For working network engineers

Learn network automation by actually doing it.

Graded labs that run in your browser. Real configs, instant checks. One payment opens every course, led by the 45-lesson CCNA Automation (200-901) exam prep.

14-day refund · 5 paid courses + 2 free · Teaching since May 2010

Clean a switch hostnameExample result
raw = "  SW-ACCESS-12  "
clean_hostname = raw.strip().lower()
print(clean_hostname)
  • ✓ Whitespace stripped
  • ✓ Hostname lowercased
  • ✓ Output matches: sw-access-12
Try it yourself →

One payment. Every course.

  • All 5 paid courses, open the day you buy. Start with the 45-lesson CCNA Automation exam prep.
  • 2 free courses stay free. Try the teaching before you buy.
  • Every future course is included. 9 courses are on the roadmap. Plans can change.
  • Graded browser labs in the core courses. Any extra practice requirements are listed on the course page.
  • Updates for the life of the site. Course access has no subscription and nothing to renew. Optional assessment subscriptions are purchased separately.
  • 14-day refund. Read the refund policy.

$299 once

Every course, now and later, for the life of RouteSwitchU.

Buy all courses · $299

Secure payment through Stripe Checkout.

Have a promotion code? You can type it on the checkout page, which shows your total before you pay.

Prices in US dollars. Tax is added at checkout where it applies.

The catalog

5 paid + 2 free open today · 9 in development, included when each is released.

Open today

  • Included with lifetime access45 lessons

    CCNA Automation Exam Prep

    Prep for the Cisco CCNA Automation exam (200-901), which used to be called DevNet Associate. The course includes three capstones and five decks for retrieval practice. Exercises use fixed example data and run in your browser.

    View course →
  • Free with an account10 lessons

    Python Foundations for Network Engineers

    Learn Python from your first script through network parsers and a package capstone. All ten lessons have browser assessments, with no programming experience or local installation required. It is free with an account.

    View course →
  • Included with lifetime access35 lessons

    AI-Assisted Network Automation

    Take one real network problem all the way to a working tool. You gather the facts, write the code, push the change, validate it deployed, and leave a record. Graded browser labs check each step.

    View course →
  • Included with lifetime access20 lessons

    Cisco Wireless Advanced Technologies Class

    Study the Cisco Catalyst 9800 configuration model through controller labs, captured output, and design exercises. Configure tags, profiles, WLANs, AAA, and mobility, with explicit limits on what the virtual lab can demonstrate.

    View course →
  • Free with an account4 lessons

    Network FDE 101

    Practice customer delivery through a branch-network case. Define the pilot, review route evidence, measure the complete workflow, and assign operational follow-up.

    View course →
  • Included with lifetime access9 lessons

    Wireline for Network Engineers

    Evaluate installed cabling, calculate optical loss, and compare transceivers and cable assemblies. Nine lessons include optional browser exercises using a fictional plant and cited specifications.

    View course →
  • Included with lifetime access34 lessons

    Power for Network Engineers

    Power planning for network engineers, from PoE allocation to rack resilience and calculation workbooks. Practice with stated assumptions and direct engineering worksheets.

    View course →

On the roadmap

  • On the roadmap7 lessons

    Network DevOps: Git, Review, and Pipelines

    Git is taught as the change process you already run. The archive, the change window, the review, the test, and the rollback each have a git piece. Real git runs in the browser.

  • On the roadmap

    802.1X Deep Dive

    A planned course on 802.1X authentication, EAP and RADIUS exchanges, certificate requirements, and access policy. Examine how a connection is accepted or rejected.

  • On the roadmap

    CCNA v 2.0

    CCNA 200-301 v2.0 training is in development. Explore the Networks 101, 201, and 202 path, see draft-review progress, and sign up for launch news.

  • On the roadmap

    WiFi 7

    A planned course on Wi-Fi 7 radio operation, multi-link operation, client support, and deployment design. Relate new capabilities to the constraints of an actual wireless environment.

  • On the roadmap4 lessons

    The Cost of the Problem Calculator

    Work out what the customer's problem costs them today. The numbers are theirs, pulled from systems they already own, with no vendor math in it.

  • On the roadmap4 lessons

    The Network TCO Calculator

    TCO is what the fix costs to own, not just to buy. You count your own side as carefully as the customer's, and you set the total against doing nothing.

  • On the roadmap4 lessons

    The ROI Business Case

    You build an ROI case only on savings you can point at a document for. Risk claims stay out of the base case, and payback is given in months.

  • On the roadmap4 lessons

    The Outcome Tracker

    Take the baseline in week one, then measure the same way every quarter. You walk into the renewal with proof instead of memory.

  • On the roadmap4 lessons

    Champion Conversations

    Your champion presents your numbers in a room you are not in. Build the work with them, let them attack it, and hand it over so it holds up without you.

What a graded lab looks like

This is the lab from lesson 1 of the free Python course, and it runs on this page with the same grader the courses use. Pick how much support you want, run the checks, and read what fails. You don't need an account.

Graded lab - 3 checks, run right here
How much support do you want?

This is the first lesson's script exercise. The grader supplies raw, a hostname with surrounding whitespace: raw = " SW-ACCESS-12 ". Store a lowercase version without surrounding whitespace in clean_hostname, then print it. Expected output for this input: sw-access-12. The checks supply different hostnames to the same script. You do not enter the inputs yourself.

This script removes spaces but leaves uppercase letters. Add the lower() operation and run the checks.

Choose Run checks to grade this code in your browser. The first run downloads the Python runtime (~10 MB), so give it a few seconds.

Built in public.

Shipped recently

  • A softer light theme makes course pages and lessons easier to read.

  • Field Notes now shows article cover artwork so you can recognize the featured story before opening it.

Course status

Lifetime members get every course on this roadmap at no extra cost when it's released. Live courses are open to members now. Alpha courses are in development, and each one opens to members when it's released. Planned courses are on the list with no dates yet. The roadmap shows what we intend to build, but we don't promise any specific course or release date, and the plan can change.

Featured courses

Network DevOps

CCNA v 2.0

Network FDE

Design and wireless

Questions

What does lifetime access mean?

You pay once and keep access for the life of the site. Lifetime means the life of RouteSwitchU, not your lifetime, so if RouteSwitchU stops operating, access ends with it. Course access has no subscription and nothing to renew. Every correction and update to the courses is included, and so is every course we add later. Optional assessment subscriptions are purchased separately.

What's included for $299?

It includes every paid course we sell today and every one we add later. The paid courses open today are CCNA Automation Exam Prep (45 lessons), AI-Assisted Network Automation (35 lessons), Cisco Wireless Advanced Technologies Class (20 lessons), Wireline for Network Engineers (9 lessons), and Power for Network Engineers (34 lessons). The free courses are Python Foundations for Network Engineers (10 lessons) and Network FDE 101 (4 lessons); they require an account and no purchase. The courses marked Alpha open to you when each one is released, at no extra cost, and so does any course we add after that. We don't promise any specific future course or release date, because plans can change.

Is this a live class with a schedule?

The courses have no weekly class schedule. You can read, listen, and complete the exercises when you choose. Reading and practice time vary with your experience, and recorded narration time does not include the work needed for exercises.

How do promotion codes work?

If you came from a link with a promotion code in it, the code is applied at checkout for you, and the Buy button shows what you'll pay. If you have a code but no link, type it on the checkout page. Checkout shows the discount and your total before you pay. You can use one code per order, and a code can't be combined with another code or with a saved spot. A code can end at any time, and it can't be added to an order after you've paid.

I saved a spot before you opened. What do I pay?

You can buy for $249 until Thursday, October 8, at 9:00 AM Mountain Time. Use the link in the email we sent you when we opened, or ask for it on the saved-spot page. After that, the hold ends.

Can I get a refund for my course purchase?

Yes. Within 14 days after the day you buy, you can cancel for a full refund, and we won't ask why. Use the "Withdraw from contract here" button in the site footer or on your account page, or email refunds@routeswitchu.com from the address you bought with. Your course access ends when the refund goes through.

What do I need to take the courses?

Use a computer with a current desktop version of Chrome or Safari for labs and worksheets. The automation courses use graded browser labs, and the design courses use engineering worksheets. Wireless ATC requires a separate Cisco Modeling Labs Personal license and a computer capable of running its virtual controllers. The Python Foundations capstone runs on your own machine. Each course page states its prerequisites and equipment requirements. No AI service grades your work, and an AI subscription is not required.

Can I sign up with my work email?

You can, but a personal email is the better choice. Your account is your email address. You sign in with it, and your receipts and sign-in links go there, so use an address you'll still have if you change jobs. You can change your account email later from your account page.

Can I buy from outside the US?

New course and assessment purchases are currently available only in the United States, with a US billing address. Checkout also checks the country you're connecting from. Existing course access is unchanged. We don't have a date for opening new purchases in other countries.

Who is this for?

It's for working network engineers who know the network and the CLI and want to make changes with code. It fits if you still make changes one device at a time, if you've written little software, if you have scripts but no dependable tests or rollback, or if an AI assistant writes code faster than you can check it. CCNA Automation Exam Prep is for anyone preparing for the Cisco CCNA Automation exam, or anyone who wants the skills it covers without taking it. Skip it if you already run tested automation through CI every week, or if you want video lectures rather than reading and labs. Most of today's courses also assume you already know subnets, device configuration, and command output.

One payment gets you every course, now and later

You pay $299 once, and every course we sell today and every course we add later is yours for the life of the site.

P.S. Run the graded lab on this page before you buy. If you buy and the courses aren't what you wanted, cancel within 14 days for a full refund, and we won't ask why. If you saved a spot before we opened, you can buy for $249 until Thursday, October 8, at 9:00 AM Mountain Time. Use the link in your email, or ask for it on the saved-spot page.