Fortinet FortiSwitch 148F vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200: Specs & Price Comparison

Fortinet FortiSwitch 148F

★ 3.3 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 176 Gbps (duplex)
Forwarding Rate: ~260 Mpps (duplex; figure published for the 148F-POE datasheet, consistent with the base model's 176 Gbps capacity but not confirmed for it)
Ports (breakdown): 48x 1GbE RJ45 + 4x 10GbE SFP+ uplinks + 1x RJ45 console
PoE Budget: 0 W (no PoE ports; PoE models are the 148F-POE and 148F-FPOE)
Layer: L2 managed (some resellers describe it as L2+ management)
Stacking Support: No physical stacking confirmed for the base model; managed via FortiLink from a FortiGate (the FPOE datasheet cites up to 300 switches per FortiGate)
Packet Buffer: 2 MB
VLAN Support: 4K
Link Aggregation: 8 ports per LAG, 16 LAGs
ACL Entries: 768
Spanning Tree Instances: 16
Form Factor: 1U rack-mountable
Memory: 512 MB DDR3 DRAM, 64 MB flash

✔ Pros: Full 48-port GbE access with 4x 10GbE SFP+ uplinks for a 1U footprint; 176 Gbps switching capacity is ample for a non-blocking access layer; Managed by FortiGate via FortiLink for centralized policy and config with the Fortinet Security Fabric; Lower entry price than the PoE variants when PoE is not needed; Refurbished units are available at about $712.50 from some resellers
✘ Cons: No PoE, so it cannot power phones, APs or cameras; Listed by at least one distributor (SHI) as end-of-life, so the 100 Series may be superseded; Official Fortinet datasheet not located; several specs come from reseller copies and need verification; Forwarding rate, MAC table size and jumbo frame support are unconfirmed for the base model; Conflicting Layer 2 vs. L2+ classification across sources; Dependent on a FortiGate or FortiLink for full management features
Est. Price: $991 - $1,340

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200

★ 4.2 Value Score

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

✔ 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

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