Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L vs Cisco Catalyst 9200L: Specs & Price Comparison

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L

★ 4.3 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 56 Gbps (24P-4G) to 128 Gbps (24-port 4x10G) and 104 Gbps (48P-4G) to 176 Gbps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
Forwarding Rate: 83.33 Mpps (24P-4G) to 190.4 Mpps (24P-4X); 154.76 Mpps (48P-4G) to 261.9 Mpps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
Ports (breakdown): 24 or 48 x 10/100/1000 downlink ports (PoE+ on P models, non-PoE on T models; some 48-port PXG variants add mGig ports) plus 4 fixed uplinks: 4 x 1G SFP (-4G) or 4 x 10G SFP+ (-4X)
PoE Budget: 24P models: about 370 W default, up to about 740 W with redundant PSU; 48P models: about 740 W default, up to about 1440 W with two PSUs (sources conflict, e.g. 600 W and 1 kW PSU options quoted)
Layer: L2/L3: Network Essentials provides L2 switching with basic L3 features; Network Advantage adds full dynamic L3 routing
Stacking support: Yes, StackWise-80 with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth, up to 8 switches (requires stacking module/kit)

✔ Pros: Cisco StackWise-80 stacking of up to 8 units with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth; 4x10G SFP+ uplink option for higher-bandwidth aggregation; Full PoE+ (802.3at) on P models with budgets up to roughly 1440 W with redundant power; Two licensing tiers (Network Essentials and Network Advantage) let buyers pay only for needed L3 features; Lower price point than Catalyst 9300 for standard campus access deployments
✘ Cons: Uplinks are fixed with no modular expansion slots, which limits future upgrade paths; Full dynamic L3 routing requires the more expensive Network Advantage license; Stacking needs a separate stacking module and is capped at 8 units; Switching capacity and PoE budgets differ widely between SKUs, making spec comparison and sizing confusing; Lower forwarding performance and feature depth than Catalyst 9300 for aggregation or core roles
Est. Price: $1,783 - $4,604

Cisco Catalyst 9200L

★ 3.4 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 176 Gbps (48-port 4x10G model; other SKUs range from 56 to 176 Gbps, reseller listings conflict)
Forwarding Rate: 130.95 Mpps (48-port 4x10G model; some listings show 261.9 Mpps for the same SKU)
Ports: 24 or 48 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet (PoE+ or non-PoE, depending on SKU); 4 x 10G SFP+ or 4 x 1G uplinks; 2 x 25G/10G uplink options on multigigabit variants
PoE Budget: 30W per port PoE+; total budget varies by PSU, e.g. 740 W for C9200L-48P-4X-E, 370 W for the partial-PoE 48PL variant (reseller listings, not verified against Cisco)
Layer: L2 with Network Essentials; L3 routing with Network Advantage (Essentials supports basic routed access only)
Stacking support: Yes, StackWise-80 (80 Gbps stack bandwidth, up to 8 members per stack, requires C9200L-STACK-KIT; some sources cite StackWise-160 or StackWise-480, which appear to be errors)

✔ Pros: Compact, cost-effective access layer switch for small and mid-sized networks; PoE+ on 30W per port for powering IP phones, cameras and APs; 10G SFP+ uplinks on 4X models; stacking supports up to 8 members managed as one logical unit; Network Advantage adds full L3 routing (OSPF, EIGRP, IS-IS, VRF, VXLAN) and SD-Access support; runs Cisco IOS XE with DNA Center and Catalyst Center management options; perpetual base licenses with optional term-based DNA subscriptions
✘ Cons: Network Essentials limits routing to basic protocols such as RIP and limited OSPF; SD-Access supports only one virtual network versus more on the modular Catalyst 9200; no field-replaceable fans and no modular uplink options; stack members must run the same license level, and mixing -A and -E is not supported; published switching, forwarding and PoE figures vary across reseller listings, so the official Cisco datasheet must be checked per SKU; the 9200L is positioned below the modular 9300 for larger deployments and higher port density
Est. Price: $1,783 - $4,604

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