Cisco Catalyst C9300-24P-E

Cisco Catalyst C9300 24-Port Gigabit PoE+ Compliant Managed Network Switch

The Cisco Catalyst C9300-24P-E is an enterprise-grade managed network switch with 24 Gigabit Ethernet ports that support PoE+, designed to connect and power devices (like computers, IP phones, wireless access points, and security cameras) in business and campus networks, while providing high performance, security, and centralized network management.

Key Features

Hardware & Ports

• 24 × 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ-45 PoE+ ports — each port can deliver up to 30 W (802.3at) to power devices like VoIP phones, APs, and cameras.

• Modular uplink slot(s) — supports optional uplink modules (e.g., 1/10 Gb modules) for flexible fiber/copper uplinks.

• Rack-mountable 1U form factor — standard enterprise rack design.

Power & PoE

• Default PoE budget ~445 W (enough to power multiple PoE+ devices) with the supplied power supply; can be expanded to around ~720 W with a secondary PSU.

Performance

• 208 Gbps switching capacity — non-blocking switch fabric.

• 154.76 Mpps forwarding rate — capable of high throughput for access traffic.

• MAC address table ~32,000 entries, VLAN scale, jumbo frame support, etc.

Software & Features

• Managed L2/L3 switch with support for common routing and switching protocols (VLANs, STP, OSPF/EIGRP stub on some packages).

• Cisco IOS XE operating system with support for modern automation and monitoring features (SNMP, RESTCONF/NETCONF, etc.).

• StackWise-480 stacking — stack up to 8 switches with ~480 Gbps stacking bandwidth for simplified management.

Security

• Enterprise security features including 802.1X authentication, DHCP snooping, ACLs, and MACsec on supported platforms.

Typical Use Cases

✅ Enterprise access layer (office floors, campus buildings)
✅ Powering IP phones, wireless APs, surveillance cameras with PoE+
✅ Network access aggregate switch in mid-sized deployments
✅ Stacked switch deployments with redundancy and simplified management

Pros & Cons

✔ Pros

• Enterprise-grade build and features

• Full PoE+ on 24 ports

• Stackable for scalable access deployments

• Strong security and management features

⚠ Cons

• Pricey compared to simpler access switches

• Requires Cisco licensing for some advanced capabilities