Some people see the words ‘Cisco networking’ and worry about how complex everything is going to be, but it’s probably a lot more simple than you think. In order to configure a Cisco router, there are three different methods: Console, Telnet and Auxiliary. Below an expert from 360gsp guides you through configuring a Cisco router to make things as easy as possible.

First you need to connect Putty to a Cisco router using a console. Connect the console cable at the console port of the router, with the other end going into the computer or laptop. Then run Putty Select Serial and click Open, which will give you command line interface for configuration. Now you can begin!


There are three different modes in Cisco router: User Execution Mode, Privilege Mode and Configuration Mode. There are some important commands used in the configurations, and we’ve explained them in a bit more detail below.

#hostname Test1: This is how you assign a name to the router, and in this example, we called it Test1. To run this command, you should be in Configuration Mode.

#show ip interface brief: This command will reveal the available interfaces in the Router with IP address.

#interface fastEthernet 0/0: This will enter the interface configuration, where you can do things like assign IP address, enable/disable and more.

You can also set a password to a Cisco router, which is useful for when unauthorised users try to gain access.

This is recommended so that you can try to avoid anybody misusing the router or changing settings that shouldn’t be altered. For setting a password you can refer back to this code:

R1>enable

R1#configure terminal

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

R1(config)#enable password 123

R1(config)#

R1(config)#enable secret 123

R1(config)# exit

R1>enable Password:

If you’re accessing the router with a console cable then it’s advised to set a console password. This is also very simple, and you can do that by using the following code:

R1(config)#line console 0

1(config-line)#password 123

R1(config-line)#login

However, console configuration is generally only used during the initial setup. This is because of Telnet, which allows users to configure remotely.

You can also set a password for Telnet in order to stop others from accessing your network.

In order to do this you can use the following code:

R1(config)#line vty 0 4

R1(config-line)#password 123

R1(config-line)#login