Primary Device
Cisco Catalyst 9200L
★ 3.4 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- 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)
Curation Review
- ✔ 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
Compare Against
Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200
★ 4.2 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Switching Capacity: 128 Gbps (24-port models); 176 Gbps (48-port models)
- Forwarding Rate: 95.2 Mpps (24-port models); 130.9 Mpps (48-port models)
- Ports (breakdown): 24x or 48x 10/100/1000BASE-T (PoE+ on PoE SKUs) + 4x SFP/SFP+ uplinks (1GbE/10GbE); 6200M models add 4x SFP+ uplinks
- PoE Budget: 370W Class 4 (24G and 48G 370W SKUs); 740W Class 4 (48-port 6200F PoE SKU); up to 1440W Class 6 (60W per port) on 6200M PoE SKUs. Varies by SKU
- Layer: L2/L3 (Layer 3 static routing; dynamic routing depends on software license)
- Stacking support: Yes, VSF virtual stacking up to 8 members (single logical device); VSX redundancy also supported
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: Fixed-port, Layer 2/3 managed access switch in a compact 1U form factor; Wide range of PoE and non-PoE SKUs (370W, 740W, and 1440W class 6 PoE options) for IP phones, cameras, and APs; VSF stacking of up to 8 members simplifies management as one logical device; Full Aruba CX OS features with REST API, network analytics, and automation support via Aruba Central; Solid mid-range pricing compared with enterprise-class core switches; 10GbE SFP+ uplinks support aggregation and campus backbone links
- ✘ Cons: Model and SKU naming (6200F vs 6200M, 24G vs 48G, PoE vs non-PoE) is confusing and specs differ significantly between variants; Public spec sources conflict on some figures (for example, 6200F throughput and uplink types), so exact datasheet values should be verified per SKU; Dynamic routing and advanced L3 features require additional licensing; Power budget is limited on 370W and 740W SKUs, so high-draw PoE devices may not all be supported at full load; Pricing is in USD only for 6200F SKUs. European 6200M pricing was found only in EUR and GBP, and no official HPE list price was confirmed
- Est. Price: $4,261 - $8,663