Prices
What network hardware costs
A capable small-office router with an eight-port managed switch, configured and documented, runs PKR 45,000. A twenty-four-port PoE switch with a firewall appliance for a larger office runs PKR 110,000 to 150,000. Sizing follows the device and session count, not the number of staff.
Written and reviewed by our networks and fiber bench · Last reviewed
Size from sessions, not from headcount
A twelve-person office typically runs forty or more devices once phones, printers, cameras, a recorder and a till are counted. Routers are chosen against that number. Buying for headcount is the single most common sizing error and it produces the slow-office complaint within a year.
What the configuration is worth
A VLAN plan separating staff, guests, cameras and the till; a firewall on default-deny with only the ports you actually need open; remote access through a VPN rather than a forwarded port. That work is included in the figures above because hardware without it is hardware in its default state.
PoE, and why it usually decides the switch
Every camera, access point and IP phone that takes power over its data cable is one power adapter and one socket you do not install. Counting those devices usually settles whether the PoE version is worth the difference, and on any site with cameras it comfortably is.
The UPS that should be on the same quote
A rack on backup means a load-shedding cut is not a full network reboot, and the whole network draws very little. It is a small addition to a network quote and it removes the most common recurring complaint in this market. If it is not on the quote, ask why.
How much does a business router and switch cost?
Is an expensive router actually worth it?
For an office, yes — the difference is concurrent session capacity and stability under load, which is exactly what a cheap router runs out of first. For a small flat with five devices it is money better spent elsewhere. Count your real devices before deciding which case you are in.
Can I reuse my existing switch?
Often yes, particularly as an edge switch for a group of desks. What is worth replacing is an unmanaged switch carrying cameras or a till alongside staff machines, because that is the segmentation you cannot do without management. Reusing it further down the network is perfectly reasonable.
Do I need a separate firewall appliance?
For a small office, a capable router with a proper firewall is usually sufficient. A separate appliance earns its cost where there are multiple sites to link, remote access for many users, or genuine compliance requirements. Buying one for a twelve-person office is generally spending ahead of the need.
Rather have it done?
This is the equipment the whole network depends on: a router that routes, a managed switch that can be diagnosed, and a firewall with rules someone wrote deliberately. A small-office set installed and configured runs PKR 45,000 to 150,000, sized to how many devices you actually run.
Router, switch and firewall setup in Islamabad — prices and scope