Need To Know About Cisco Compatible Optics” »

The Importance of Keeping Spare Headend Equipment On Hand

08

Apr
2014
Posted By : Melissa Bardello 0 Comment
Categories :Uncategorized

a downed network can be seriously annoying!Everyone knows how annoying and stressful it is when your cable goes out. How are you going to find out who gets kicked off the island or who gets the last rose?!  Stressful,  I know!   What most people do not know is how much stress the employee’s at the cable TV companies have when just one channel goes out, let alone their entire network.

If you work for a cable TV company or an ISP who offers TV Services you know the pandemonium that occurs when one of your Satellite Receivers breaks down.  A channel goes out and it needs to be fixed ASAP before customers start getting angry.  But what happens when the D9850 that you are using, cannot be fixed on site and needs to be sent out for repair, or even worse, needs to be replaced.  Well, that channel is out of commission until you get a new Receiver in.   A new D9850 that will now cost you a pretty penny to have shipped overnight.  But you have to do it right?  You don’t want to leave a channel down for hours, let alone days!

Here is some good news!  If you keep Spare Broadband Equipment on hand, you will NEVER have to be in this situation again!

 

Sounds Good, Right?!

 

If you buy used or refurbished Broadband equipment from a reputable reseller, like DNI, you can purchase spare units at a fraction of the price you would pay for new, and stock yourself up on the equipment you need to keep your CATV network up and running.

 

prevent stress by keeping spare broadband equipment on hand.Now, I am not saying that you MUST buy spare Motorola and Scientific Atlanta Satellite Receivers as a backup.   You could just wait until one of your Motorola DSR-4400MD’s fails and spend significant amount of money buying a new one and shipping to your facility as quickly as possible.   But, why spend the extra money and go through the hassle if you don’t have to?

If you have a backup Digital Decoder in house, you can replace the failed unit in seconds rather than waiting for days with a channel out, for the unit to get repaired or replaced. Doesn’t that sound like a much better scenario?  I think so, too.  And that is not the only reason why keeping spare CATV Headend Hardware can benefit you!

Motorola CATV Equipment

Important Reasons to Keep Spare CATV Headend Equipment on Site:

  • Keeping a spare backup unit on hand with drastically reduce down time, when a failure occurs.

  • The cost of buying replacement parts is often much greater than the cost of stocking spare Satellite Receivers.

  • Once repaired, a failed unit can take the place of the spare, so you always have a backup unit on hand.

  • The Cost of Shipping a replacement unit Overnight or Early AM Saturday Delivery is much more expensive than shipping a few extra units via Ground Service with your initial order.

 

The Conclusion, keeping spare backup High-end Digital Broadband Equipment in your facility is not only an economical choice, but it will also save you a whole lot of time and a great deal of stress.  A reliable Pre-owned Equipment Reseller, like Data Networks International, can help you to stock all of the spares that you need.

 

Want to know more about how Keeping Digital Broadband Spare Equipment can Benefit you?

OR

spare equp contact hednd rep

Profacabcilou